Chilli Cheese Scones
Delicious with a really warming heat from the chilli and cayenne pepper. Enjoy on the side with soup!
Ingredients
- 250g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped (see Notes)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 75g chilled butter diced
- 125g mature cheddar grated (I like to use extra mature cheddar)
- 175ml buttermilk
- 1 tbsp milk to glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220C/fan 200C. Sieve the flour, baking powder, chilli and cayenne into the bowl of a food mixer. Add the salt, a good grind of black pepper and the butter. Whizz to fine crumbs. Tip the mixture into a large bowl, stir in 100g of the grated cheese, then gradually pour in the buttermilk, stirring to make a soft, non-sticky dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, flatten out the dough with your hands to 1.5 to 2cm thick. Dip a 6 or 7cm fluted cutter in flour and stamp out little rounds, re-rolling the dough as needed to make 16 in total.
- Transfer the rounds to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with a little milk and scatter over the remaining grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until risen and golden. Remove the scones from the oven and leave to cool a little on a wire rack.
- Serve warm with some homemade soup.
Notes
- If you don't have a fresh red, use 0.5 tsp chilli flakes.
- If you’d prefer not to have the heat from the chilli or cayenne, just leave them out.
- The scones freeze well and can be reheated from frozen in a 160C fan oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or defrost and either reheat in the oven, or cut in halves and place under a hot grill for 1 minute.