Sweet scones get all the attention, but savoury scones are honestly just as wonderful — perhaps more so, because they’re perfectly acceptable at any time of day. This scone round is baked as one large disc and then pulled apart into wedges, which means beautifully soft sides and a crusty golden top. The Gruyère melts into gorgeous pockets throughout, and the spring onions add a fresh, gentle bite.
I’ve been making these to have alongside soup all month, and they’ve completely replaced bread rolls in our house.
Ingredients
- 300g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- Good grinding of black pepper
- 75g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 120g Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 large egg
- 100ml cold buttermilk
- 1 tbsp milk (for brushing)
- Extra grated Gruyère for the top
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, mustard powder, and pepper into a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the Gruyère and spring onions, reserving a small handful of each for the top.
- Beat the egg and buttermilk together, then add to the bowl. Use a knife to bring the mixture together into a soft, shaggy dough. Don’t overwork it.
- Turn out onto the prepared tray and shape into a round about 20cm across and 3cm thick. Score deeply into 8 wedges with a sharp knife, but don’t cut all the way through.
- Brush the top with milk, scatter over the reserved cheese and spring onions.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes until well-risen, golden, and the cheese is bubbling.
- Cool for just a few minutes, then pull apart along the scored lines. Serve warm with butter and soup, or just on their own.
You can swap the Gruyère for mature cheddar or even a crumbly Stilton if you prefer. Adding a handful of chopped chives or fresh thyme to the dough is lovely too. These are best eaten fresh, but you can make the dough in advance, shape it, and keep it in the fridge overnight. Just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
