Cheese scones

I love to bake but have a terrible hit rate with baking scones; I simply lack the knack. I love hot cheese scones (or cheese and tomato, but not cheese and onion) with coffee for brunch or sultana scones (not date) for a sweet treat. However, I’ve never had much success with baking my own scones, apart from when I ‘helped’ my grandmother when I was a small child. These tomato pinwheel scones were proof of that!

I was lucky enough to sample some scones made by following the Ministry of Food cheese scone recipe. They were light and fluffy and full of flavour. The recipe was quickly sourced online and printed copies passed around the office. I was pleased to discover that there was no butter in this recipe; rubbing butter into a dry mixture is something I've always struggled with so this recipe removes that obstacle. One colleague had success baking them over the weekend; I thought it was my turn to try tonight.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy these were to make after years of struggling. They only needed 15 minutes in the oven, so keep a close eye on them towards the end - I could certainly smell when they were ready. And the best part? My sweetie doesn't like cheese, so they're all mine!

Cheese scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 cups grated tasty cheese
• 1 cup full-cream milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220º C. Put tray in to heat.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper into a bowl. Mix in cheese. Make a well in the centre.
3. Check you have a clear bench with flour on it and the oven is fully heated. You want the scones to go into the oven as soon as possible.
4. Add the milk, mix quickly with a knife. Turn out onto a floured bench and quickly shape into a 3 cm thick rectangle. Cut into 8 and put onto your floured, hot tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes. You’ll smell them as they become ready.

If you don’t eat them all, they freeze well. To reheat, put them into an oven for about 5 minutes.

Cheese scones