Sun-dried tomato and cheese scones are full of flavour and perfect served warm, slathered in butter. Great as an afternoon snack, part of a picnic or as an alternative to bread (they go perfectly with soup), these savoury scones are a quick and easy baked treat.
Savoury Cheese and Tomato Scones
If you have never tried a savoury cheese scone then you are missing out. Forgot cream and jam, these tasty sun-dried tomato and cheese scones beg for a slathering of salted butter or creamy soft cheese. If you like them, make sure to also try my Cheese and Chive Scones.
I love cheese and tomato scones toasted, buttered and dunked in soup like my Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup, or Cream of Vegetable soup.
Another great way to serve sun-dried tomato scones is as part of a brunch platter with sausage, eggs and bacon, or top them with smashed avocado and a poached egg.
Ingredients
- Self Raising Flour
- Butter
- Baking powder
- Cayenne Pepper – just a pinch for flavour, it will not make your scones spicy. You can omit, or swap in black pepper or paprika.
- Mustard Powder– I use Colman’s Mustard Powder but you can use regular prepared English or yellow mustard.
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Cheddar Cheese – for maximum flavour I like a mature cheddar. You can substitute another cheese which has a strong flavour and melts well like parmesan, gruyere or a mix. I don’t recommend mozzarella cheese as this won’t give much cheesy flavour.
- Milk – I use regular full-fat milk but this recipe works well with most milks, including dairy free milk like oat or almond.
Tips for the Best Cheese Scones
- Use COLD butter – straight from the fridge. And for super flaky scones, chill them for 10 minutes before baking. This helps the butter cool back down after your fingers have warmed it up. You don’t need to do this, but if you have time you won’t regret it.
- Get the air in – to avoid dense scones, sift the flour at least once and raise your hands as you rub in the butter
- Weigh Ingredients with a kitchen scale. For baking recipes I really do advise using a scale to measure ingredients instead of cups as it really does pay to be precise. I use and love these digital kitchen scales.
- Use proper measuring spoons to measure tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp), as above it can make a big difference in baking if you are not using precise measurements.
- Don’t over-work the dough. Handle it just enough to bring it all together and shape. I prefer to use my hands to gently flatten the dough to 3-4cm thick before cutting, instead of using a rolling pin. Rustic scones look tastier in my opinion too…
- Use a sharp knife or cutter. Cut carefully and don’t twist if using a round cutter as this will twist the edges of the scone dough and affect the rise.
- Grate your own cheese. Pre-grated cheese usually has a starchy coating to stop it sticking which means it doesn’t melt properly in the scones and can affect the texture.
- Preheat the oven and baking tray. You want cold scones to go in a hot oven for the best rise.
Serving and Storing
Sun-dried tomato scones are best served freshly baked.
For best results, reheat before eating – I love to pop sliced scones in my air fryer for about 5 minutes at 200c/400f. You can also reheat scones in the toaster, oven or microwave.
Store cooked and cooled scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze scones for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or wrapped in clingfilm.
Serve Sun-dried Tomato and Cheese Scones With Some Soup:
- Chicken Minestrone
- Scottish Red Lentil and Bacon Soup
- Roast Squash and Harissa Soup
- Leek and Kale Soup
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
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Sun-Dried Tomato and Cheese Scones
Ingredients
- 225 grams self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 55 grams butter - chilled and cut in cubes
- 55 grams sun-dried tomatoes - diced
- 120 grams cheddar cheese - grated
- 100 ml milk - plus extra for glazing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220℃/Fan 200℃/400℉/gas 7 and place a large baking tray in to preheat.
- Sift the flour at least once, twice if you have time, and stir in the salt, cayenne, baking powder and mustard powder.
- Add the butter and use clean fingers to rub it into the flour mixture – the texture should resemble breadcrumbs.
- Stir in 100 grams of grated cheese (save the rest for topping the scones) and the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Create a well in the middle of the mixture and add about 75% of the milk. Use a spatula to mix together to form a slightly sticky dough – add more milk as needed but you may not have to use it all.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to shape into a circle roughly 3-4cm thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 6 or 8 equal wedges.
- Brush the top of each scone with a little milk then sprinkle over the remainder of grated cheese.
- Place the scones on the warm baking tray then cook for 14-18 minutes until risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition
Excellent, clear instructions and extra tips. Very comprehensive instructions.I’m looking forward to making them.