Savory Prosciutto, Cheddar, Parmesan, Thyme Scones

Apparently savory scones are more popular than I once thought. After my bacon cheddar chive scones, I've been getting more requests for savory scones from Hubby's workplace. Since I rarely foray into savory scones, I have no issue with this challenge. Savory scones are much like American biscuits, and can accompany a host of meals. This scone recipe is especially tasty with a chicken or beef salad, as well as a rich cream-based soup. Because Prosciutto is expensive, I added only a moderate amount, but add as much as you'd like. If you add much more, you might consider reducing the amount of salt in the recipe, as Prosciutto can be salty. Experiment, and enjoy these cheesy scones!

Ingredients:

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground pepper

1-1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1-1/4 tbsp baking powder

4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and chopped into pieces

1/3 cup chopped Prosciutto

1-1/4 cups shredded, sharp, cheddar cheese (high quality)

1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

1-1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

Egg glaze:

1 large egg

1 tbsp water

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Combine flour, salt, pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

2. Add cold, diced butter and combine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

3. Add cheddar, Parmesan, and Prosciutto and mix well with a wooden spoon. Break up any chunks of Prosciutto or cheese with your fingers and use the spoon to mix.

4. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and sour cream. Whisk to mix out any lumps. 

5. Drizzle the buttermilk mixture over the flour, cheese, and Prosciutto mixture and combine with the wooden spoon. Continue adding buttermilk in small amounts until you have a slightly sticky dough.

6. Using a small scoop or a large spoon, form scones that are about 1/4- to 1/3-cup in size. Smaller scones will bake a little faster. 

7. If you are using the egg glaze, whisk the eggs and water together lightly. Brush thoroughly on top of each scone.

8. Bake at 425ºF for about 15-20 minutes, or until a deep gold on top. Remove from heat and serve warm or allow to cool completely before serving.

The Process:

Measure out all ingredients beforehand. It makes things so simple!

Chopped Prosciutto, found in the deli section at the local grocery store.

Whisk together the spices, salt, baking powder, and flour.

Add the cold, chopped butter and blend in with a pastry blender.

Your flour-butter mixture should resemble coarse crumbs after the butter is worked in.

Now add the Prosciutto, cheddar and Parmesan.

Mix well with a wooden spoon,
breaking up any clumps of cheese or meat with your fingertips.

Before adding the liquid, whisk the sour cream together with the buttermilk.

Drizzle the buttermilk/sour cream mixture over the dry ingredients,
adding a bit, working it in, then adding more, until the dough is sticky.

This should be a sticky dough. If you want to do a more traditional scone shape,
simply turn out onto a well-floured countertop later.

Make sure the liquid is worked in, because you won't knead the dough
or turn out onto the countertop.

Spoon out the dough in 1/4- to 1/3-cup increments to form your scones.

Spoon out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, a few inches apart.

Brush with the egg glaze before placing in the oven.

Bake until deep golden.

And get a fluffy, cheesy, meaty result!

Results:
These were a wild success. There is plenty of cheese and just enough meat to be meaty. If you're a true carnivore, you could double the meat safely. As they are, they are a savory breakfasty scone.

Savory Bacon-Cheddar Cheese-Chive Scones

Is there anything prettier than a pile of freshly baked scones?

Although I love scones of all types, I usually bake sweet scones, and I think most Americans picture sweet scones when you talk of scones at all. However, to my surprise, Hubby's workplace specifically requested a bacon-filled breakfast scone. After my initial surprise, I set to work developing a recipe that would do justice to bacon and a savory scone breakfast. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
5 cups flour

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp baking powder

1 stick butter (8 tbsp)

2.5 cups coarsely shredded sharp cheddar cheese*

1 lb thick cut bacon

2/3 cup sliced chives

2 cups buttermilk 

1/2 cup sour cream

Egg wash: 
1 large egg
2 tbsp water

1. Cook bacon on stovetop, drain and cool on a paper towel lined plate or tray.

2. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. 

3. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk to mix.

4. Set aside the flour mix and chop the cooled bacon into inch-long pieces.

5. Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces and combine with dry ingredients using a pastry cutter.

6. Add cheddar, chopped bacon, and chives and use a wooden spoon to mix well.

7. Combine sour cream and buttermilk and whisk until no chunks remain. Add to flour until you get a dry dough (do not overmix).

8. Use a 1/3-cup scoop to form drop scones. Spray or coat the scoop with oil to release scones easier. Place each scone on a parchment-lined sheet, about two inches apart. Makes 20-21 scones.

9. Optional: mix egg with 2 tbsp of water and brush on the top of the scones before baking.

10. Bake at 425ºF for 15-17 minutes or until golden.

The Process:

Measure out everything before you get started.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
Then add the cubed butter and work in until it resembles coarse sand.

Add the chives, bacon and cheese.

Mix well.

Add the buttermilk, sour cream mixture and stir to combine.
Try not to overwork but combine as much as possible.

Use a greased 1/3-cup scoop to form drop scones and
place about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes.

Notes:

*I used Kroger sharp cheddar, if using an expensive sharp or extra-sharp cheddar, you could cut down to 2 cups.

I think next time I make these, I would add some jalapeños or cayenne pepper for a bit of spice.

Results:
The comments received on these scones were overwhelmingly positive. I snitched the barest piece, but I think an extra-sharp cheddar or more high quality cheddar cheese would be worth the investment. 

These would be great to keep in the freezer and bake a couple at a time for a quick breakfast scone or to serve to guests as a quick and easy breakfast. 

They also would complement chili or some other hearty soup well, I think. They'd probably taste well with Tabasco or a dollop of sour cream on top. 

All in all, these are a pretty versatile scone full of different ways to enjoy it.

Sweet Cranberry Cornbread Scones

I started getting creative with this recipe, I fear. Cornbread scones with soy milk, crème fraîche and dried cranberries. Hmm. It was a toss up as to how this was going to emerge. However, I survived, and actually enjoyed them, a big surprise to me, since I'm not a big fan of cornbread.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup John Cope's Toasted Dried Sweet Corn (Rehydrated according to directions on the package)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

5  tbsp butter

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1-1/4 cup soy milk*

*See Notes

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mix dry ingredients: flours, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and sugar.

2. Add butter and mix to coarse sand/pebble consistency (a few pea-sized lumps okay). Add crème fraîche and mix until uniform.

3. Add dried cranberries and rehydrated toasted sweet corn and mix.

4. Add soy milk and stir until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a few times with your hands until it all sticks. 

5. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and flatten to 1/3-inch high. Cut into 8 pieces. Bake at 400ºF until brown around the edges or golden on top.

6. Serve warm.

Results & Notes.

These scones came out quite pleasant. They're not dense, have a slight sweetness to them because of the cranberries and sugar, and none of the corn ingredients overpower the scone. These scones pair extremely well with chili, or can be consumed on their own.

*I used soy milk because I was out of regular milk, but in order to make these dairy free, you'd have to replace both the butter and crème fraîche with a non-dairy version.

Sweet and Spicy Cornbread Scones

Well, it was one of those days where I needed to clean out the fridge before a trip and what better way to do that than with making up a scone recipe? This is a variation of another cornbread scone recipe that I created which had Crème Fraîche in it.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup corn flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup John Cope's Toasted Dried Sweet Corn (Rehydrated)

1 tbsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

5 tbsp butter
1-1/4 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix dry ingredients: flours, salt, baking powder, sugar and spices.

2. Add butter and mix to coarse sand/pebble consistency (a few pea-sized lumps okay).

3. Add toasted sweet corn and mix.

4. Add milk and stir until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a few times with your hands until it all sticks. 

5. Shape into a round and slice into 8 scones or use a cookie cutter to shape into rounds. Bake at 400ºF until brown around the edges or golden on top.

6. Serve warm.

Results:

These are a solid, basic cornbread scone. They really don't taste like cornbread much at all, which is probably why I didn't mind them. They weren't my favorite scone, but served alongside chili, they are a great complement. If I made them again, I would probably try them as a drop scone so that they'd not be as dry. That would mean increasing the milk used to probably close to 1-1/2 cups, and not forming them into triangles, but simply using a large spoon to scoop them out onto parchment paper and bake. I think if I did that, they would be softer and much less dry.

  

Rosemary & Black Olive Damper

I enjoy a good slice of Focaccia bread, so when I stumbled over this recipe in Scones by Genevieve Knights, I thought it was worth a try. I did have to substitute canola oil for soya oil and minced garlic for garlic cloves, as I misread the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic or 2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp canola oil
400 g all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
60 mls extra virgin olive oil
20 pitted and sliced calamata olives
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
200-250 mls buttermilk
extra virgin olive oil for brushing

Instructions:
1. For toasting the garlic: Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel the garlic cloves and toss with the canola oil. Wrap the oiled garlic in foil so that the cloves are single file. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

2. For damper: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix in the olive oil with a fork. Mash the garlic slightly and add with the sliced olives and rosemary, mixing a few times with the fork. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine. If the mix is too dry, then add a little bit more buttermilk.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead together until the dough is formed and smooth. Shape into a large, flat round about 20 cm across. Score 8 wedges about a half inch deep across the surface. Brush with extra olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Results:
I was actually a touch disappointed with these. They were incredibly salty, almost to the point of being inedible. Perhaps it was the olives I chose (Private Selection/Kroger brand unpitted calamata olives), or simply that additional salt was not needed. The recipe is worth trying again, but I would omit the added salt.

Pumpkin and Parmesan Scones

I was skeptical about these scones. Pumpkin and Parmesan? Really? Isn't pumpkin supposed to taste like pumpkin pie, with nutmeg and cinnamon? Well, this recipe just proves that pumpkin doesn't always have to be sweet. And that pairing it with Parmesan can actually be a winning combination.

Ingredients:

100 g pumpkin purée
200 g all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
80 g grated Parmesan cheese
100 g raw pumpkin seeds
100 mls heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl.

2. Add the pumpkin, Parmesan cheese, and pumpkin seeds to the bowl and mix with a fork until mostly incorporated. Add the heavy whipping cream and mix with a spatula or fork until it has almost come together into a dough.

3. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead a couple times to bring together. Using a rolling pin, roll out until 1/2-inch high. Use a round cookie cutter and cut out as many rounds as you can, rerolling the pieces as necessary.

4. Place in oven and bake until golden on top, about 6-8 minutes.

Results:
The pumpkin seeds in this recipe make these scones crunchy, while the pungent Parmesan makes them savory. If you're looking for something to accompany a meat dish, these are a possibility.

Parmesan & Cheddar Cheese Scones

It's no secret: I love cheddar cheese. Combining cheese and scones, well, it's just a matter of time before I try a recipe like that.

Luckily, this one was in the Simply Scones cookbook, just waiting for me to try it.







Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
dash ground red pepper (or flakes or cayenne pepper)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water (glaze)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400ºF and grease or cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices together. Add all of both cheeses and mix. Add the cut up butter and, using knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the flour mixture resembles coarse sand.

3. In a small bowl, combine the milk and two eggs. Mix well. Add the egg and milk mixture to the dry flour and cheese mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

4. Using a large spoon or a 1/4-cup measure, dollop out onto the baking sheet, leaving about three inches in between each scone.

5. Brush the glaze on the top of each scone. Bake for approximately 17-22 minutes, or until golden.

The Process:

Cheddar Cheese, 2% Milk,
Parmesan Cheese, Large Eggs, Egg & Water Glaze,
Unsalted Butter,  Salt & Spices, Baking Powder

Flour and cheese mixture

Flour, Cheese and Butter mixture

Dough

Evenly space your scones

Use a small paintbrush like this, which you can find in the cooking aisle.

Dough brushed with glaze.

Bake until lightly golden.

Results:

I love cheddar cheese. Baking a savory scone with cheddar cheese just combines two of my favorite foods.

These scones are best served warm, and I find they complement a bowl of chili just perfectly. The spice in them (I added cayenne pepper as well as red pepper flakes) might have something to do with that. 

They were quick and easy to make, a scone I will put on my go-to list as a side bread. 

These go excellently with a bowl of chili.

Cornbread Scones

Cornbread Scones with Butter

After the Royal Scone disappointment, I felt the urge to try something else. So I tried another savory scone recipe: Cornbread Scones! I only wish that I had made some chili to go with. 


This recipe I got from a scone recipe book that I bought in Culloden Battlefield gift shop last June (Scones by Genevieve Knights). I've worked my way through several recipes in this book, and found them quite good. To date, this is my favorite scone recipe book.


The Recipe:

Cornbread Scones


150 g plain flour
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
100 g butter
1 tablespoon ground cumin
100 g fine ground cornmeal
200 mls buttermilk


Preheat the oven to 450ºF. 


In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. 


Add the butter, rubbing it in between your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs or sand. 


Add the cumin and cornmeal.


Mix in the buttermilk until just combined.


Lightly flour the countertop. Roll the dough into a log about 4 cm wide. Slice into 12 scones. Place the scones on a parchment-paper lined baking tray, cut side up. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden.

The Process:

Ingredients, weighed out and ready to mix.

The dough after all ingredients were mixed together. It was a wetter dough, a little wetter than expected, but I followed the instructions and added all the buttermilk as called for.

Instead of cutting the dough log with a knife, I opted for the dental floss method that I learned from my mother (a wonderful baker herself). Slide the floss underneath the log as close to the counter as you can get, then place it at the desired width and criss-cross the floss above the top of the log. This avoids smashing the log of soft dough and misshaping the scones.

Raw dough ready to go into the oven...

Nicely browned after 7 minutes at 450ºF.

As the serving suggestions were to try cream cheese and cold cuts with the scones, I tried both. A creamy cheddar spread with some lunch meat on top was tasty.

Butter spread on top of the scones was quite good. Reminiscent of a milder cornbread.

Results:

I would definitely make these again. I'm not big on cornbread, but these had a light corn taste and would be excellent alongside some chili.