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Cheddar & Thyme Scones

  • 30 min
  • 8 servings

Cheddar & Thyme Scones

by Donal Skehan 

Move over dinner rolls, these savoury scones need to feature on your next dinner menu. They go perfectly with soups and stews or served simple with butter and red onion relish.

Irish Celebrity Chef Donal Skehan is the Irish Ambassador for the “Cheese. Your Way.” campaign, in partnership with European Milk Forum. To celebrate Donal’s support of  this campaign he has crafted a series of inspiring, accessible, mouth watering recipes all using CHEESE! Check out Cheese Your Way for more!

Step by Step (tick the boxes as you go)
  • 1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7, dust a large baking sheet with flour.
  • 2 Combine the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.
  • 3 Add 100g of the cheese, 1 tablespoon of thyme and English mustard to the bowl and mix it through the crumbs.
  • 4 In a measuring jug, whisk together the milk and egg until combined. Pour this into the crumb mixture (leaving about 1 tbsp of the mix in the jug) and mix through with a butter knife until a rough dough forms. Use your hands to push the dough together, making sure to include any mixture that’s stuck on the sides of the bowl.
  • 5 Dust a clean work surface with a little flour, turn the dough out of the bowl and press into a round shape. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of 2.5cm (1"). Using a 7.5cm circular pastry cutter, cut out the scones and place on the baking sheet. Press the trimmings together, roll out and repeat until you have used all the dough. Otherwise just cut into squares.
  • 6 Brush each scone with the reserved egg and milk mix, sprinkle with 25g of cheese and the remaining tablespoon of thyme to garnish.
  • 7 Place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 12-14 minutes until they have risen and turned a lovely golden-brown colour on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm with butter.
Ingredients
  • 500g self-raising flour
  • 120g butter chilled
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 125g Irish cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • 250ml milk, plus extra for brushing
  • 2 large free-range eggs