Ingredients:
- 350g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 60g unsalted butter, frozen
- 150g extra-mature sharp cheddar, grated
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely snipped
- 100ml low-fat buttermilk
- 80g plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg, beaten
Instructions:
- Whisk the 350g flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, mustard, and cayenne in your wide bowl. Ensure there are no clumps of soda, as biting into a concentrated patch of leavener is quite metallic.
- Grate the 60g frozen butter directly into the flour. Use a fork to toss the shards until every piece is coated in flour. The mixture should look like coarse breadcrumbs with some larger, pea sized bits.
- Stir in the 150g grated cheddar and 2 tbsp chives. Make sure the cheese is evenly distributed so it creates pockets of saltiness throughout the dough.
- Whisk the 100ml buttermilk and 80g Greek yogurt together. Pour this into the center of your dry mix. Use a fork to gently bring the dough together until it just barely clings together in a shaggy mass. Note: Do not overmix; the dough should look messy at this stage.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a rectangle. Fold it in half, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat this twice. This creates the flaky layers you see in professional bakes.
- Pat the dough down to about 3cm thickness. Use your sharp cutter to press straight down — no twisting! Twisting the cutter seals the edges and prevents the rise.
- Place the scones on a parchment lined tray. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg, making sure it doesn't drip down the sides (this also seals the layers).
- Slide the tray into a 200°C oven. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are deep golden and the cheese has crackled into a lattice.
- Let them rest on the hot tray for 5 minutes. This allows the internal steam to finish setting the crumb so they aren't gummy when you break them open.