If you’re looking for neat, airy-fairy, high-tea scones, look away. Wholemeal flour and the two eponymous ingredients give these scones a more robust character, especially as strong white bread flour is also used rather than self raising flour. Don’t be put off by this; as long as you handle the dough gently and minimally it’ll be fine, not heavy or dense. And the taste is very good too.

Makes: 12 – 13 scones (if using a 6cm cutter)

Time: 40 – 45 minutes preparation and “hands on”. 18 – 20 minutes baking.

Level: Easy

Need: Bowl, wooden spoon etc. (i.e. basics) + two baking trays and a 6cm straight edged round cutter.

Ingredients

350g strong white flour
150g strong wholemeal flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp mustard powder (optional)
25g sugar
30g baking powder
100g chorizo pieces or chopped chorizo
150g – 175g grated Red Leicester cheese (or another good, hard cheese)
2 eggs (1½ into a jug, keep ½ for glazing)
300ml – 350ml buttermilk (or use normal milk)
50g melted butter

Method

1. Oven on to fan 220°C / fan 200°C / 425°F / Gas 7. Put in the two trays to heat up. Cut two sheets of baking parchment to fit the trays and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, salt, mustard powder, sugar and baking powder.

3. Stir in all the chorizo and most of the cheese.

4. Put 1½ eggs in a jug and add 300g buttermilk. Stir to mix. Have some more buttermilk or normal milk in reserve.

5. Melt the butter.

6. Tip the buttermilk and melted butter into the dry mix and mix to form a dough. Add more liquid if necessary. The dough shouldn’t be dry or crumbly.

7. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring together. Roll or flatten to a thickness similar to the height of your cutter. Don’t overmix it.

8. Stamp out circles of dough without twisting the cutter. Flour the cutter each time.

9. Take the heated trays out of the oven and place a pre-cut parchment sheet onto each one and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place the uncooked scones onto each sheet, spaced well apart. Brush the tops with egg, but keep some for a second brushing.

10. Into the oven and bake for 9 minutes then ……

11. …. working very quickly, take the trays out, re-egg wash and add on the reserved grated cheese. Reverse the trays and put them back in the oven, swapping their shelves. Bake for a further 9 – 11 minutes. When baked and out of the oven, leave on the trays for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

NB Steps 9 – 11 is what I normally do, but if you prefer the more traditional method put the cheese on earlier and only open the oven after 18 – 20 minutes. (But the cheese could be overcooked!)

I hope you enjoy baking and eating these scones. For more scone recipes click here, or have a look at the rest of my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes. Here are a few other scones for you to try:

Honey and Almond.