Cheese & Chive Scones

Freshly baked scones are hard to beat! These tender, cheesy morsels with a hot cup of tea are just the ticket on a frosty morning (especially when the post-run salt cravings hit)! If chives are not your thing, just leave them out.

If you don’t have self-raising flour, use plain/all-purpose flour (cake wheat flour in South Africa) with baking powder (2 teaspoons/10ml baking powder for every 1 cup/150g of flour). You can use salted butter if you like, just omit the additional salt in the recipe.

Makes 9 - 12 scones

CHEESE SCONE DOUGH

self-raising flour, 300g (500ml or 2 cups)

butter (unsalted), 100g - cold out of the fridge

chives, 15ml (1 tablespoon) - fresh or dried

fine salt, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

cheese, 200g (2 cups grated cheese) - a mature/aged cheddar works well

milk, 180g (180ml or 3/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl.

Using a box grater, grate in the butter (alternatively, you can place the flour and roughly chopped butter in a food processor bowl fitted with a blade attachment).

Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until fine and uniform (or blitz with a food processor until resembling fine crumbs, then transfer to a mixing bowl).

Add the chives (chopped) and salt and mix to combine.

Grate the cheese before adding it to the bowl.

Add the milk and mix using a table knife until clumpy.

Tip the shaggy dough onto a clean work surface and press together to form a firm dough ball.

Place the dough on the baking tray lined with baking paper then flatten with your hands into a 3cm thick square.

Cut the dough with a knife or dough cutter into squares (divide into 9 - 12 scones depending on the size you like).

Space them apart on the tray. You can top each scone with a little extra finely grated cheese and chopped chives if you like.

Baking for about 15 minutes until golden and cooked.