Description
A savory scone packed with all of the comfort foods; smoked cheddar, crispy pancetta, warm black pepper and fresh herby chives.
Ingredients
Units
- pancetta - 1 cup (diced)
- all purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups
- butter - 1/2 cup (cold and cubed)
- smoked cheddar cheese - 1 cup (grated)
- cream or buttermilk - 1/2 cup
- eggs - 2 large
- baking powder - 1 tablespoon
- salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- chives - 1/4 cup finely chopped
- black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- In a frying pan, fry the pancetta cubes over medium high heat until they are fried and crispy. Set aside to cool.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Dice the butter into 1/4" -1/2" cubes. Use your hands, a pastry cutter or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are the size of almonds.
- Add the cooled pancetta cubes, grated smoked cheddar cheese and chopped chives to the mix. Blend until evenly distributed.
- Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Add two-thirds of the mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together, then add the remaining buttermilk mixture, the dough should look scrappy and rough at this point.
- Scrape the dough from the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate floury scraps. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface, it should come out as mostly one big chunk with some scrappy bits.
- Gather the dough ball and bits and pat until it just comes together. The top should be chunky and rough, this ensures the crunchy crumbly character of the finished scones. Gently form the dough into two 3"-5" disks for smaller scones, or one 7"-8" disk for larger scones.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Cut the disk(s) into 6 wedges and spread out evenly on baking sheets. Now chill the scones on the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes while the oven preheats, this will help the scones hold their structure and prevent them from falling and spreading too much in the oven.
- Bake the small scones for 20-25 minutes or large scones for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.
- The scones should come out a golden brown with bubbly melty cheese bits and some deep golden browns on the edges, giving that crumbly crunch to the exterior.
- Place the baked scones on a cooling rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Serve alone or with a rich, silky egg for a full breakfast.
Notes
This recipe makes either 12 small scones or 6 large scones.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes