Cheese & Black Pepper Potato Scones

 

 

 

 I think scones are one of my favorite things to bake (and eat!).  Who doesn't love a scone?  Quick and easy to make, they are perfectly at home and fit in with all types of social and private occasions.  

Sweet scones are lovely for teas and genteel like get-togethers, whereas savory ones love homey occasions and going to picnics.  

I especially love savory scones such as these incredibly tasty potato and cheese scones I am sharing today. They are quite simple and yet so delicious! 

 

 

 

These fabulous Parmesan & Black Pepper Potato Scones are perfect for homey occasions, buffets and picnics,  and would go wonderfully with cold meats, salads, soups, etc.  

They are light, fluffy and savory, with a bit of the bite from the pepper.  They area also wonderful packed into lunches. Split, butter and fill with a bit of ham or other sliced cold meat. 

 

They would be beautiful as part of a Ploughman's Lunch.  What's that you say?  Well, I'll tell you.

If you do any sort of travelling in the UK and happen to stop at a Pub for lunch you will more than likely see a Ploughman's Lunch on the menu.   I would be most surprised if you didn't.

 

At it's very simplest,  it comprises a nothing more than a  thick wedge of crusty bread, a large chunk of tasty cheese and a pickled onion. It came into favor at a time when most pub's didn't actually serve much food at all.   So you would get a bit of this and a bit of that.

Nowadays pub's are mainly eating places, so it's become much more than that. Usually there will be a bit of salad, some cold meat, some pickle, a good cheese, maybe two, and some sort of bread to enjoy along with everything else.

I have to say it makes for a very easy meal to prepare at home on a hot summer day.

 

These Cheese & Black Pepper Potato Scones would be very much at home with something like that!  They would it in beautifully.

Just look at how tall they rise up in the oven.  They are light and fluffy, with a beautiful texture and great flavor.  I would consider them to be perfect for all of your savory scone-needs! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESE & BLACK PEPPER POTATO SCONES

They are a bit of a cheat in a way in that they use instant potato flakes. If you are like me that's not a problem I keep them in my larder at all times. They come in handy for things like these scones, and to use as a thickener for some soups and gravies.

• 1/2 cup (50g) instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 6 TBS cold butter
• 1 cup (240ml) sour milk
• 2 1/2 cups (350g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Baking soda)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS cracked black pepper
• 4 TBS coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

To finish:

• cream to brush
• coarsely grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle

 

You can sour your own milk very easily. Just put a TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar into a cup measure and add the milk as needed to come up to the full volume of what is needed in the recipe.

Leave to sit for five or ten minutes to allow the milk to sour and clabber.  Perfect!

Everything else is pretty self explanatory. Do grate your own Parmesan cheese on the large holes of a box grated so that you get a nice coarse texture. This is one instance where you don't want it to be really fine.

 

HOW TO MAKE CHEESE & BLACK PEPPER POTATO SCONES 

Nothing could be easier so long as you follow the cardinal rule of scone and biscuit making. Don't handle the dough too much!  A light hand is the trick! 

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Measure the potato flakes, sugar, flour, baking powder and soda into a bowl. Add the salt and whisk all together.  Grate in the cold butter, add the cheese and stir all together.  Stir in the black pepper.  Add the milk all at once and stir with a fork to make a soft dough.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple of times.  Pat out to a round, about 1 inch thick. Using a 2 inch sharp round cutter, stamp out rounds and place a few inches apart on the baking tray.  Gently knead together the scraps and repeat until all of your dough is used up. Try to get as many rounds stamped out of the first cutting as you can as subsequent cuts will not be as tender.

Brush the tops with a little cream and sprinkle with some more Parmesan.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. 

 

I actually have quite a few different versions of scones here on The English Kitchen. Some savory, some sweet.  Here are some you might enjoy:

CHERRY & VANILLA SCONES - Flaky light scones flavored with vanilla and studded throughout with bits of candied cherries. Delicious!

CARROT CAKE DROP SCONES - Flecked with sweet bits of carrot and studded with sweet sticky raisins . . . lightly flavored with warm baking spices, and glazed with a sweet glaze. 

Whether you choose to bake a savory scone today, a rolled scone, a sweet scone or a rolled out scone, why not bake your family some lovin' from your oven today!

Cheese & Black Pepper Potato Scones

Yield: 1 dozen

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 27 Min

These are fabulous served with cold meats and cheese, or with soups.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (50g) instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 6 TBS cold butter
• 1 cup (240ml) sour milk
• 2 1/2 cups (350g) plain flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Baking soda)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS cracked black pepper
• 4 TBS coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

To finish:

• cream to brush
• coarsely grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Measure the potato flakes, sugar, flour, baking powder and soda into a bowl. Add the salt and whisk all together.
3. Grate in the cold butter, add the cheese and stir all together. Stir in the black pepper.
4. Add the milk all at once and stir with a fork to make a soft dough.
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple of times. Pat out to a round, about 1 inch thick. Using a 2 inch sharp round cutter, stamp out rounds and place a few inches apart on the baking tray.
6. Gently knead together the scraps and repeat until all of your dough is used up. Try to get as many rounds stamped out of the first cutting as you can, as subsequent cuts will not be as tender.
7. Brush the tops with a little cream and sprinkle with some more Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.

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