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Double Cheese Dill Scones

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Double Cheese Dill Scones

And just like that, tailgating time is here again. Though I don’t watch football nor live in the US, I know very well what it’s like to gather for whatever big game or championship is going on, whether it’s soccer, hockey or even golf at one point in my life, there’s an excitement surrounding the possibility of your team scoring a big win, and it usually goes hand in hand with the munchies. And not just any food. This is not the time for those carrot sticks with hummus, this is the time when pigging out on scones dripping with two kinds of cheeses is almost encouraged? The Sunday Supper team has a list of recipes to knock you out and make tailgating memorable, hosted by Lane of Supper for a Steal.

Enter these double cheese dill scones, so good you’ll want to make them all the time.
Double Cheese Dill Scones

I’ve been baking them for a few years now, since the time when I used to have a coffee shop. Scones ranked high on my list of things to serve, and let me tell you these became quite famous among the regular crowd. It’s fair to say my Irish descendency made it impossible for me not to learn how to make plain ones at an early age, as I already told you when I made the double chocolate ones. 

And considering no one achieved the level of perfection my great-grandmother did, I simply went on to look for my own recipes, finding even better ones along the way – granny is probably twitching in her 100+ year old grave – which included interesting variations like apricot cashew and fresh strawberry.

Double Cheese Dill SconesDouble Cheese Dill Scones

The only type of cheese scone I had seen around were similar to these parmesan ones, sans the green onions, and they were not what I wanted to serve. I was interested in being able to bite cheese, not have only cheese flavor.

So when it was time to look for my own cheese scone, I went straight to a recipe I’d had my eye on what seemed like forever, since first buying this book right before the turn of the last century (the end of the 90’s, how old do you think I am?!), when food blogs were barely the beginning of an idea and Amazon sold mainly books.  I had used it so much, it was stained as I think all good cookbooks should be and the dust jacket all torn – a bonus since I really came to hate them in the following years. But as we foodies know very well, Ina’s recipes are, shall we say rich? too much? loaded?

Double Cheese Dill Scones

At first it didn’t bother me a bit, those golden triangles were flying off the wooden board I put them on. But a few weeks later, a regular customer came to me and commented that he had to stop at one because they were too heavy to have in the morning. Too heavy? They were little bombs, tons of double cream, eggs and a humongous amount of butter.

So I streamlined them. A little. Not too much. Enough for my regulars to buy two instead of one if they so wished. And what did I get? Probably the best scone ever, with a buttery flavor, two types of cheese – each one doing its own thing, one sharp and one melty – a flaky dough that rises and an eye-catching golden top with crunchy bits of cheese around it.
Double Cheese Dill Scones
When you sell food, the visual aspect is very important, so I was somewhat concerned about that cheese melting in the oven and turning dark and crispy around the scones, because, well, they looked too rustic and homey. It ended up being the main reason the cheese scones were a hit, they had to have those cheesy bits or customers would complain. And as we all know, the customer is always right.
I used to serve one of these cheese dill scones, warm, with a bowl of soup (pumpkin or leek/potato) and a small green salad.
Double Cheese Dill Scones

 

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Double cheese dill scones

Double cheese dill scones

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Description

I wrote extra large egg because you should use the biggest one you can find. If the dough is too dry and doesn’t want to come together, even as a shaggy mess, add a few tablespoon more milk. All ingredients should be as cold as possible, and avoid kneading the dough. The mix of cheeses can vary but I find that a hard one (fontina) and a very melty one (mozzarella) give the best results.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup 300g unsalted butter, cold
  • 4 cups 560g all purpose flour
  • 2 Tbs sugar
  • 2 Tbs baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 10 oz semi hard cheeses (I use mozzarella and fontina)
  • 2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh dill

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF / 190ºC
  2. Cut cheeses into bite size pieces.
  3. In a small bowl lightly mix egg, sour cream and milk.
  4. In the bowl of a food processor, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add cold butter, cut into cubes and pulse until you have a coarse mixture, the butter the size of peas.
  5. Transfer to a large bowl, add wet ingredients and mix with a fork until you have a shaggy mass with some dry patches. Add cheeses and dill and mix some more but just to combine.
  6. Dump onto a lightly floured counter, and form into a rough rectangle. It doesn’t matter if it’s very irregular and has a dry bit here and there.
  7. Cut scones into triangles with a kitchen knife or dough scraper, or use a round cookie cutter (dip it in flour and make one clean press down, don’t rotate it left and right when cutting, as it will prevent the scones from rising properly). 
  8. Transfer to a greased baking pan or lined with parchment paper.
  9. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until golden, dry and cheese has melted and crusted.
  10. Cool for 5 minutes and eat warm.
  11. Store leftovers in the fridge, wrapped in foil. Rewarm for 5 or 10 minutes before eating.
  12. You can freeze the unbaked scones for 1 month, wrapped in foil. Bake the frozen as directed above.
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten
Double Cheese Dill Scones



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Paula Montenegro

A baker for more than 30 years, I love testing recipes and sharing the best of what I find. I'm mostly self-taught with some time spent in baking school. I believe we can all be bakers and cooks with the right instructions and simple ingredients. If you're craving easy recipes with amazing results, you're in the right place. Let's get into the kitchen!

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Comments

  1. Cocoa and Lavender says

    September 8, 2013 at 18:59

    This made me laugh out loud… because i definitely live in the US, but am definitely NOT a tailgate kind of guy. Can I still have these, please? I have been to a few tailgates in my time, and I have to say – I would probably go more often if YOU were cooking for them. Generally, the food is pretty bad. So, if you come here for a University of Arizona game, I will come to your tailgate. Deal? ~ David

    Reply

  4. Renee says

    September 8, 2013 at 18:04

    Oh the delight of a perfectly baked scone. So true not to over work/knead the dough. Biting into those chunks of cheese is simply heaven (can you tell I'm a cheese lover?).

    Reply

  6. Deb says

    September 8, 2013 at 17:10

    I was really late to the party, only discovering TV cooking shows and Ina Garten in 2010! Gasp! I brought all her books before I began my blog. I enjoy her recipes as they are almost fail proof. Yes many are "rich" but I enjoy the simplicity of her cooking style.

    I have made scones with grated cheese, but never thought about big chucks of melting delight! My goodness those are the best savory scones I have ever seen! Warm from the oven they are outstanding!

    Reply

    • wp_vknotes_admin says

      September 13, 2013 at 11:00

      I happen to buy her first book many years ago, by chance really, and at the time, it completely changed my everyday cooking.

      Reply

  7. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

    September 8, 2013 at 16:57

    I am loving the dill in these scones…definitely adding to the list of "must make!". I can only imagine how yummy they smell!

    Reply

  8. Susan Lester says

    September 8, 2013 at 16:40

    These look amazing! I can see why they were a customer favorite! They're perfect for soup & salad dinners.

    Reply

  9. Susan says

    September 8, 2013 at 15:29

    My goodness Paula! Your scones look amazing! My friends were just saying last night that it was time to have them over for brunch again (nice friends right? 🙂 ) and I totally think your scones needs to be included. All that cheese!

    Reply

  10. Anne @ Webicurean says

    September 8, 2013 at 14:54

    I would have been buying these every day! Do you know how hard it is to find savory baked breakfast goods around here? Everyone wants sweet–but these cheesy scones are my type of thing!

    Reply

  11. Megan Wood says

    September 8, 2013 at 14:24

    I've never made scones but this recipe wants me to change that stat! I don't like sweets so I usually stay away from scones but this savory one sounds delicious. YUM!!

    Reply

  12. Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says

    September 8, 2013 at 13:58

    I definitely love having those chunks of cheese to bite into, as well! I know these would fly off the board around here, as well. And I had to giggle when you said it wasn't the time for carrot sticks and hummus…because as much as I love them…you're so right ;).

    Reply

  16. Jennifer@ Peanut Butter and Peppers says

    September 8, 2013 at 13:17

    Oh man do these look good! what a crowd pleaser and perfect for tailgating or breakfast!!

    Reply

  17. Lane says

    September 8, 2013 at 12:17

    Oh my gosh, these look amazing. I'm not really a fan of sweet scones, but savory ones sound great. I think I will try them soon!

    Reply

  19. The Ninja Baker says

    September 8, 2013 at 10:00

    Great choices of cheese, Paula! I so admire that you a) listened to your customer and b) diligently took action to make a good scone into an irresistible scone.

    Many thanks for sharing this invaluable recipe…I mean that, Paula – you could be selling your recipes in a cookbook!

    P.s. Lesson learned from an attempt at your strawberry scones a while back…Cold, cold butter is key as you stated before and in this post =)

    Reply

  20. Stacy says

    September 8, 2013 at 09:21

    Those cheesy bits that ooze out and get crispy are my favorite part as well, Paula! I wish I could have been around when you had your coffee shop. I can tell from all of your recipes that I would have been a regular. Your scones look wonderful and I am craving one with coffee right now.

    Reply

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