Best Double Cheese Scones
This is the ultimate cheese scone recipe! Different from your usual speckled ones, it has two types of cheese in each biscuit. I spent a few years until I got to what I wanted, which was to bite into a pool of melted cheese and a sharp flavor at the same time. Even if you're a beginner, this detailed post has all my tips and tricks.
Servings 12 triangles
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup unsalted butter cold
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 extra-large egg
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 5 oz mozzarella cheese in small cubes
- 5 oz sharp cheddar cheese in small cubes (I used Fontina before, but cheddar is SO much tastier!)
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried or fresh thyme optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
- Cut cheeses into bite size pieces.
- In a small bowl lightly mix egg, sour cream and milk.
- 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.
- 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.
- Dump onto a lightly floured counter, cut in half and form one of the pieces into a rough rectangle. It doesn’t matter if it’s very irregular and has a dry bit here and there.
- 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).
- Repeat with second piece of dough, cutting 6 more triangles.
- Transfer to a greased baking pan or lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until golden, dry and cheese has melted and crusted.
- Cool for 5 minutes and eat warm.
- Store leftovers in the fridge, wrapped in foil. Rewarm for 5 or 10 minutes before eating.
- You can freeze the unbaked scones for 1 month, wrapped in foil. Bake the frozen as directed above.
Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Variations: use different types of cheese and make sure one of them melts well. Add some spice to the dough like cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, or chili powder.
Make ahead: you can cut and freeze them before baking. When the craving hits bake them directly from the freezer, no need to thaw them.
Cheeses: what makes these scones different - and in my opinion better - are the two kinds of cheese (image above). One has to melt really well (I use mozzarella, the pizza type which melts like a charm) and the other has to have a sharp flavor (I use Cheddar, but Fontina works well too). They each do their thing adding a much-needed kick and a melty bite.
Baking powder: it is essential when making scones. Otherwise, they won't rise and you will have hockey pucks rather than fluffy scones. Trust me, I've been there. Make sure it works, that is, that is fresh and not three years old.
Herbs: I love how dill and thyme work with the cheeses. But you can certainly use another herb. Chives will work also.
Top tips for making scones
Very cold ingredients. I’m not kidding when I say frozen butter, at least very cold. And don’t take the cream half an hour before you start mixing the scones. Butter, cream, and milk belong in the fridge until you need to scatter and pour them. Don't overwork the dough. It should come together but still have floury patches. You don’t need to work it until it’s smooth, like a pie dough for instance. It is an uneven dough, with a dry spot here and there, and that’s good for flakiness later. Very cold dough. Pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes after shaping them and before baking them. That ensures that they bake and rise as much as they can. A rather high oven. They need that extra heat (and baking powder) to rise however they can in spite of all that butter and cream. And if by any chance you forgot to turn the oven on before you start with the mixing, please don’t leave the baking sheet with the cut scones waiting on the counter. Put them in the fridge or freezer for the ten or fifteen minutes it takes for the oven to reach its temperature.