These savoury scones are very dear to me. I first made them more than a decade ago. The kids were very small then and this used to be one of their favourite after school snacks. How the time has flown! They (in fact all four of us) still like these scones though and I’m sure you will like them too.
Although we do enjoy the traditional sweet scones with jam, cream etc, these savoury ones are probably closer to my heart. They are very versatile, and they can not only can be had on their own but also as an accompaniment to soups and stews. They can be had for breakfast too with a smearing of butter. With all those vegetables in there, they are quite wholesome and can be a great substitute to the traditional breakfast rolls. Split in half, fill with a savoury filling and they can be part of your afternoon tea display too! And like the kids use to do when they were little, split them in half and enjoy them with a swirl of ketchup!! We’ve enjoyed these savoury scones in all the above ways and love them.
Some pointers for making these savoury scones-
Scones may sound intimidating, but are actually quite simple to put together. Just handle the dough with a light hand and you will have winner. Sharing a few pointers below.
Substitutions-
- The savoury scones featured in this recipe contain butternut squash. I have also made them by substituting the butternut squash with carrots and they taste equally great.
- I usually use cheddar cheese but others like red Leicester cheese (gives a beautiful hue too) or Gloucester cheese work well too.
Methods-
The dough in traditional scones are rolled and cut into discs before baking. I used to do this in the beginning too. But for these savoury scones and all the others that I have made since then, I have just shaped them into rough balls, placed them in a muffin tray and baked. They have come out just fine. I have also used a muffin tray instead of a plain baking tray.
Handling of the dough-
The dough will be quite sticky. Do not be tempted to add lots of flour and knead it like bread dough. Do not, at any cost, overwork the dough. Flouring the rolling board, rolling pin and hands will help to handle and shape them. It just needs to come together to be able to roll out and cut into discs in the traditional way. And this goes even if you are just shaping them and baking in muffin trays.
Cutting / shaping the dough-
If you want to do it the traditional way, roll or pat out the the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness and use 2 inch diameter round cutters to cut the dough. After cutting out the discs, gather the trimmings gently; again, no kneading. Roll out the trimmings and repeat until all the dough has been used up. In this case, I did not pat or roll out the dough. Instead, I just cut the dough into equal portions, shaped into balls (doesn’t need to be smooth) and placed them in muffin trays and very slightly patted the top.
To serve-
These savoury scones are best had warm. They can be had on their own, or slit horizontally into half and spread with butter or other savoury condiments. They can be served alongside soups and stews too; one of our favourite combinations!
We do enjoy a good savoury scone and I hope you will give them a try too. Continue reading further for the detailed recipe.
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Recipe card-
Savoury scones
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup milk and a little more for brushing on top
- ½ tsp salt
- a handful of spinach, chopped
- a handful of coriander, chopped
- 1½ cup grated butternut squash. See notes below.
- 1½ tbsp chilled butter
- a handful of raisins
- a handful of chopped cashew nuts
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
- a handful of sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven at 220 deg C and grease a muffin tray.
- Mix together the flours, baking powder, salt, cheese, butternut squash, coriander and spinach.
- Rub in the butter till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Mix together the egg and the milk.
- Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture and bring everything together. Do not overmix. You can use a fork to gather the mixture together before using hands.
- Transfer the dough ( it will be quite sticky) to a well floured surface and bring it together with well floured hands.
- Shape into 15 -16 craggy balls and arrange in the muffin tray. See notes below.
- Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
- Bake in the centre of the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes or till golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool in the tray for a few minute and serve warm. If serving later, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely before storing in air tight containers and warm them a little before serving.
Notes
- I have also made these savoury scones using grated carrots instead of butternut squash and they taste equally good.
- If you want to shape them in the traditional way, roll (flour the rolling pin too) or pat out the the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness and use 2 inch diameter round cutters to cut the dough. After cutting out the discs, gather the trimmings gently; again, no kneading. Roll out the trimmings and repeat until all the dough has been used up.
You can find all my baking recipes here.
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Until next time,
Sunita
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OMG, you are back! I used to make your scones and other recipes (including Assamese) all the time years ago. I used to look forward to your posts. Then suddenly, your site disappeared, and I could not access it any more. I had nothing saved, and those recipes disappeared too. Just on a whim, I searched for your site again today, and there it was! So glad to see you back. 🙂
Hello Vandana, many thanks for your kind words. Yes, it is good to be back!