Buttery, cheesy, and packed with ham—these savory scones work just as well for breakfast as they do alongside a bowl of soup. I swapped fresh chives for freeze-dried, because sometimes the pantry wins.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for shaping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives (in place of 3 tablespoons fresh chives)
- 1 cup (about 100 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons / 113 g) unsalted butter, frozen
- ⅔ cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
- 1 large egg, separated
- ¾ cup (about 110 g) finely diced ham
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in the freeze-dried chives and cheddar.
- Grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Work it in gently until the butter is distributed in small, pea-size bits. Keep the mixture cold.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg yolk with ⅔ cup cold buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture along with the diced ham, stirring just until a rough dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat. Bring it together gently and pat into a circle about 8 inches across. Cut into 8 wedges. If very dry, add 1–2 tablespoons buttermilk; if too sticky, dust lightly with flour.
- Mix the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon buttermilk and lightly brush the scones. Sprinkle with flaky salt if using. Chill the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Arrange the chilled wedges 2–3 inches apart.
- Bake 22–25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and edges are golden. Let cool briefly before serving.
Yield: 8 large scones.
Laura’s Tip
Freeze-dried chives are easy to keep on hand. For this recipe, I used them instead of fresh—about 1 tablespoon dried for the 3 tablespoons fresh in the original.
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