Cheesy Pepper Savory Scones
Well, as we are coming up on the end of the fourth week with no furnace here in the middle of October, I woke with a need for a hot cup of coffee and a hot breakfast. I stuck my nose out of the covers several times to feel the chill and decided to plan my breakfast first. A nice, warm scone came to mind and I decided to make a Cheesy Pepper Savory Scone. That thought helped me finally begrudgingly roll out of bed to get dressed into my usual four layers of clothing. I would have been a very grouchy pioneer woman let me tell you….
One large cup of hot, black coffee in, I was feeling slightly less sorry for myself and decided to get going on my Cheesy Pepper Savory Scone to warm myself up. I will have to admit that I am not a baker. I tend far more strongly to the savory side of things and so I decided that I would make an aged cheddar and pecorino cheese scone with dried chiles and genoa salami. Even thinking about it seemed to lift my mood so it must have been the right call.
I preheated my oven to 400 F and set out a baking sheet with some parchment.
Next, I grated my cheeses, mixed them together well and set them aside. I used aged cheddar and pecorino but other cheeses would work also. The salty edge of pecorino is one of my favourites so I like to incorporate it where I can. You could also use three cheeses instead of two if you want to be fancy.
Then, I went to my stock of dried peppers, grabbed a few and removed the stems. I put them in my chopper and chopped them until they were basically a pepper powder. I used a cayenne pepper, two ancho peppers and a jalapeno. Once they are chopped into oblivion, I add them to the cheese blend and mix well. Failure to mix well will result in hot spots in the scones where your spouse looks at you curiously as beads of sweat start popping out on your forehead as you eat your breakfast while he calmly enjoys his….. Mix well and you will have an edge of spice evenly through your scone dough. Place your cheese and pepper mix by your mixer.
I grab the genoa salami and dice it. I saute it in a saute pan until it just gets crispy. It adds a little heat and some crispy texture. Once it is crispy, remove from the heat and place it in a small dish by your mixer.
Next, I take my butter and cut it into pea size pieces and put it in a bowl in the fridge.
Next, I mix three large eggs with 1/2 c of mixed whipping cream and 1% milk. Set it aside by your mixer.
Finally, I measure out my flour, baking powder and salt.
At last! To begin! I start by mixing my flour, baking powder and salt in my stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment. Just blend it for a couple of minutes and then grab the butter out of the fridge and add it into the mixing bowl. I like to keep my butter very cold until just before I add it as I think it results in a much better scone. Mix the flour mixture with the butter. You want the butter to retain its dice shape. You are not trying to blend the butter into the flour like you would in a cookie dough.
Once you have mixed the diced butter with the flour mixture, add your liquids. In goes the egg, milk and whipping cream mix. I think it is important not to overmix the dough so mix it until it just blends together then add the genoa and the cheese pepper blend and mix until everything is just mixed.
Lightly flour a clean counter top and put the dough onto the floured surface so it doesn’t stick to your countertop. I use my hands to smoosh (technical baking term) out the dough into what ends up looking like a thick pizza. Depending on how big you want your scones to be, you can make your pizza between 9 and 12 inches. I would cut the 9 inch dough into 8 triangles and the 12 inch dough into 12 pieces. The picture shows a scone which was 1/8 of this recipe.
Once you have portioned the scones, move each of them onto your baking sheet carefully with a spatula. You can try and move them with your hands but you may find that they break when you try to remove them from the counter.
Once you have them spaced nicely on the baking sheet, brush them with an egg wash use and put them in the oven to bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or so. If you make the dough into 12 servings instead of 8, your baking time will be slightly lower. They are done when they are nicely browned and cooked through.
I like to serve them warm with butter and raspberry jam but you could also use them to house an egg sandwich with a fried egg and some ham. Try my Spicy Scone Breakfast Sandwich. I am in a better mood now — one scone and two coffees in…. life is better.
Cheesy Pepper Savory Scones
This is a flaky scone with a spicy hit to wake you up. Nice addition to brunch.
Ingredients
- 3/4 c butter
- 1 ounce genoa salami diced
- 5 ounces cheese, grated a combination is nice
- 2 - 3 tbsp dried chile flakes or powder to taste
- 3 eggs large
- 1/4 c whipping cream
- 1/4 c partly skimmed milk
- 2 1/4 c flour plus a little bit to flour your counter
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt plus a bit more for the top
- 2 tbsp grated pecorino
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
-
Begin by setting your oven to 400 degrees F and prepping a baking sheet with some parchment.
-
Dice the butter into pea-sized pieces and put into the fridge to keep it cold.
-
Cook the diced genoa salami in a fry pan until it is crispy. Remove from heat and let cool. I remove it from the rendered fat in the pan to cool.
-
Combine the grated cheese with the pepper flakes and the genoa salami. Ensure that mixture is well mixed to avoid inconsisent spice in the scones.
-
Crack your eggs into a bowl and beat them slightly before adding the whipping cream and skim milk.
-
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt with your mixer.
-
Remove butter from the fridge and add it to your mixing bowl. Mix it with the dry ingredients already in the mixing bowl. The butter should retain its diced shape. You will not blend the butter into the flour but just mix it lightly.
-
Add the egg/milk mixture to your mixing bowl and combine on low until just mixed.
-
Add the grated cheese, pepper and genoa mixture and mix until just combined.
-
Once the dough is mixed, lightly flour a clean countertop and transfer the dough to the floured surface.
-
Using your hands, spread out the dough evenly into a circle of approximately 9 - 12 inches depending on how many servings you are trying to get. I cut the 9 inch circle of dough into 8 servings and the 12 inch circle into 12 servings.
-
Once you have the dough round a consistent depth and the correct size, you can take a knife and cut it into 8 pieces. Using a spatula, move the scones onto your baking sheet.
-
Mix the egg white with the water and using a pastry brush, brush each scone top and sides with egg wash.
-
Top each scone with the grated pecorino and a little bit of sea salt. Bake until nicely browned. About 15 to 20 minutes. If you have made 12 servings, the baking time will be slightly reduced.
Made these this morning. Only had rice and wholewheat flour. A little trickier to shape and move on to the baking sheet, but, in my opinion, turned out quite tasty. Thanks!