S for Scones - Pesto Parmesan Cheddar Scones - Day 19

A scone is a single serving of quick bake/bread usually sweet and served at tea. It can be flavored with fresh fruit or made plain with the rich goodness of cream. I chose to make a savory scone using two of my favorite cheeses- Parmesan and Cheddar and to take it up notch on flavor I added in a few tablespoons of my home- made Basil Walnut Pesto for good measure. It felt good to bake something savory after a week of sweet bakes. 

S for Scones  - United Kingdom (UK)

The original scone was round and flat, usually as large as a medium-sized plate. It was made with unleavened oats and baked on a griddle, then cut into triangular sections for serving. Today, many would call the large round cake a bannock and call the triangles scones. In Scotland, the words are often used interchangeably.

When baking powder became available to the masses, scones began to be the oven-baked, well-leavened items we know today.Modern scones are widely available in British bakeries, groceries and supermarkets. 

Baking scones at home is often closely tied to heritage baking. They tend to be made using family recipes rather than recipe books, since it is often a family member who holds the "best" and most-treasured recipe.

Scones have a light crumbly texture and are quick to make. I scoured through plenty of recipes and almost all of them were made using all-purpose flour and eggs, but there was one recipe I came across that used cake flour. Cake flour is nothing but all-purpose flour with cornstarch added to it. I use it often to make my cakes which results in a lighter, tighter crumb in cakes. I've made savory scones before with only all-purpose flour and they are denser in texture. These were incredibly light so the cake flour does make a huge difference. I would recommend using it and I've provided a very easy way to make cake flour at home. You don't have to buy a huge pack of Cake flour just for this recipe. 

Cake flour:

1 cup All-purpose flour

2 tbsp Corn flour/Corn starch

Measure out a level cup of All-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add the 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Sift to combine and use as needed. 

Pesto Parmesan Cheddar Scones

You will need: 

Makes: 8 Scones 

3/4 cup cake flour

6 tbsp All-purpose flour

3/4 tsp Baking powder 

1/8 tsp Baking soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper 

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces 

1/4 cup Grated Cheddar

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan 

1/4 cup cold buttermilk 

2 tbsp Prepared Basil-Walnut Pesto 

1 tbsp butter melted to brush tops

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl combine the flours, salt, pepper, baking powder and baking soda. Add the cold butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the shredded Parmesan and Cheddar. Combine.

In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk and pesto. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until it forms a dough. Turn it out onto a flat surface and knead just until it comes together. Don't overwork the dough. Shape the dough into a disc and cut into 8 triangles. 

Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown along the edges. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve while still warm.

The cheeses, the pesto, the butter all beautifully came through in this scone. They didn't last long, but leftovers can be kept in air-tight container for a day or two. 

BAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: 

A for ANZAC BISCUITS - AUSTRALIA

B for BASBOUSA - EGYPT

C for CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS - FRANCE

D for DAMPER BREAD - AUSTRALIA

E for EMPANADAS - MEXICO

F for FLAN MEXICANO - MEXICO

G for GRISSINI BREADSTICKS - ITALY

H for HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE - USA

I for INDIAN LADI PAV - INDIA 

J for JOULUTORTTU - FINLAND

K for KORVAPUUSTI - FINLAND

L for LEMON SPRITZ SANDWICH COOKIES - GERMANY

M for MACARONS - FRANCE
N for NANKHATAI - INDIA
O for ORANGE OGURA CAKE - MALAYSIA
P for PINCA - CROATIA
Q for QUICK BREAD - STRAWBERRY PECAN BREAD - USA

R for RIGÓ JANCSI - HUNGARY

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