Cheddar and sage scones

       Scones are quick-bread, usually leavened by Baking powder.  They are tea-time snacks, and had preferably with butter/cream and sometimes with Flavoured jam too.  As part of this month's Baking Partners challenge, Archana has suggested these scones.  Cheddar and sage scones, were highly aromatic, crumbly-cake like textured with an cheesy twist.  Topped with butter, these scones can be an absolute kid-pleaser and an hearty tea-time treat.

They were super-quick with an handy ingredients.  Once baked, they filled up my entire home with an strong aroma.  All this magical credit goes to sage, which imparted an light pungentness, when paired up with mustard.  Sage is better known to many, as, 'Karpooravalli' an medical plant at South India.  Since my childhood, these raw leaves were suggested to us, for an excellant cure of cold, cough etc.  Not only in scones/muffins, these scones can impart in various dishes like chicken, lamb, turkey etc.  Since, I didn't have fresh leaves, I went on to use dried sage.  All thanks to Archana and Swathi for introducing this exotic herbed scones to us.

For those, who would love to have spicier, don't hesitate to add an heavy pinch of chilly flakes.  

Next time, I am opting for those...  These scones, can be stored in an air-tight container over an week.

Recipe source:  BBC GOOD FOOD Magazine

Preparation time:  20 minutes

Baking time:  20 minutes

Yields: 8 slices

Ingredients required:

• 225 gm self-raising flour
• 11/2 tsp mustard powder
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 50 gm butter, chilled and cubed
• 100 gm cheddar, grated and divided by half (I used Kodai's diet cheddar)
• 11/2 tbspn dried sage (Reserve 1/2 tbspn for brushing)
• 100 ml curd
• 50 ml water
• 1 tbspn oil, for greasing

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degree celsius.  Whisk curd with water, set aside.  In an dry vessel, mix in flour, pepper, salt, sage, mustard powder.  Rub through butter till the dry mixture resembles like bread crumbs.  Finally add in half of the cheddar. 

Stir them, make an well at the centre.  Pour buttermilk (reserving 1 tbspn for brushing) and quickly form an soft dough.  

Transfer this to dusted surface and knead properly.

Flatten them with your hands till they gain 3 cm thickened circle.  

Cut these into eight equal wedges, brushing them with butter milk and sprinkling remaining cheese and sage.

Bake them for about fifteen to twenty minutes, cool them completely in an wire-rack.

Serve with an dash of butter

Happy Baking  :)  :)  :)

Linking them to Baking partners challenge, run by Swathi Iyer.

Let us have an look at scones/tarts by our amazing baking partners...

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