Cheese And Herb Scones – No Grating Needed

From the start I should just say that these are ‘no grate’ cheese scones, which means they are perfect for younger bakers to take the lead with. There is also no butter in these scones and the feta does all of the hard work for you.

This recipe makes around 9 scones.

Cheese and Herb Scones Ingredients

• 8oz (2 heaped cups) self raising flour (sieved)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 75g (3oz) feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs – tender stem herbs like basil, chives, sorrel, parsley, chervil, dill work really well here
• 150 ml (1/4 pint or 2/3 cup) whole milk – plus hold a little back for brushing
• 1.5ml 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika for dusting

TOP TIP= Do not be tempted to go for reduced fat feta cheese. This will impact on your hydration levels in your scones. Remember it is being added instead of fat, so you do not want to make it too dry.

How To Make Feta And Basil Scones

1. Preheat the oven to 200C /400F Gas mark 6.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt.
3. Crumble the feta into the flour and salt, making breadcrumbs between your fingers. This is the same process as if you had used butter, but the feta gives the scones tangy flavor and lightness that butter wont be able to achieve.
4. For a tablespoon of fresh basil you will need roughly 14 leaves, but use your hachoir to chop 12 leaves, then see if you need more. This is just because leaves are all different sizes, but the moment we start to worry about an extra few leaves it becomes a little over the top. You can get a hachoir, sometimes called a mezzaluna, here. Really you can add as many herbs as you like, there is no such things as too many in these scones.
5. Incorporate your chopped herbs and then make a well in the center to pour your milk into. Do this slowly and mix with a knife as you go. Then you can see if you need to add more or hold a little back. This is due to the moisture in your feta.
6. Lightly flour a worktop surface and knead your scone mixture. Go gently on the kneading as it is just to make it smooth, you can easily overwork your scones.
7. Roll out to about 2cm (3/4 inch) in thickness, use a 6 cm (2 1/2 inch) cutter to make 9 scones. Any excess can be made into a ‘spare’ one for the chef.
8. Pop the scones onto a non-stick tray and brush with the remaining milk and then a sprinkle of smoke paprika. This will add a golden color as much as a little bit of flavor. If the kids don’t like it just leave it out as these do make perfect packed lunch sized bites.
9. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until golden. You can serve them warm with slightly melted butter inside or store them in an airtight container until needed for a picnic of lunches.

TOP TIP- Try using a compound butter with these scones to really emphasize the fresh herbs, match them or contrast them. We have a few recipes for herb butters here.

Shopping Options & What Next

We think that growing your own herbs will also encourage kids to do their own baking. So if you want to get a bumper basil harvest we have the full lowdown available here. Or if you all fancy fresh chives in your scones have a look to our guide to growing success here. For a much more mature scone we add sorrel, this gives a perfect tangy hit to accompany the feta savory taste, so growing your own is a good idea – follow our guide here.

For more ideas and inspiration for tasty basil recipes have a look at our recipes and tips here. If you are interested in using herbs in more general cooking application have a look at our latest article about herbs that go well with eggs, here.