Sundried tomato and parmesan cheese scones

The fabulous food team at SABC 3’s Expresso breakfast show organised South Africa’s first live TV cook-along last Friday and I was invited to participate. I made these Sundried tomato and parmesan scones and they were so easy and delicious.

I was a little slow getting my stuff together on the day, so couldn’t quite keep up with Katelyn and Zola who sped through the baking at a rapid rate. I did however knock up these delicious savoury scones in about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Yes they are that easy. And also very tasty, which is why I thought I had to share this recipe with you all.

The thing about scones is they need to be eaten straight out of the oven or very soon thereafter. I find they dry out if you keep them for anything more than a day. If I haven’t eaten them all on the day I have baked them, I freeze them for another time. All you do is microwave them for about 20 – 30 seconds from frozen.

Scones can be quite tricky. They always look so easy to make, but a few things can things can go wrong.

I have a few tips on how to improve the making of them:

1. Try and make them quickly so that you reduce the time you handle the dough. Overworking the dough results in flatter scones that are not light and fluffy.

2. I don’t use a rolling pin to roll them out I simply lightly press the dough ball into the height I want them before cutting them out. I also never flatten the dough too much and rather leave a little height so the scone is guaranteed not to look too flat. I’m not sure if this is cheating – but it works for me.

3. I use a very sharp cookie cutter. You want it to cut through the dough very quickly and easily and not drag down on the edges making a flatter scone. You could dust the inside rim of the cookie cutter with flour to prevent any sticking.

3. If you have time, it is a good idea to rest the cutout scones in the fridge (or even the freezer) while your oven pre-heats.

4. Double egg wash them if you want a very golden brown top.

Sundried tomato and Parmesan cheese scones with oregano | makes 6-8 

Recipe from Expresso Show

Sundried tomato and parmesan cheese scones

Quick and easy scones with sundried tomato and Parmesan cheese recipe.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:8 minutes mins

Cook Time:12 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup / 250ml cake flour
• 2 tsp / 10ml baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 30 g cold butter diced
• 1/2 cup / 125ml grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 sundried tomatoes soft ones that are in a sauce - finely chopped
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 large egg
• 45 ml milk
• extra egg lightly beaten for the egg wash

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 200C/400F  and sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Rub the butter into the flour using your fingers until it resembles fine crumbs.
• Add the cheese, tomatoes and oregano.
• Lightly whisk together the egg and milk slowly add this to your dry mix and stir lightly to combine with a knife.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and lightly pat out to a height of around 4cm.
• Cut your scones out with a cookie cutter and place them on a baking tray lined with paper or a silicone baking mat. Brush each scone with egg and bake for 10 - 12 minutes until risen and a light golden colour.
• Serve immediately with butter and more cheese if you so desire.

Servings: 6 - 8

Author: Sam Linsell

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