Fluffy Cheese Curd Scones
Photo by Mark Weinberg
MAKES
10 scones
TAKES
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
I got my first job in a bakery at 16 years old, and making scones was a big part of my job - and still a baking process close to my heart. This version pays homage to my midwestern, dairy-loving roots by adding crumbled cheese curds (see Note) into the dough. In the oven, they form gooey pockets of cheese within the fluffy interior crumb, and lightly crisp exterior. This recipe is from my book, Savory Baking!
INGREDIENTS
360 g / 3 cups all purpose flour
37 g / 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
12 g / 1 tablespoon baking powder
3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
113 g / 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch / 1 cm cubes
285 g / 10 ounces cheese curds, crumbled into bite size pieces
325 g / 1 ¼ cup cold heavy cream
egg wash, as needed for finishing (see Note)
Bake This Recipe Along With Me:
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C with the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar (if using), baking powder, and salt to combine. Add the butter and use your hands to break up the cubes, tossing until each one is well coated with flour.
3. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the largest pieces are a about the size of peas. Add the cheese curds to the bowl and toss until they are evenly incorporated.
4. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the cream. Mix –with your hands or a silicone spatula – until the dough comes together. It should come together easily, but the dough will look craggy, not smooth.
5. Use a ¼ cup / #16 scoop to scoop the dough into 8 even mounds on the prepared baking sheets. Egg wash the scones.
6. Bake the scones until evenly brown, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking, 18-22 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes – serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTES
Cheese curds are made by curdling milk, then breaking the resulting “curds” into pieces. When fresh, cheese curds are famously “squeaky” when you bite into them - a firmer cheese with a little chew. Especially popular throughout the Midwestern dairy loving states like Wisconsin.
If you can’t find cheese curds, you can crumble a cheese like cheddar, jack, or a low moisture cheese (like brick cheese) into bite size crumbles to replace the curds in this recipe.
To make egg wash, whisk 56 g / 1 large egg, 15 g / 1 tablespoon cool water, and a pinch of fine sea salt to combine. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
