Cheese and Herb Scones
Cayenne is a red or green hot chili pepper used to flavor chile food dishes and is also used for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapeños, and others.
Yields: 6
Ingredients:
120 grams (1 ½ to 2 tsp. less than a cup) All-Purpose Flour
1 ¼ tsp. Baking Powder
¼ Baking Soda
Dash (1/16 tsp) of Salt
Dash (1/16 tsp) of Black Pepper Powder (I left it out but wish I had not)
Dash (1/16 tsp) of Cayenne or Paprika (I used chili Powder)
40 grams cold Salted Butter (I used unsalted and add an extra dash of salt)
80 grams Sharp Cheddar Cheese, coarsely grated. I used finely grated store bought cheese
½ spring of Rosemary Leaves, finely chopped (I used about 1 – 1 ½ tbsp. of finely chopped cilantro)
1 small Green Chile, chopped (this is my addition and wished I could have added one more)
75 ml Buttermilk (I used 4 ½ tbsp. yogurt + 1 ½ tbsp. milk. The ratio is 3: 1 yogurt to milk)
Egg Wash – Egg Yolk with splash of milk (I forgot do this step)
Preparation:
Preheat heat oven to 425 F.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices into a large bowl.
Cut cold butter into small pieces and rub it in to the flour mixture. Rub the butter using the fingertips.
Add grated cheese, cilantro, and green chilies to flour mixture and give it a good toss to mix well.
Add almost all of the buttermilk, reserving some, and stir until the dough just comes together. If there are still bits of dry flour, add more buttermilk until flour comes together. Do not apply too much pressure when mixing the dough.
On a floured surface, pat the dough into an even layer, about ¾ – 1” thick. I used a rolling pin; again remember not to apply too much pressure when rolling out the dough.
Using a round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Gather the scrapes and repeat the process.
Brush the tops of scones with egg wash. I forgot to do this step.
Bake in a preheated oven, middle rack for 10- 12 minutes until scones are golden brown.
Cool on wire rack and serve. Since the scones have cheese in it, these taste better when served warm. If the scones are cold, microwave for few seconds, mind you not for too long before serving.
Note:
Spice Level – I used 1 green chile and felt I could have added one more. I left out black pepper powder and if one wants to use that to give these scones some heat, adjust green chilies accordingly or leave out the green chilies and use pepper powder instead.
From myspicykitchen.net