Gran's Best Easy Cheese Scones Recipe

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My Gran’s cheese scones are incredibly light and flaky, with an exquisite cheese flavour! And they’re absolutely gorgeous fresh from the oven with a generous helping of butter. The recipe is very simple, and easy to follow. And there are lots of helpful tips along the way. I promise – you won’t be disappointed!

A cheese scone split in half on a plate with a knife. It appears golden, light, and flaky.

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you’ve been around here a while, you’ll know how much I love my Gran’s cooking. The love for her pickled beetroot has spread far and wide, and my family still fight over the last slice of her ham and cheese quiche!

These cheese scones are another of her trademark bakes. She made them frequently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and it brought comfort to many of us throughout a difficult time. Her recipe is so easy, and they always turn out perfectly!

If you want to become a more experienced baker like my Gran, start with the basics just like she did! Read through baking for beginners and see where it leads you. (You can also bag a pretty cool freebie there too!)

An uncut cheese scone on a white plate with a knife, with a beige linen napkin at the side.

Ingredients

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s everything you might need to know…

Flour – I use plain/all purpose flour and baking powder. You could leave both of those out and use self raising flour instead, if that’s what you have.
Baking Powder – Used to leaven the scones and make them light and airy. Don’t switch this for bicarbonate of soda! They react differently as they’re on opposite ends of the PH scale.
Salt & Pepper – Anything you have in the cupboards will work fine here, just don’t leave them out as it really helps with the overall flavour and crumb structure.
Mustard Powder – Cheese and mustard are a classic combo! This really adds to the overall depth of flavour. Don’t switch for the liquid variety as it could make your dough too sticky.
Butter – You can use margarine if you don’t have butter. I like to use unsalted butter for the best flavour, but Gran loved Stork.
Cheese – Only extra mature cheddar will do here. Flavours tend to mellow when baked, and a mild cheese just won’t cut it.
Egg – I use large free range. So long as yours isn’t EXTRA small or large, whatever you have should work fine. You may need more or less milk depending on the size of your egg though.
Milk – Any milk (other than a sweet variety, like vanilla) will be fine here. E.g. cows milk, oat milk, soy milk etc.

A hand holding a broken in half cheese scones. You can see how light and flaky it is inside.

Emma’s top tips

Here are tips you’ll find helpful when making this recipe.

Invest in a pastry blender. They’re cheap, work faster, and are less messy when rubbing ingredients together. Gran has one, and so do I!
Use cold butter. Warm butter gets very messy very quickly.
Using your hands to mix the dough? Run them under cold water first. Warm hands heat up the butter and it can melt quite quickly.
Don’t overwork the dough! The less you touch it the better.
Use strong cheddar cheese for the best flavour. You won’t taste a mild cheese.
Try and cut all your scones to the same size, they will bake more evenly.
Scones gone a bit stale? Warm them up in the oven and enjoy with some butter to bring them back to life.

A triangular cheese scone on a white plate with a decorative knife.

Timings

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier!

Preparing your ingredients should take no more than 3-4 minutes. (Grating the cheese and cubing the cold butter.)
Making the dough will take around 10 minutes.
Kneading, shaping, and topping is about a 5 minute task.
Baking your cheese scones will take 10-15 mins.
You can eat them as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

Someone holding an uncut triangular cheese scone in their hand.

Gran’s Cheese Scones – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make 8 scones.

170g (1 + 1/3 Cup) Plain Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
30g (1/8 Cup) Unsalted Butter, cold & cubed
125g (1 + 1/8 Cup) Grated Strong Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 x Medium Egg
2-4 tbsp Milk

Essential equipment

Large Mixing Bowl
Fork
Baking Tray
Pastry Brush

Instructions

First, preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 210°C/428°F.

Then get started by mixing the flour (170g | 1 + 1/3 Cup), baking powder (3 tsp), salt and pepper, and mustard powder (1/2 tsp) together in a large mixing bowl.

Flour, baking powder and seasonings in a large mixing bowl with a pastry blender.

Next, rub the butter (30g | 1/8 Cup) into the flour mixture until it becomes like very fine crumbs. You can either use cold hands or a pastry blender.

Flour, baking powder, seasonings and butter rubbed together in a bowl with a pastry blender.

Now it’s time to add in the flavour! Briefly mix through 100g | 7/8 Cup of the grated cheese, and reserve the rest (25g | 2/8 Cup) for later.

Flour, butter and grated cheese in a large mixing bowl with a pastry blender.

Cheese scones dry ingredients in a mixing bowl with a pastry blender.

Then make a well in the centre and add the egg (x 1) and 2 tbsp of the milk. Mix with a fork to bring it all together.

You want a soft and pliable dough that’s not sticky, so start with 2 tbsp and add more, 1 tbsp at a time, if you need to. Until the dough just comes together.

Cheese scones dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl with egg and milk in a well in the middle.

Cheese scones dough in a large mixing bowl with a fork.

Next, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together gently to form a ball.

Try your best not to mess around with it too much – an overworked dough often results in chewy scones that don’t rise very well.

Gently press it out into a circle about 1″ thick with your hands. (No need for a rolling pin.)

Cheese scones dough rolled out to a round, about 1" thick, on a lightly floured work surface.

Then cut into 8 evenly sized triangles.

Cheese scones dough cut into triangles with a metal dough scraper on a lightly floured work surface.

Next, evenly space your scones out on a baking tray. Brush the tops with a little milk and scatter with the remaining grated cheese (25g | 2/8 Cup).

Cheese scone triangles evenly spaced apart on a baking tray, brushed with milk and topped with grated cheese.

Finally, bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 10-15 mins, until a beautiful deep golden colour. Remember that every oven varies, so do keep an eye on your scones in the last 5 minutes of baking.

Freshly baked cheese scones on a baking tray.

Allow to sit on the tray for a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (Although I highly recommend trying one with a good dollop of butter butter while they’re still warm!)

Freshly baked cheese scones on a wire cooling rack.

How to store cheese scones

Store your homemade cheese scones in an airtight container (I prefer metal) at room temperature, and consume within 3-4 days.

Someone holding a cheese scone that has been broken in half and stacked together.

FAQs

What flour should I use for cheese scones?

In this recipe I use a combination of plain (all purpose) flour and baking powder. You can swap both of those for self raising flour if you prefer.

Why didn’t my scones rise properly?

This could be for a number of reasons. Your oven temperature may have been incorrect, your baking powder (or self raising flour if you substituted) may not be in date or active anymore, or you could have dripped too much milk down the sides when you brushed the tops. All of these things can affect the rise.

Can I use a different cheese?

Yes you can, but a strong cheese will always give the best overall flavour. You could use parmesan instead, but don’t use a mild cheese. They just aren’t strong enough for bakes, and the flavour won’t carry through.

A cheese scones and knife on a white plate, with other cheese scones surrounding it.

How do I stop scones from being tough or crumbly?

Scones require a light touch to achieve that desired light and flaky texture. Don’t over work the dough, or your scones will become tough. The less you handle the dough the better.

Can I add extra ingredients (like herbs or bacon)?

Oh absolutely!! Chives and chopped crispy bacon are both excellent additions to cheese scones.

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A cheese scone split in half on a plate with a knife. It looks golden, light, and flaky. A text overlay says "Gran's Best easy cheese scones".

Gran's Cheese Scones Recipe

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Gran's cheese scones are golden, light, flaky, and exquisitely cheesy! They're utterly GORGEOUS fresh from the oven with a generous helping of butter.