It’s seems a bit silly now, but I always thought scones were too fancy for me. Traditionally a British bake, I wasn’t 100 percent sure I could pull it off, but after making these ham and cheese scones I soon found out they are actually one of the easiest, most versatile, and most delicious treats anyone can make as long as you have an oven. Actually, I bet you could make scones on a fire if you have the gumption to set it up and tend to it!
Ham and cheese scones are the perfect item to bake when you don’t have much time but want to impress your family or any guests you have staying with you. They are practically a whole breakfast in themselves between the dough, the ham, and the cheese. Add an egg on the side and you’re set! You could even make them with whole wheat flour if you want a more textured scone.
So, if these scones are so easy, why am I still yammering on? Let’s get baking!
Get Prepped:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, don’t worry. Just give the baking sheet a quick spray with cooking oil, or rub a bit of vegetable oil on the pan with a paper towel. You don’t want it dripping with oil though. Just a light coating will do.
Mix Dry Ingredients:
Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. If you don’t have a hand or stand mixer, don’t fret. This recipe is actually just as easy if you want to use your hands or a spoon to incorporate the ingredients.
Cut in Butter:
Add your cubed butter to the bowl and either mix together by hand or cut butter in with pastry cutter or fork until the butter is in small, pea-sized balls. The mixture should be crumbly. If you are using your hands to cut in the butter, just keep in mind that cold hands work best. If your hands are too warm, it could melt the butter a bit. One way to make sure your hands are cold enough for this step is to run them under cold water for about 10 seconds and be sure to dry them well before mixing in the butter.
Mix Wet Ingredients:
Add your buttermilk, cheese, and ham to the dry ingredients just until the dough is wet and comes together in a ball. If mixing by hand, this is messy, but it’s what makes baking so fun! If you don’t have buttermilk on hand and don’t want to make a special trip to the grocery store, you can actually make your own buttermilk. Just mix 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar and 3/4 cup milk together as a replacement. You’ll get the same tangy flavor you’re looking for when using buttermilk.
Shape Your Scones:
Now, it’s time to shape the scones! Place the ball of dough onto a floured surface or your parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten the dough to 2 inches in height, then cut the disc of dough into eight even pieces like a pizza. Separate the triangles of dough and place them about an inch or two apart on your baking sheet. These will puff up more than they puff out.
Bake:
Time to get these babies in the oven! This is obviously the best part before you are ready to devore these ham and cheese scones, because they’re going to fill your kitchen with the best buttery aroma. Bake your scones at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden. Once they are fully baked, remove the scones from the oven, pop them onto a cooling rack, and enjoy!
I like to eat these scones when they are still warm, but they are definitely good at room temperature too. They store well in a sealed bag or container at room temperature for about four days, in the refrigerator for about 7-9 days, and in the freezer for about two weeks. I doubt they’ll stick around that long, but if you freeze them, just pull out however many you want to eat, wrap them in a paper towel, and microwave for about 30 seconds.
Happy baking!
Easy Ham and Cheese Scones
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Hand or Stand Mixer optional
- 1 Parchment Paper optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (option to use half whole wheat and half all-purpose)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 tbsp white vinegar and 3/4 cup milk)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 cup ham (diced)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, or mixing by hand with a spoon, mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add cubed butter to the bowl and either mix together by hand or cut butter in with pastry cutter until butter is in small, pea-sized balls. The mixture should be crumbly.
- Add buttermilk or milk/vinegar mixture, cheese, and ham and mix until all the dry ingredients are wet and the dough comes together in a ball. If mixing by hand, this is messy, but it’s what makes baking so fun!
- Place the ball of dough onto a floured surface or your parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten the dough to 2 inches in height, then cut the disc of dough into eight even pieces like a pizza.
- Separate the triangles of dough and place each on the baking sheet with about 1 inch of space between them.
- Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.