Cheese and bacon scones are really easy to make and are cooked in less than 20 minutes. Just imagine the magic smell of warm cheese and bacon wafting from the oven, filling the kitchen!
Delicious served warm with lashings of butter, these scones are the perfect tea time treat that the whole family will love.
They also make a fab gift or picnic treat as they travel so well.
Go on, treat yourself!
Enjoy!
These scones are the perfect thing to make if you don't have much time or kitchen equipment. Unlike most doughs, this one doesn't need to rest or chill and, there's no need to use a rolling pin or fancy cutter either.
Scones are quintessentially English and an important part of afternoon tea. This was traditionally served in well off homes to break up the long time between lunch, served at midday, and dinner , which was often not served until 8pm.
Nowadays, it has had a resurgence with people going out for tea or having a home delivery but it is simple enough to do at home if you like to cook! variations too
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🥘 Ingredients
You will just need standard pantry staples for this recipe.
- Butter - cold butter from the fridge is needed as it will be combined with the flour and rolled out straightaway.
- Flour - self raising flour, where the raising agent has already been added.
- Baking powder - to get an good rise from the scones.
- Paprika - optional, but gives a nice colour and extra taste to the scones.
- Egg and water - to glaze the scones.
- Milk - full fat milk for richness.
- Cheese - mature cheddar is easy to grate and gives great flavour.
- Bacon - streaky, smoked bacon for flavour.
See recipe card for quantities.
💭 How to make self raising flour
If you want to make your own self raising flour then you can use plain or all purpose flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour. For this recipe you would need 6 teaspoons but make sure that the total weight for the flour includes this
🍽 Equipment
- Food processor - for speed but not essential.
- Mixing bowl.
- Frying pan.
- Baking tray/sheet.
- Pastry brush.
- Dinner knife.
🔪 Instructions
Grate the cheese and set aside.
Put the bacon in a frying pan or skillet over a medium heat and cook for a few minutes until cooked through.
Transfer the bacon to some kitchen paper to drain any excess grease for a few minutes and then chop the bacon into small pieces less that 1 cm or half an inch.
Chop the butter into cubes to speed up the mixing process.
If you have a food processor add the flour, baking powder and butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is combined then tip into a large mixing bowl.
To make by hand put the same mixture in a bowl and use the rubbing in method to combine the flour and butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
💭 Top tip
- If you prefer not to use your hands use a pastry cutter or just a fork to mash the flour and butter together.
Tip in the chopped bacon and grated cheese and stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the milk.
Use a dinner knife to mix, drawing the flour in from the sides, until the mixture comes together in a soft dough.
💭 Top tip
- A little more milk or extra flour may be needed to get the dough to come together, depending on how dry the flour is. It is also really important to not overwork the dough and handle it as little as possible, so that the cheese and bacon scones are tender.
Scatter a little flour onto a surface and spread the dough out with your palms until it is about 2.5 cm high or 1 inch.
Use a 6 cm or 2.5 inch square cutter or just use a knife to cut the scones into squares.
Put the squares on a non-stick baking sheet or use baking parchment.
Mix the egg and water together and use a pastry brush to glaze the scones.
⏲️ Baking time
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/180FAN/Gas6.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden.
Allow to cool for a few minutes on the tray and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Best served warm from the oven, split in half and smothered in butter!
For a variation for cold scones try cream cheese.
🥗 Serve with
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Milk - use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk if you prefer but the scones will not be as rich.
- Butter - use hard cold baking spread instead.
- Flour - use plain flour and baking powder to make your own self raising flour.
- Bacon - use back bacon or some chopped cooked ham instead if you prefer.
📖 Variations
- Bacon - replace the bacon with sautéed chopped onion, shallot or peppers for a vegetarian option. You can also used drained and chopped sun dried tomatoes.
- Herbs - add 2 teaspoon of chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley or chives. Use 1 teaspoon if you are using dried herbs.
STORAGE
Cheese and bacon scones are at their best eaten on the same day but they will happily sit in an airtight container for up to a week.
To freeze the scones, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat in the oven or for 10 seconds in the microwave if you are reheating one.
FAQs
Although both countries have scone recipes an British scone resembles more of an American biscuit.
British scones use less sugar, are cut in a circular or hexagonal shape, and are only glazed with milk or egg.
American scones are made by flattening the dough into a circle and cutting into segments before baking. They are often flavoured with fruit and glazed with icing afterwards.
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📋 Recipe
Cheese and Bacon Scones
Equipment
- Food processor - optional
- Mixing bowl
- Frying pan
- Baking tray/sheet
- Pastry brush
- Dinner knife
Ingredients
- 115 g butter cold and cubed
- 450 g flour self raising
- 1½ teaspoon paprika ground
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 200 ml milk
- 100 g cheddar mature
- 100 g bacon streaky bacon (6 rashers)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/180FAN/Gas6.
- Grate the cheese and set aside.
- Put the bacon in a frying pan or skillet over a medium heat and cook for a few minutes until cooked through.
- Transfer the bacon to some kitchen paper to drain any excess grease for a few minutes and then chop the bacon into small pieces less that 1 cm or half an inch.
- Chop the butter into cubes to speed up the mixing process.
- If you have a food processor add the flour, baking powder, paprika and butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is combined then tip into a large mixing bowl.
- To make by hand put the same mixture in a bowl and use the rubbing in method to combine the flour and butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Tip in the chopped bacon and grated cheese and stir to combine.
- Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the milk.
- Use a dinner knife to mix, drawing the flour in from the sides, until the mixture comes together in a soft dough.
- Scatter a little flour onto a surface and spread the dough out with your palms until it is about 2.5 cm high or 1 inch.
- Use a 6 cm or 2.5 inch square cutter or just use a knife to cut the scones into squares.
- Put the squares on a non-stick baking sheet
- Mix the egg and water together and use a pastry brush to glaze the scones.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes on the tray and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
FOOD SAFETY
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended'
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to read them and answer your questions. However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Dannii
Anything that combines cheese and bacon is good with me. These scones look amazing.
Anaiah
These cheese and bacon scones turned out amazing! I love making savory scones and this combination is such a classic.
Jennifer Stockley
Theyre lovely but need salt I didn't see it in recipe and didn't want to overall if bacon was going to season. They turned out a lovely texture!
Danielle Wolter
I cannot wait to try these! They sound so delicious and I am loving the addition of bacon!
Michele
These scones with the cheese and bacon turned out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe.
veenaazmanov
These scones look mouth melting delicious and I love cheese and Bacon too. I can have it at every meal or as a snack too.
Kechi
Never imagined cheese and bacon in scones, but, I love that you combine these flavors together. I love both cheese and bacon, and I just bookmarked to try this recipe week!
Tash
Just what I needed. I made this chicken bacon instead of regular bacon since we don't eat pork. This came out great, thank you so much!