These Light and Fluffy Cheese Scones are super flaky, loaded up with cheddar cheese, and make the perfect breakfast or brunch!
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These light and fluffy cheese scones make the perfect breakfast or brunch! These soft and flaky scones are loaded up with sharp cheddar cheese and I think might be the best cheese scone recipe yet.
Dry scones are a thing of the past because I’ve got some tips and tricks to share with you to make the fluffiest (and most delicious) scones! While I love making these for breakfast or brunch with family, these cheese scones make the perfect side dish at dinner, can be dipped in soup, or cut in half to make a sandwich!
Looking for a savory scone recipe for bacon lovers? Try out my bacon cheddar chive scones!
Why You Should Make These Light & Fluffy Cheese Scones
- You don’t need any fancy equipment or a mixer to make these cheese scones!
- The secret to light, fluffy and flaky scones is using cold butter and cold milk.
- I’ve loaded up these scones with sharp cheddar, but you could also use mild cheddar, gruyère, pepper jack, gouda, or feta.
- Makes the perfect breakfast, brunch, or side dish.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are some notes on a few ingredients- please see the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
- Sharp Cheddar: you can use a mild cheddar or a totally different cheese if you prefer! I do recommend grating your own cheese rather than buying shredded cheese as it will make a big difference.
- Butter: make sure your butter is cold before you start this recipe, cold butter is going to contribute to making an extra flaky pastry! I recommend grating the frozen butter but you could also cut it into cubes.
- Flour: I’ve tested this recipe with all-purpose flour.
- Egg: One of the things that make scones different from biscuits is the addition of an egg!
- Whole Milk: I’ve only tested this recipe with whole milk, make sure it is cold before you start baking.
- Baking Powder: Leaveners like baking powder play a huge role in scones, so make sure your baking powder is still fresh.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Start off by grating your cold butter with a box grater, or cutting it into cubes. Place the grated butter in the freezer while you work on the next step.
Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until combined. Stir in the shredded cheese.
Step 3: Add the frozen butter to the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands to mix everything together. Mix until you have pea-sized crumbs. Place in the fridge or freezer while you work on the wet ingredients.
Step 4: Whisk together the milk and egg. Pour this into the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands just a few times until the crumbs stick. The dough will be a little sticky, but if it seems too sticky then add an extra tablespoon or two of flour.
Step 5: Shape the dough into a disc, about 8 inches. Cut the dough into 8 triangles with a knife or bench scraper and place them on a lined baking sheet, making sure they are evenly spaced.
Step 6: Put the baking sheet in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°Fahrenheit while the scones chill.
Step 7: Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of milk to make an egg wash. Just before placing the scones in the oven, lightly brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with flaky sea salt.
Step 8: Bake for 22-25 minutes. They should have golden brown edges and be lightly brown on top. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before enjoying them!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you pop your scones into the oven and the butter is still cold, the butter will melt once it enters the oven and the water in the butter turns into steam. This steam escapes from the scone and is what creates a flaky and fluffy texture. I recommend freezing your butter and then grating it.
First off, make sure you are measuring your flour properly! Next, don’t overwork the dough. Overworking the dough will lead to a tough scone and it might not rise properly. Finally, using cold butter and cold milk is super important to get those flaky layers!
You can! Feel free to use mild cheddar, pepper jack, gruyère, gouda, or feta! Really any strong cheese works great.
Tips and Tricks
- Spoon and level your flour- I always recommend spooning and leveling your flour when baking. Scooping the measuring cup right into the flour will actually compact the flour and give much more than the recipe calls for. To spoon and level, use a large spoon to gently scoop and sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup. Once it's full, use a flat edge (like a butter knife) to gently scrape across the top of the measuring cup.
- Customize your scones - Add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, chives, or scallions!
- Grate frozen butter - I find this to be the easiest way to incorporate the butter into the scone mixture. The frozen grated butter mixes in so easily!
- Chilling the scones - make sure you chill the scones for 15-20 minutes before baking as you want the butter to be cold. This will help the scones keep their shape as they’re baking and allow the cold butter to create steam, giving us tall and fluffy cheese scones.
Storing & Freezing
These cheese scones are best eaten on the day of baking. You can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or they can be frozen for up to 1 month.
If you want to make these ahead of time, I suggest making the scones up to step 5 when you’re cutting them into triangles. Place in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Let them sit out to defrost until they come to room temperature and then bake.
Want to try more savory breakfast recipes?
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📖 Recipe
Light and Fluffy Cheese Scones
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and grated or cubed
- 1½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese plus extra for topping (optional)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream for egg wash
- 1 large egg yolk for egg wash
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Grate the frozen butter using a box grater, or cut it into cubes. Place grated butter back in the freezer while you prep the dry ingredients.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the shredded cheese.
- Add the frozen butter to the dry ingredients and combine using a pastry cutter, two forks, or just your hands, mixing until you get pea-sized crumbles. Place this into the fridge or freezer while you mix the wet ingredients.
- Whisk together the milk and egg. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and mix until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead with floured hands just a few times to get the crumbs to stick. The dough should be sticky, but if it's too sticky, add a tablespoon or two of flour.
- Shape the dough into an even disc, about 8 inches around. Cut the dough into 8 even triangles using a sharp knife or bench scraper, and place them spread out on the lined baking sheet.
- Put the baking sheet into the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F while the scones are chilling.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before enjoying.
Notes
- Spoon and level your flour- I always recommend spooning and leveling your flour when baking. Scooping the measuring cup right into the flour will actually compact the flour and give much more than the recipe calls for. To spoon and level, use a large spoon to gently scoop and sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup. Once it's full, use a flat edge (like a butter knife) to gently scrape across the top of the measuring cup.
- Customize your scones - Add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, chives or scallions!
- Grate frozen butter - I find this to be the easiest way to incorporate the butter into the scone mixture. The frozen grated butter mixes in so easily!
- Chilling the scones - make sure you chill the scones for 15-20 minutes before baking as you want the butter to be cold. This will help the scones keep their shape as they’re baking and allow the cold butter to create steam, giving us tall and fluffy cheese scones.
Nutrition
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