Plain biscuits will become a distant memory once you try blue cheese scones. With salty prosciutto, it's the perfect grown-up scone. Quick to make, and with no rolling required, these savoury scones can be whipped up in less than an hour. Try slicing them in half across the middle and adding a fried egg for a next-level breakfast sandwich.
Try our puff pastry turkey pot pie, herb sourdough stuffing, or cheddar skillet biscuits for some more savoury bakes.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Butter: use unsalted butter for this recipe to make sure that the scones aren't too salty. If you're using salted butter, omit the added salt.
- Blue cheese: any blue cheese you like is great in this recipe. Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort, Bleu Bénédictin, and even a creamier cheese like Cambozola will work.
- Flour: replace up to half of the white flour with whole wheat if you'd like.
- Prosciutto: substitute the prosciutto for any other cured meat you like. Chopped salami, smoked ham, or cooked crumbled bacon would be nice.
Method
Step 1: whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. Place the whole bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Step 2: mix in the ham and cheese, then add the cream and egg and mix until just combined.
Step 3: place the dough onto a work surface and work quickly to press it into a disc. Use a bench scraper to neaten up the edges.
Step 4: cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.
Step 5: transfer the scones to a baking sheet and brush the tops and sides with more cream.
Step 6: bake until the tops and edges are lightly golden.
Top Tips
- Reduce the salt: with a full teaspoon of salt, blue cheese, and prosciutto, these scones are very salt forward. If you are sensitive to salt, reduce the amounts of any or all of these three ingredients.
- Don't add more liquid: it may seem like all of the flour won’t mix in but it will. If the dry bits of flour are being stubborn, reach into the bowl and quickly gather the dough into a loose ball with your hands. You may be tempted to add more liquid but don't.
- Don't over-mix: with scones, it's especially important to work with quick, light hands. Not only do you want to avoid over-working the gluten (which would result in tough scones) but you also don't want to make the dough too warm.
Recipe Notes
Depending on the blue cheese you use, some of it may melt and ooze out of the scones as they bake. This is not only okay, it is delicious.
How to Store
Storage: cheese scones are best served the day they're baked, but you can keep them in a sealed container on the counter for up to three days. We recommend gently heating them in the oven or microwave to refresh before serving.
Freezing: transfer cooled scones to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. To reheat, thaw at room temperature, or defrost gently in the microwave or oven until heated through.
FAQ
Why are my cheese scones hard?
If your scones are hard, it is likely due to over-mixing or over-baking. Make sure to work with light hands, mix until just combined, and bake until just golden.
Should you put egg in scones?
While not all scone recipes call for egg, if it does, it's there for a reason. Eggs add fat and moisture to scones, making them bind together more effectively and taste better, too. Cream scone recipes often don't call for egg and if not, then it shouldn't be added.
Why do you put milk on scones?
Brushing scones with milk or cream before baking makes for a nice golden crust and adds a little extra boost of flavour.
If you make this Ham and Cheese Scone recipe or any other scone recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Blue Cheese Scones With Prosciutto
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Pastry blender optional
- pastry brush
- Parchment paper
- Bench scraper optional
- baking sheet
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste (reduce to ½ teaspoon if preferred)
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese Gorgonzola, Stilton, or Roquefort
- 1 cup chopped prosciutto about 6 to 7 slices
- ¾ cup 35% heavy cream plus extra for brushing the scones
- 1 egg
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Add the butter to the bowl. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to mix the butter into the flour until crumbly, and the butter is broken into tiny bits, smaller than green peas.
- Once the butter is mixed in, place the bowl of flour in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the heavy cream and egg together until smooth. Set aside.
- Remove the flour from the freezer. Fold in the crumbled blue cheese and chopped prosciutto until they are well mixed with the flour.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the whisked cream and egg.
- Fold everything together to a soft crumbly dough. It may seem like all of the flour won’t mix in but it will. If the dry bits of flour are being stubborn, reach into the bowl and quickly gather the dough into a loose ball with your hands.
- Place the dough ball onto a work surface on which you can slice the scones. Using your fingertips, begin quickly pressing the dough into a round disc, approximately 7-inches (18-cm) in diameter, and about 1-inch (2-½ cm) thick. A bench scraper really comes in handy for pressing, shaping, and smoothing the edges of the disc.
- Slice the dough into 8 wedges.
- Place the wedges, evenly spaced apart, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the top and sides generously with more cream (about 1 tablespoon or so in total).
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the blue cheese scones for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the edges and tips are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.