Flakey, tender, and full of rich flavor, these Ham and Cheese Scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even just on their own. These are easy to bake and full of everything delicous!
Ham and Cheese Scone Ingredients
- Flour
- Butter
- For scones, the best bet for flakey tender scones is grated cold butter. Just simple grate it on a cheese grater.
- Buttermilk
- Buttermilk adds moisture to the scone dough, contributing to a softer texture.
- Egg
- Baking Powder
- Sugar
- Ham
- You can use leftover ham chopped up, or you can purchase premade cubed ham.
- Shredded Cheese
- Shredding your own is always better!
- Green Onion
- If you prefer a more mild flavor, use chives.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
Tips for Perfect Ham and Cheese Scones
- Keep Ingredients Cold: Make sure your butter and buttermilk are cold. This gives the best texture.
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing can result in brick like scones. Mix until just combined.
- Handle the Dough Gently: Be gentle when kneading and shaping the dough to avoid compacting it too much.
- Use Fresh Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh for proper leavening.
- Pat the Ham Dry: If you’re using pre cubed ham, pat it dry so it sticks well to the dough.
Once the dough is mixed, move it onto a lightly floured surface.
Cutting & Baking the Scones
- Shape the Dough: Depending on your preference, you can either pat the dough into a round shape (see above picture!) with your hands or use a rolling pin to roll it out. Aim for a thickness of about 3/4 to 1 inch.
- Cut the Scones: You can use a bench scraper, a pizza cutter, or a knife to cut the scones.
- Try to make sure all the scones are a similar size so they bake evenly.
- Transfer the cut scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave some space between each scone to allow for expansion during baking.
- Before Baking: Lightly brush the tops of the scones with leftover buttermilk or an egg wash. This adds a nice finish and helps with browning during baking. This step is optional, but makes them pretty!
Making Scones Ahead of Time
One of the best things about scones is how far in advance you can make them. In general, scone dough can be quite forgiving, but we recommend making them only a day or two ahead of serving them. To make them in advance, simply make the dough, cut them, put them on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap and place them in the oven. Super easy!
Refrigerating Scone Dough
For the best scones- refrigerate them before baking! The cold butter in the dough solidifies, and when the scones are baked, the butter melts and creates pockets of air, resulting in a more tender texture. 15 minutes in the refrigerator should do it.
I know there are some scone afficonados out ther who will tell you that you MUST refrigerate scone dough before baking. While refrigerating the dough before baking does yield some benefits, your scones will still be good if you don’t have the time to do this.
Time to bake the scones!
When they’re done, they should be golden brown on the outside while being tender and flaky on the inside. When the scones are done, they should be firm but still have a slight give. If it feels too soft (or collapses) give them a few more minutes in the oven.
If you liked this scone recipe, we have a few more for you!
LET’S EAT!- Kathi and Rachel
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Ham and Cheese Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp chopped green onions
- 1 cup shredded cheese (we used sharp cheddar)
- 1 cup cubed ham
- 1/2 cup cold butter (grated with cheese grater)
- 2/3 cup buttermilk (plus extra tbsp for brushing tops)
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preparations: -Prepare a floured surface. -Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Fold in cheese, ham and chopped green onions.
- Whisk together buttermilk and egg. Set aside.
- Add grated butter to dry flour mixture. Mix with either clean hands or a fork until a sandlike texture is achieved. Add buttermilk mixture, and stir gently with a spoon until a sticky dough is formed.
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and using floured hands, mold into a round shape. Aim for a thickness of about 3/4 to 1 inch.
- Cut the scones into even sized wedges (this recipe will yield about 8 medium sized scones). Transfer the scones onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush tops of scones with buttermilk. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrneheit.
- Bake scones for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the scones are cooked throughout.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Cheryl Lee says
Hi Kathi and Rachel,
Your recipe does not say when to add the ham, but I added it with the cheese and onions. I also added bacon with the ham.
These scones were Wonderful, and placing them in the refrigerator prior to baking, made them so much better.
Thank you for posting this recipe
Cheryl
JANIS says
Can’t wait wait to try!
Lynn says
Simply made. Simply delicious! I followed directions with the exception that I added spinach. Great