Apricot Stilton Scones
Servings: 16 scones
Apricot stilton scones are great for a picnic, afternoon tea or a party. Made with fresh apricots, crumbled stilton, thyme and buttermilk they are moist and packed full of flavour.
INGREDIENTS LIST
- 400 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 100 g butter
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda / baking soda
- 1 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
- 120 ml buttermilk
- 150 g fresh apricots (diced, see notes)
- 100 g stilton cheese
- 1 medium egg (50g total)
- 20 g parmesan cheese (grated)
Preparation
- Dough: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Dice the butter into small squares and add to the flour mix. Gently work the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs.Alternatively, all the above ingredients can be placed in a food processor and pulse.
- Add the thyme, and the buttermilk to the flour mix, using a knife combine the ingredients.
- Cut the fresh apricots and crumble the stilton cheese into small pieces about half a centimetre in diameter, they don't need to be perfect. Add this to the mix and using your hands gently bring the mix together to form a dough ball.
- Resting the dough: Flaten the dough slightly, wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Place the dough onto a floured surface, gently roll the dough out to about 3 cm (1.18inch) thick. The dough will be a little sticky as we are using fresh apricots but don't worry, just dust with a little more flour.
- Use a 5 cm round cookie cutter or a sharp knife, to cut out rounds or triangles from the dough.
- Reshape any leftover dough into a rough rectangle and roll out again to 3 cm thick. Cut out as many rounds from the remaining dough as you can. You should end up with 12 to 15 scones.
- Flip the scones over (the bottom is usually flatter and more attractive) and place them on a tray for 15 minutes in the freezer.
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan / 400°F / Gas 6.
- Remove from the freezer and arrange the scones on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, 3-4 cm apart.
- Brush lightly with a beaten egg and scatter over the grated parmesan.
- Baking: Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Notes & Tips
Apricots: This recipe requires 150 g of prepared fresh apricot, which is approximately 200g of whole apricots around 3-6 pieces, depending on size. The apricots should be firm and not too ripe or they will make the dough very wet and unmalleable.
If you can't find apricots or you want to make this recipe during the festive season, replace the fresh apricots with 150g dried ones.
Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or rice vinegar to 120 ml of milk, stir and leave to stand for 15 minutes before using.
