Ham & Cheese Scones with Ranch Compound Butter

Ingredients

• 300 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 90 grams butter, cold
• 1 egg
• 160 milliliters full-fat cow milk
• 150 grams cheddar cheese
• 150 grams ham
• 20 grams fresh chives

• 125 grams butter, soft
• 3 tsp dried chives
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp dried garlic powder
• 1/8-1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp white pepper

Steps

1. Prep: Place the butter for the scones in the freezer for 15 minutes. Let the butter for the ranch compound butter soften at room temperature. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F. Dice the ham into small squares, grate the cheese, and finely slice the chives. Set aside about 1/3 of each to top the scones later.
2. Grate in the butter: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Grate the cold butter directly into the dry ingredients using a box grater.
3. Make the dough: In a small glass or bowl, whisk together the milk and egg, then pour into the dry mixture. Mix with a spoon just until the dough comes together. You should still see streaks of flour. Add the ham, cheese, and chives and gently fold in. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and shape it into a rectangle (about 20x30cm) using a spatula. Avoid using your hands because keeping the butter cold is key to flaky scones. Sprinkle the remaining ham, cheese, and chives over the top.
4. Cut the scones: Use a round cutter to cut out as many scones as possible. Gather and gently reshape the scraps to cut more until all the dough is used. If you don’t have a cutter, simply slice the dough into triangles. This recipe yields about 10 scones.
5. Bake: Arrange the scones on the baking sheet with a bit of space in between and bake for about 15 minutes until golden. Let cool slightly and serve fresh.