Ham and Cheese Scones

Try this savory take on scones any time of day - for breakfast, a snack, or as a light lunch or dinner when paired with soup and a salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vegan sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 3/4 cup shredded Daiya cheddar
• 3/4 cup finely chopped vegan ham (such as Lightlife)
• 3/4 cup vegan buttermilk*
• 2 Ener-G eggs
• Cooking spray

1. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and ground red pepper in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into small pieces, and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Stir in the cheddar and ham.

2. Whisk together the prepared buttermilk and the Ener-G eggs; add to the flour mixture and stir just until moist.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead a few times, then transfer to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into an 8-inch circle.

Note: scone dough tends to be very sticky.  Make sure to have enough flour on your work surface and to use floured hands while kneading, to prevent a sticky mess.  If you can only get in 1 or 2 kneads, that's fine.  In fact, the less scone dough is worked, the better, in order to achieve a light texture.

4. Cut the dough into 8 wedges, cutting into, but not all the way through the dough.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes - the scones should be lightly browned. 

I particularly enjoyed the scones for dinner alongside a warm bowl of Amy's split pea soup.

*To prepare the buttermilk for this recipe, place 2 and 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.  Fill with plain non-dairy milk to equal 3/4 cup and whisk together.  Let stand for 5 minutes so the mixture can clabber (sour), before adding to the recipe as directed above. 

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 wedge), Calories 217 

Tasting Notes:
I really enjoyed these savory scones - incredibly tender inside with a nice flaky crust, and great flavor from the ham and cheddar.  I recommend baking about 5 minutes extra - and wish I had trusted my instincts to do so - in order to achieve a crisper, flakier outside.  I also wasn't a huge fan of the ground red pepper - it didn't improve upon the rest of the recipe, and I'd omit it next time. 

Rating:
4