Pesto Scones

This Small Batch Pesto Scone recipe is the perfect Savory Scone Recipe. They are flaky and tender, and full of flavour from the sundried tomato pesto and cheese. This easy cheese scone recipe can be put together quickly for whenever you need a scone fix! This small batch scone recipe makes 6 scones.

Pesto Scones - the Perfect Savory Scone Recipe

Hi hi! I am just popping in to share the recipe for these pesto and cheese small batch scones! I developed these a few months ago and have had them firmly on repeat ever since. Pesto and cheese is such a delicious addition to a scone recipe for a fun wee twist on the favourite! These savory scones are cheesy, and flaky, and just so, so delicious.

I scaled down this recipe during testing and then it worked out so well I decided to keep this as a small batch recipe. 6 scones to me is the perfect amount, and the recipe is incredibly easy to double if you're looking for a few more scones.

A quick note - These are, to me, what I call a savory scone. They are probably closer in texture to what people in the US call a 'biscuit'. We don't have biscuits in NZ (we do but we call them cookies), and our scones are beautiful and flaky like US biscuits are. The more you know!

How to make Pesto Scones

This pesto scone recipe took a little more working than I thought - turns out adding pesto and cheese to scones isn't as easy as just making a quick sub. I wanted to jam as much pesto flavouring into the scones as I could, so I substituted some of the butter with pesto, which gets mixed in when the butter goes in.

Adding in the pesto in with the butter before the milk gives it a chance to properly incorporate through the mixture. Once the milk goes in, you want to keep mixing to a minimum, to avoid over mixing the scones, which can cause them to be a little tough.

The mixture may seem a wee bit wetter than other scone recipes but don't add more flour unless you really have to - a bench scraper is your friend here. You can add a tiny bit when rolling out if needed.

Small Batch Savory Scones

These Small Batch Savory Scones are Super Easy to make. There are a few steps, but they all happen quickly. The dough needs 15 minutes in the freezer before baking but aside from that there is very little down time for these scones.

1. Combine your dry ingredients - I use All-purpose flour and baking powder here. It gets mixed with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you wanted to add in other seasonings, here is the place to add them.
2. Rub in butter and pesto - The Sun Dried Tomato pesto gets added in with the butter, and rubbed in (similar to how you make pie dough)
3. Add the cheese - I used parmesan and cheddar here, but add in anything that you like. Just shoot for 120g of cheese all up. You can add some extra on the tops later too if you want. These really are a choose your own adventure situation.
4. Mix in the milk - Once the butter, pesto and cheese are in, the milk goes in and is mixed to incorporate. You want to make sure that you don't over mix here. A few pockets of dry is fine, and it will sort itself out when you roll out the scones.
5. Laminate the dough - More on this in a bit, but a wee secret to lovely flaky scones is to laminate the dough.
6. Cut out the scones - Once you have finished the laminations, shape the dough into a rectangle and cut into squares.
7. Chill - Pop the scones into the freezer for a wee chill, just to get everything nice and cold before it goes into the oven.
8. Bake - Brush the tops of the scones with milk, and add extra cheese if you like. Pop the scones into the oven to transform into perfect, flaky small batch pesto scones.

Why is it important to have cold ingredients when making scones?

The temperature of the ingredients plays a big role in this recipe. Similar to how you keep pie dough nice and cold, the same applies to scones. Cold ingredients and cold chunks of butter in the recipe gives layers. When the cold butter hits the hot oven, it turns into steam, and you get perfect, flaky layers.

It is important to start with everything cold - the milk, the butter, the pesto, etc. I like to grate the cheese and put it back in the fridge until ready to use. Same with the butter - cut it up first then pop it in the fridge until you are making the scone mixture.

If at any time if it feels like things are getting too warm, pop the scone mixture into the fridge for 5-10 minutes to let it chill up.

A Sneaky Trick to Super Flaky Scones - Laminating your Scone Dough.

A great way to ensure that you have nice layers in your scones is to do a few laminations. This is a technique is sometimes used in making biscuits and I applied it to my scone recipe a few years ago and it works great.

Basically you roll the dough out then perform a few letter folds similar to how you would making puff pastry. Here's how it works:

1. When you are finished mixing the dough, turn it out onto your surface and pat it into a rectangle 12"x6" (30x15cm). Square off the edges with a bench scraper as you go to keep things nice and even.
2. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then pat out again into a rectangle.
3. Perform one more fold, then pat out into a rectangle 5"x8" (12x20cm). Proceed with the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pesto Scones

What sort of cheese can I add to these?
Add whatever you like. I used a sharp cheddar and some parmesan, but you can really throw whatever you have in here, provided it grates well!

Can these be made ahead of time?
You may be able to bake these from frozen, but I haven't tried it. I would freeze them until solid on the tray then transfer to a ziploc bag. Make sure you add a few more minutes onto the bake time to ensure they are cooked through.

Can I add other things to these scones?
Add whatever you like! Chilli flakes would be super yum in here, or other seasonings.

Can I make these other shapes?
Yes, you can make these any shape you like! I prefer round / rectangle / triangle shapes to round scones as it means there is no wastage and they are super easy to shape.

What happens if I over mix my scone dough?
They will still taste fine, they might just not reach their full fluffy potential.

Can I use Self-Raising Flour?
I haven't tried it, but you are welcome to! The ratios should be right to sub it in.

Can I put cheese on the tops of the scones?
Yes! Grate a little additional cheese and add to the tops of the scones before baking them.

Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, super easily. You will need to change the proportions of your rectangle for folding, and then pat the dough out into a larger rectangle.

Recipe For Pesto Scones

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