Easy Gruyere and Shallot Scones
Wonderfully cheesy, perfectly flaky, and buttery, embedded with sauteed shallots, these gruyere and shallot scones are a delicious version of the standard breakfast scone.
I absolutely love the smell of the shallots sauteeing in the pan. It’s slightly sweet and caramel-y. a little garlicky. Mmmm! It’s delicious! Maybe one of my favorite parts of making these scones.
American or British
The biggest difference between British and American scones is that British scones are less sweet and rich. British scones are served with cream and jam, and sometimes studded with currants or other types of dried fruit. American scones are generally sweeter, yet many are also made savory.
Why I love these scones… and so will you
Taste I just love the taste of these scones. The rich, nutty flavor of Gruyere partnered with the sweetness of the shallots is just perfect together.
Smell I love the smell of the shallots sauteing! It’s one of my favorite food scents. These scones smell so delicious as they’re baking in the oven. You’ll be anxiously waiting until they’re done!
Ease of making These scones are dangerously easy to make.
Would I make these again? Over and over again! They are so good and are perfect with some bacon on the side. I’d bake these scones just for their smell!
Ingredients: An Overview
In addition to the general ingredients, such as flour, butter, and leavening agent, we’ve also got a few add-ins to give these scones great flavor.
- Shallots Saute the shallots in a bit of butter or olive oil till they’re soft and translucent. I’ve already mentioned how much I love the scent of sauteeing shallots, but it’s worth repeating. I hope you love it as much as I do.
- Gruyere cheese The star of the show. Be sure to get a block of cheese and shred it yourself. This ensures the cheese is the most fresh. I’ve never seen Gruyere cheese pre-shredded anyway.
- Heavy cream Adds a richness to scones that can’t be achieved with milk. I also like to brush some on top to help with browning.
Recipe Tips
- Use COLD butter. Cold butter is what helps provide the lift when the scones are baking.
- You’ll need to cube the butter and put it in the fridge while preparing the other ingredients. You could choose to grate the butter if you prefer.
- Don’t over work the dough. It will make your scones tough. Too much handling also melts the butter, causing it to mix into the batter too much.
- The egg and milk should be cold as well. Leave them in the fridge until right before you will use them.
- Don’t skip the chilling step. This keeps the butter cold right until they go in the oven, helping to create those flaky layers we all love.
Let’s Make This!
Scones are fairly simple to make and only take an hour. Most of that time is the resting and baking process. These scones take slightly more effort because you have to chop and saute the shallots and shred the cheese.
One important thing for scones is we want the butter to be very cold. The first thing I’ll do is cube the butter and then set it in the freezer while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Next, we’ll sift the dry ingredients together, then mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Cut the cubed butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles pea gravel.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add the shredded cheese and shallots to this mixture and fold it together. You’ll see the mixture start to clump up. Once it gets to this point, I’ll start working it with my hands to form the dough ball.
Once the dough ball is formed, we’ll do a simple lamination process. I flatten the dough ball with my hands, fold it in half, flatten again, then repeat the process two more times. This helps in creating flaky layers.
Split the dough in half and form each of those halves into dough balls. Flatten these into six-inch round discs onto a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Slice the discs into six roughly equal triangles and pull them apart about 1-2 inches. Brush the tops with cream then sprinkle with some Gruyere cheese. Let them rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 F, bake the scones for 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. These scones are best served warm when the cheese is nice and melty and the butter is seeping out. And I’m usually a person that likes cold scones, so that’s really saying something from me. Who doesn’t like melted cheese?
Other Recipes to Try
Frequently Asked Questions
Store scones in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days.
Yes, they freeze great. Make the recipe up until the point where you flatten the discs. Wrap the discs in plastic wrap and tinfoil, then add to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Likewise, you can freeze the scones after you have cut them into triangles. Lay them flat on a tray and freeze them solid. Then, add them to a freezer safe container and freeze for 3 months, to be used when you only feel like baking one scone.
COLD butter! The milk/cream and yogurt should be cold as well. When the cold ingredients hit the oven, they release steam as they bake, helping to creating those flaky layers. It’s also important not to overmix the dough. Mix it just until it comes together. We only want to handle it just as much as we need to. Remember to chill scones after forming them and before baking them. This ensures the butter is cold when it goes into the oven.
Gruyere and Shallot Scones
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 1/4 cups flour, all-purpose
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, large
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1 large shallot
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cube the butter (8 tablespoons) into small cubes and place in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Dice the shallots and saute in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft and translucent. Shred the cheese (1 cup).
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. (2 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon baking powder)
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate smaller bowl. (1 large egg, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup cream)
- Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles pea gravel. Fold the wet ingredients, shallots, and cheese (reserve 1/4 cup of the cheese) into the dry ingredients. Once the dough starts to come together, get in there with your hands and form a dough ball. If it seems a bit dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk.
- I do a simple lamination for these scones. Flatten the dough ball with your hands into a rough rectangle. Fold in half, flatten again, and repeat the process twice, then split the dough in half and form two dough balls.
- Flatten each dough ball into a six-inch disc onto your prepared baking sheet. Cut each disc into six roughly equal pieces and pull each triangle an inch apart. Set the tray in the fridge for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit.
- After 20 minutes, take the tray out of the fridge. Brush the scones with a bit of cream and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until scones are browned on the tops slightly and have risen tall. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before enjoying them. These scones are delicious fresh out of the oven!
Notes
- Store scones in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in a container on the counter for 3 days.
- If using salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- You can choose to either cube the butter or use a box shredder and shred it.
- To freeze scones, wait until the scones are cooled down completely. Wrap them in plastic wrap, then foil, and store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- To freeze before baking, make the scones all the way through slicing the scones. Freeze flat on a tray, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and tinfoil and store in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. If you want to freeze the discs, wrap them in plastic wrap then tinfoil before freezing as well. Thaw out overnight in the fridge before slicing into triangles. When you’re ready to bake them, if baking from frozen, bake at the regular temperature and add 1-2 minutes to the baking time. You can also thaw them out in the fridge overnight and bake at the regular time and temperature.
Nutrition
About Author
I love how buttery and flaky these scones are. Gruyere cheese is one of my favorite cheeses, and it goes so well with the shallots. I love this combination so much!