Air Fryer
Air Fryer Cheese Scones
Tall risen cheese scones in 11 minutes. Why you never twist the cutter, and why the parchment must go in after preheating rather than before.
Ingredients
- 150g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 40g cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 tsp mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 50g mature Cheddar, finely grated
- 20g mature Cheddar, coarsely grated, to top
- 80ml milk, plus a little to brush
Method
- Rub the cold butter into the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and cayenne until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir the finely grated cheddar through.
- Pour in the milk and bring it together into a soft dough with as few turns as possible. Overworking it makes tough scones.
- Pat the dough out to about 2cm thick and cut four rounds with a 6cm cutter.
- Brush the tops with milk and scatter the coarsely grated cheddar over them.
- Preheat the air fryer, THEN put a piece of baking parchment in the basket and set the scones on it, spaced apart.
- Air fry at 185°C (365°F) for 11 minutes, until risen and deep golden on top.
Notes
- Press the cutter straight down and lift it straight out. Twisting it seals the cut edge and the scone cannot rise — this is the single most common reason homemade scones come out flat.
- Do not preheat with the parchment already in the basket. With nothing weighing it down the fan lifts it into the element.
- Handle the dough as little as possible. Scone dough wants to be barely brought together; every extra turn develops gluten and makes them tough.
- The cheese on top sits close to the element and browns fast. Check from 7 minutes, and drop to 170°C (340°F) next time if yours catches.
- Sources range from 8-10 minutes at 200°C (390°F) to 11 at 185°C (365°F). Lower and slower gives a more even rise.
- Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Watch it
More Air Fryer Cheese
Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.
Recipe source: Quantities and method from Farmersgirl Kitchen (farmersgirlkitchen.co.uk): 150g self-raising flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 40g butter, 1/4 tsp each cayenne and mustard powder, 50g finely grated cheddar plus 20g to top, 80ml milk; patted to 2cm, cut with a 6cm plain cutter and air fried at 185°C (365°F) for 11 minutes on baking parchment. Corroborated against Air Fryer UK and Effortless Foodie, who quote 8-10 minutes at 200°C (390°F) — hotter and faster, same result. The warning not to twist the cutter, and not to preheat with the parchment already in, are both from Farmersgirl Kitchen.