Spinach & Feta Scones

Freshly baked, these scones are incredibly light and moist, with a crunchy, buttery exterior and a fluffy, salty interior. Probably my all-time favourite flavour combination! The only regret you will have, is that you did not make a double batch!

For convenience I use fresh baby spinach, but you can use regular spinach, silverbeet or frozen spinach instead. If your feta cheese is very salty, omit the additional salt in the recipe. You can use high grade/bread/strong flour instead of plain/cake/all-purpose flour. I rarely egg wash my scones (unless I am baking something else using egg at the same time and I can steal a little from another recipe), but you can, using a little beaten egg before baking.

Makes 6 large or 8 medium scones

SPINACH & FETA SCONE DOUGH

spinach, 120g fresh or 70g steamed/blanched/wilted/defrosted from frozen (about 1/2 cup, excess moisture having been squeezed out)

feta cheese (or a feta-style cheese), 200g

cheddar cheese, 100g (about 1 cup grated cheese) - a mature/aged cheese works well (in New Zealand Tasty/Noble works well)

buttermilk, 160g (160ml or 2/3 cup)

plain/cake/all-purpose flour, 300g (500ml or 2 cups)

baking powder, 10ml (2 teaspoons)

bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

caster sugar, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

fine salt, 1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon) - optional (depending on your taste and the saltiness of the cheese)

unsalted butter, 120g - cold out of the fridge

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

If you are using fresh spinach, blanch, steam or wilt the spinach before squeezing out excess moisture (it should weight about 70g after you have squeezed the moisture out) then chop until fine (or defrost frozen spinach before chopping fine if needed).

Roughly chop the feta cheese (or crumble into chunks).

Grate the cheddar cheese (using the coarse side of a box grater).

Place the buttermilk in a medium size mixing bowl, then add the chopped spinach, feta and grated cheddar and mix to combine. Set aside until needed.

Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then using a microplane or box grater, grate in the butter (alternatively, you can place the dry ingredients and roughly chopped butter in a food processor bowl fitted with a blade attachment).

Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until fine and uniform (or blitz with a food processor until resembling fine crumbs, then transfer to a mixing bowl).

Add the buttermilk and spinach mixture, then mix using a table knife until clumpy.

Tip the shaggy dough onto a clean work surface and press together to form a dough ball.

Dust the top and bottom of the dough with extra flour, then flatten with your hands into a 3cm thick rectangle.

Cut the dough with a sharp knife or dough cutter into squares (divide into 6 for large scones or 8 for medium scones) before placing on the lined baking tray spaced apart.

You can egg wash the scones now if you like. Brush the tops with a little beaten egg.

Bake the scones (in a pre-heated oven) for 15 - 20 minutes until they are golden in colour and cooked through (about 15 minutes for 8 medium scones and 20 minutes for 6 large scones).

Best enjoyed freshly baked with butter.