BD (before Denmark) I used to roam the streets of Wellington, New Zealand flittering from one cafe to the next in the guise of business meetings.
One of the best cafes to do this in was Pravda Cafe - a cafe that is still going strong. It’s the perfect cafe because it’s open for both a coffee, a wine or a meal. AND home to quite possibly the world’s best Cheese Scones, at least it was five years ago when I was last there.
During my last year living in New Zealand (2015) I was lucky to get a ticket to a cooking class at Pravda cafe where they shared their legendary recipe and showed us how we too could make the world’s best cheese scones. And it was a pearler of a recipe, quickly becoming the only recipe my family used when it came to scones. If you’ve ever made scones before, the biggest thing you’ll notice that is different, is that this is a very wet mixture. But do not fret. Wet is okay.
I tried making them in Denmark when I first arrived, but they were shite. The cheese is different and so too (as I had long expected) is the flour. So I gave up. That was until I got a little helping hand with my flour v’s baking powder ratio and sourced some Cheddar cheese from Lidl (who have 1kg block every few months on sale).
Because this is the kind of recipe where sticking exactly to the recipe matters. So I’ll warn you before you even start, make sure you have exactly the right ingredients as I’ve listed below. Otherwise you might just be disappointed.
So, good luck and go forth and enjoy the world of Cheese Scones. Best served mid morning with a cuppa (cup of coffee or tea) - ‘morning tea’ or, my personal favourite, ‘smoko.
Dom’s Cheese Scones (Pravda Cafe, Wellington, New Zealand)
(to make 12)
400g Flour plus 24g baking powder (or just use Self Raising flour if you have a good brand)
220g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
350ml homogenised milk (Sød Milk in Denmark)
60g melted butter
15g salt
Put all dry ingredients into a large bowl, including grated cheese. Create a well in dry ingredients and pour milk and melted butter in. Combine and mix but do not over work.
Wet your hands and roll into good even sized balls (fist sized). Can be weighed if desired or done by sight.
Most important is to be light when mixing and rolling the balls. Use quick hands to do this and try and keep them even in size.
Place rolled balls onto an oven tray covered with baking paper and top with remaining grated cheese (don’t be shy with the cheese).
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until golden in colour. Turn tray in oven every 5 minutes to ensure even baking.
Let scones rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Slice in half, and spread plenty of butter on each side.
I hope you enjoy!
Let me know how it works out! And remember…stick to the exact ingredients above.