These Spanish style cheese scones with smokey paprika, leek and black olives are made using a traditional English scone recipe that’s been jazzed up with the flavours of Spain. They’re soft and high with a flavourful interior and crispy outer shell – great for eating as is or top with other goodies.
Savoury scones make a great snack or addition to breakfast. You can also serve them as a starer like I did – in this case with other Spanish style accompaniments like roasted red pepper, ham, salami, olives, and cheeses.
Traditional English Scone Recipe Made Savoury
To make these Spanish style cheese scones I used the traditional English scone recipe from Cupcake Jemma as my base recipe.
To make the scones savoury I omitted the sugar in the original recipe and added tons of cheese as well as smoked paprika, leek and sliced black olives.
- 500g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 110g chopped cold salted butter
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 300ml whole milk
- 2 rounded tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 cup of cheddar
- 1/2 a leek
- 1/4 cup black olives
- 1 egg for egg wash (optional)
With a 7cm pastry ring this recipe makes 12 perfect first batch scones and another 6 not as perfect but still really good second batch scones.
Preparing the ingredients
- Slice, wash and cook the leek in butter: Leek can be quite fibrous and crisp – it should be cooked before adding to the dough since the scones only bake for 15-20 minutes. After slicing the leek I soak it in a bowl of warm water, rubbing it with my fingers to dislodge the sand and soil that can get trapped between the leaves. Then I strain it and toss it into a pan with a tablespoon of butter. Cook until it reduces and begins to crisp up (about 5 – 7 minutes).
- Grate the cheese: Grate the cheese finely.
- Slice the olives: Slice the olives into thin slivers. You can also use green olives or other olives if you prefer.
- Cube the cold butter: Cut the butter into small cubes even if you intend to use a food processor – it will help the dough mix more evenly.
Making the scone dough
Once the ingredients are prepared, the dough for the Spanish style cheese scones is super simple to make and takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep.
You can do it using either a food processor or just a bowl and a wooden spoon. Both methods are described below.
Food processor vs by hand
As I wrote in a previous post for cinnamon and blueberry English scones, I used a food processor to do the initial mixing of this scone dough, just like the original recipe does.
Using a food processor helps take the mystery out of scones because it keeps your warm fingers away from the cold butter. If you have one you should go ahead and use it.
That being said, there were no food processors when people started making scones so if you don’t have one don’t worry – you can definitely still make them without one.
Food Processor Method
Add the flour, baking powder, paprika, salt and butter to the food processor and process for a few seconds until it’s fully mixed and forms a grainy texture.
Remove the flour and butter mixture to a large bowl and add the leeks, olives and cheddar (reserving about 1/4 cup for topping). Stir until roughly combined. Finally add the milk and use a large wooden spoon to mix the ingredients until they’re just incorporated and a shaggy dough forms.
By Hand Method
If you are able to plan this in advance then it’s a good idea to grate the butter onto a plate or parchment sheet and freeze it for at least 20 minutes. If you don’t have 20 minutes then grate the butter and freeze it while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a large bowl mix the flour with the salt, baking powder and paprika. Use a fork and a sharp knife, two forks or a pastry cutter to mix the butter with the flour until a grainy texture forms. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
It’s best to avoid touching the dough because it can melt the butter and affect how much the scones can rise.
Once you have a mealy mix, then add the grated cheese (reserving about 1/4 cup for topping), olives and leeks. Stir with a spoon until evenly mixed. Pour in the milk and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms.
Shaping the scones
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to press the dough together into roughly a circle/oval. Lightly flour the top of the dough and then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 3 centimetres / just over an inch thickness. Use a 7cm pastry ring or the rim of a glass to cut the dough into rounds. You should get around 12 scones the first round.
After you’ve removed the scones and put them on a parchment lined baking sheet, repeat the process with the remaining dough – gently smush it together then roll it out and cut the rest out.
Personally I use every last bit even if it means having one misshapen scone.
Baking the scones
Whisk together an egg and give each scone an eggwash. This step is optional but gives them a nice gloss especially if you aren’t topping them with cheese.
Top each scone with a bit of the 1/4 cup of grated cheese and bake the scones in a preheated oven at 190 C / 375 F for 15 – 17 minutes. They should be golden and almost double in height.
How to serve Spanish style cheese scones
I served these scones a little bit like Spanish pintxos with an assortment of tasty Spanish style bites that can be eaten alongside or even sandwiched in between each scone. Good additions are olives, thinly sliced red onion, marinated red pepper, meats and cheeses, and white beans or bean spread.
If you liked this recipe you may also like sweet English scones with cinnamon and blueberries.
Savoury Spanish Style Cheese Scones with Smoked Paprika, Leek & Olive
These Spanish style cheese scones with smokey paprika, leek and black olives are made using a traditional English scone recipe that’s been jazzed up with the flavours of Spain.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 18 1x
- Category: Starters & Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Global
Ingredients
- 500g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 110g cold salted butter, chopped into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 300ml whole milk
- 2 rounded tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 cup of cheddar or other cheese, grated
- 1/2 a leek, thoroughly washed and sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup black olives, sliced thinly
- 1 egg for egg wash (optional)
Instructions
Preheated oven to 190 C / 375 F.
Food Processor Method
- Add the flour, baking powder, paprika, salt and butter to the food processor and process for a few seconds until it’s fully mixed and forms a grainy texture.
- Remove to a large bowl and add the leeks, olives and 3/4 of the cheese. Stir until roughly combined.
- Add the milk and mix until just incorporated.
By Hand Method
- Grate the butter onto a plate or parchment sheet and freeze it for at least 20 minutes. If you don’t have 20 minutes then freeze it while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Mix the flour with the salt, baking powder and paprika. Use a fork and a sharp knife, two forks or a pastry cutter to mix the butter with the flour mix until a grainy texture forms.
- Add the olives, leeks and 3/4 of the cheese.
- Add the milk and mix until just incorporated.
Shape & Bake
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to press the dough together into roughly a circle/oval. Lightly flour the top of the dough and then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 3 centimetres / just over an inch thickness.
- Use a 7cm pastry ring or the rim of a glass to cut the dough into rounds. You should get around 12 scones the first round.
- Place each scone on the baking sheet.
- Whisk together an egg and give each scone an egg wash (optional).
- Top each scone with more cheese and bake for 15 – 17 minutes.
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