Marmite & Red Leicester Scones
These cheese scones are flavoured with marmite, Red Leicester & fresh rosemary! They’re flaky, soft & go great with plenty of butter.
Red Leicester & marmite is a fantastic combination that works exceptionally well in a batch of cheese scones! Even if you’re not a fan of marmite (you either love it or hate it right!?), I can almost guarantee that you’ll love these scones. The marmite flavour isn’t overpowering and there’s just enough to season the scones & complement the cheese.
Like all good cheese scones, these ones are soft, buttery & absolutely jam packed full of grated cheese. What makes these scones really stand out though, is the lamination step that is used when making the dough which makes them extra tall, with loads of flaky layers! They’re a great lunch snack & are perfect when served warm with plenty of butter.
For some more lunchtime inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes! There’s something for everyone here, from tasty salads, scotch eggs, pies & next level sandwiches. And for more bakes, check out our baking recipe collection!
What You’ll Need
- Red Leicester – Red Leicester cheese has a subtle nutty, caramelised flavour & goes really well with marmite & in cheese scones! A mature cheddar or a hard goats cheese will work as well though.
- Marmite – Marmite is a thick savoury spread that’s made with concentrated yeast extract. It has a deep unami flavour & works really well with cheese. I put enough marmite into the scone dough so that you know that it’s there but not enough to make it overpowering.
- Butter – Make sure to use cold, unsalted butter for these scones.
- Milk – Whole milk works best for scones as it has the highest amount of fat in it. This makes scones that are soft & flavourful. Semi skimmed will work as well though.
- Flour – These scones use plain flour. Some scone recipes call for self raising flour but I prefer to use plain flour & add in baking powder myself.
- Baking Powder – Used to make our scones rise! This recipe calls for 18 grams to 400 grams of plain flour which might seem like a lot but don’t be tempted to reduce it! It’s what makes the scones rise.
- Salt – Marmite & Red Leicester are quite salty already, so our scone dough will only need a small amount of table salt in it.
- Spices – I like to add English mustard powder & smoked paprika to cheese scones as they complement the other flavours really well. For a bit of a kick, you could add in some cayenne pepper as well.
How To Make Red Leicester & Marmite Scones
Homemade cheese scones come together in no time at all & are surprisingly easy to make! Just make sure to chill them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking them, so you get those soft, flaky layers…
- Mix Dough
To make our scone dough, we add plain flour, baking powder, table salt, mustard powder & smoked paprika into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Next we rub in cold butter until the mix resembles breadcrumbs (with some chunks of butter still visible) then we stir in grated cheese & chopped rosemary before mixing in cold milk & marmite to form a rough dough. - Lamination
Next, we transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, pat it out into a rectangle then laminate it by folding it into thirds (like folding a letter!). We turn the dough 90 degrees then repeat the folding process once more.
There’s a step by step guide on how to laminate scones below! - Cut Dough Into Portions
Once the dough has been laminated, we roll it out into a 18x18cm square that’s roughly an inch thick. Then we use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 6 even pieces. - Chill In Fridge
We transfer the scones to a lined baking tray then chill them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, we preheat an oven to 200°c/392°f. - Baking
To cook our scones, we brush the tops with milk, sprinkle with grated cheese then bake for 14-16 minutes, until well risen & golden brown.
How To Laminate Scones
To make super tall scones with lots of flaky, buttery layers, you’ll need to laminate the dough before shaping & baking them. This is a similar method to when you make rough puff pastry or croissant dough and is an easy way to take something as simple as a cheese scone to another level!
- Mix Rough Dough
First, we mix the scone dough but leave it as a rough dough. A few dry spots of flour are fine, as they’ll be incorporated into the dough as we laminate it. - Transfer To Lightly Floured Surface
Next, we tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface. This stops the dough from sticking but you’ll only need to use a small amount. - Pat Into Rectangle
We use our hands to pat the dough out into a rectangle that measures 25x15cm & is roughly 2cm thick, using a bench scraper to keep the edges straight. - Fold Into Thirds
Now, we need to mentally divide the dough into thirds, horizontally. We take the top third & fold it down, over the middle third then take the bottom third & fold it up, over the top. - Turn 90 Degrees & Repeat
Once we’ve folded the dough, we turn it 90 degrees then repeat the folding process once more.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a good quality cheese, for the best flavour! If you’re not a fan of Red Leicester, a mature cheddar would be a good alternative.
- Laminate the dough, to make tall scones with lots of flaky layers. This might sound complicated but it only takes a few minutes & is really easy to do!
- Chill your scones in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. This ensures that the butter in the dough will be solid, which is what gives scones flaky layers.
- Bake your cheese scones until they’re well risen & golden brown. Make sure not to over baked them though, as they’ll dry out.
- Serve your cheese scones warm, with lots of butter!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cheese scones are best eaten the same day that they were made, whilst they’re still slightly warm! However, they’ll keep for up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container.
It’s best to chill scones for at least 30 minutes before baking them, as this is what gives scones lots of flaky layers. Scones can be stored in the fridge for up to a day before being baked. Just make sure to cover them with clingfilm!
Once cooked, cheese scones will be well risen & a deep golden brown on top. It’s important not to over cook scones though, as they will dry out.
Cheese scones are amazing served warm, with lots of butter! They’re best served whilst they’re still slightly warm after being baked or they can be reheated in the microwave. They’ll only need 20 seconds or so!
More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Overnight New York Style Bagels
- Baked Camembert Dough Ball Wreath
- Scottish Morning Rolls
- Potato Sandwich Bread
- Black Tahini Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Savoury Double Pie Crust
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Marmite & Red Leicester Scones
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Tray
- Cheese Grater
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- 400 g Plain Flour
- 18 g Baking Powder
- 1 tsp English Mustard Powder
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 100 g Unsalted Butter (Diced & Chilled)
- 190 g Whole Milk (Plus Extra To Brush On Top)
- 30 g Marmite
- 200 g Red Leicester (Grated)
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Rosemary
Instructions
Dough
- Add the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, paprika & salt into a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine then add in the cold butter.
- Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs but with some larger chunks still visible then stir in 150 grams of the grated cheese & the chopped rosemary.We'll be using the remaining 50 grams of grated cheese to sprinkle on top of the scones before we bake them.
- Next, add the milk & marmite into a jug, whisk to combine then pour into the flour. Mix with a spatula until the dough starts to come together then use your hands to gently work it into a rough dough.The milk & marmite will need a really good whisk to mix together! Make sure not to over work the dough, a few streaks of flour are ok as they'll be incorporated when we laminate the dough.
Laminating
- Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface then use your hands to gently pat it out into a rectangle measuring 25x15cm, using a bench scraper to straighten up the sides.The dough should be roughly 2 cm thick.
- Next, mentally divide the dough into horizontal thirds. Take the top third & fold it over the middle then fold the bottom third on top.This is the same way that you'd laminate rough puff pastry!
- Turn the dough 90 degrees, pat it out into the same size rectangle as before then fold into thirds again.
- Gently roll the now laminated dough out with a rolling pin, into a square that's roughly an inch thick & measures 18x18cm. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 6 equal pieces then place them onto a lined baking tray. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.If the edges of your dough need to be neatened up, trim then slightly before cutting the dough into portions.
Baking
- Whilst your scones are chilling, preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Next, brush the top of each scone with a small amount of milk then sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, until well risen & golden brown.
- Let the scones cool on the tray then serve.
