Light and fluffy, these Welsh Rarebit Scones are a delicious take on the classic lunchtime treat. Cheddar, Guinness and mustard scones, topped with Worcestershire sauce coated red onions. Perfect warm from the oven with a smear of butter!
Welsh Rarebit. Fancy cheese on toast to most of us! Originally called Welsh Rabbit (until it was changed as there’s no rabbit in the dish…!) it dates back to the 18th Century, though its origins are a little unclear. There are some variations, but most recipes call for a cheesy sauce made with mustard, ale and Worcestershire sauce. It may be more effort than regular cheese on toast, but totally worth it in my view! But we’re not here to make a toasty snack, we’re here to turn Welsh rarebit into Welsh rarebit scones!!
So first up lets discuss the elephant in the room. Savoury scones?! I know, I know. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, same as their cousin the savoury muffin. But considering I already have a savoury muffin recipe on the blog, I’m clearly a fan!
So lets get to it. How do you make a Welsh Rarebit scone?!
Firstly I had to figure out how I was going to turn a plain scone into cheesy, mustardy rabbity goodness.
I wanted to include red onion; mainly because I just love red onion but also because it goes so well with cheese and in a savoury bake! Anddd gave me the perfect place to add the Worcestershire sauce!
Then in the scone dough I added Guinness, cheddar, fresh parsley and a nice kick of English mustard! The flavours combine SO well, its delicious.
Now lets talk scone process and tips!
Firstly, a scone dough is so so soft, fluffy and light. Honestly its one of my favourite doughs to work with. But with the extra ingredients this mixture is stickier than usual, so be sure to generously flour your work surface!
Next, the golden rule of scone making. When cutting your scones with a cookie cutter, just press down firmly and pickup. Don’t twist! You could hinder the rising process and you’ll end up with dense flat scones. Nobody wants that!
Finally, as the scone dough is so fluffy and light you don’t want to roll it out too much. I like to flatten it a little with my hands, then roll it up and down 2 or 3 times at best. Once you’ve cut out your scones, only re-roll the remaining dough once to cut out the remaining dough.
Honestly these scones are SO light and fluffy. Sometimes a scone can be too dry and crumbly, but these are perfectly moist and so flavourful. Of course they’re best served warm with butter, but they’re also just a great on the go snack. Annnd I also turned them into brunch with eggs and spinach one day! Super tasty AND versatile!
So on with the recipe!
Welsh Rarebit Scones
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 450 g strong white bread flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- 80 g unsalted butter cold
- 2 large eggs
- 5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 50 ml Guinness can be replaced with milk if you don't want to use alcohol
- 200 ml milk semi-skimmed or whole
- 75 g mature cheddar grated
- 15 g fresh parsley chopped
Glaze
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Firstly, thinly slice the red onion and cook in a saucepan over a medium heat with a little oil until softened. Then take off the heat and mix through the Worcestershire sauce. Then set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7 and line two baking trays with baking paper. Then, in a large bowl, rub the flour, salt and butter together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Then add the eggs and baking powder and mix to combine. Then add the mustard, Guinness and half the milk, mixing again until fully incorporated. Then add the remaining milk, a little at a time, until it comes together a forms a very soft and wet dough. You may not need to use all of the milk. Finally, mix in the grated cheese and chopped parsley.
- Generously dust a clean work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough. Flatten the dough out a little with your hands, then using a rolling pin, roll the dough 2/3 times till approx. 1/2 inch thick. Finally, 'relax' the dough by slightly lifting the edges and letting it drop back onto the work surface.
- Using an 8cm cookie cutter, cut out rounds by pressing firmly down (without twisting!) and place onto the prepared baking trays, leaving room to spread. Once you've cut as many rounds as you can, re-roll the remaining dough and repeat the cutting process.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg for glazing. Then using a pastry brush, brush the top of the scones with the egg, ensuring it doesn't drop down the sides. Once all have been glazed, repeat the process.
- Then place in the oven for 13 minutes until the scones are risen, golden brown and almost fully cooked. (Make sure to swap the trays halfway through the cooking time, if you don't have a fan oven.) Then remove from the oven, and top each scone with some of the cooked onion mixture, and place back in the oven for 2 minutes.
