Tim Spector’s cheesy seeded scones recipe

“These are lovely with a spoonful of kimchi scooped on top or served with a pâté. They are best frozen the day or day after you make them,” says medical doctor and gut health expert Tim Spector. “To defrost, simply remove from the freezer the night before and leave at room temperature. To serve warm, heat in a toaster or warm oven, or blast in a microwave for 15–20 seconds.”

Cheesy seeded scones recipe

Ingredients:
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 12 scones

185g mix of hazelnuts, pecan nuts, walnuts
210g wholemeal rye flour, plus extra for dusting
80g mixed seeds
¾tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp salt
100g Cheddar cheese
250ml kefir
2 eggs
2tbsp milk

Top-up
A handful of roughly chopped nuts for added texture

Swaps:
Wholemeal or buckwheat flour for rye flour
Greek yoghurt for kefir
Plants: 5
Fibre: 5g

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas 6 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

2. Put the nuts into a food processor and blitz until very fine. Transfer to a large bowl with the rye flour, mixed seeds, bicarbonate of soda, salt and three-quarters of the Cheddar cheese.

3. Whisk the kefir with one of the eggs and add to the dry ingredients. Gently mix everything together using a wooden spoon or spatula – be gentle with the mixture as overworking it will result in a tough dough.

4. Tip out onto a floured surface, knead gently to bring the dough together (flour your hands if necessary) and roll out to a thickness of 2.5cm. It will be slightly sticky – this is normal.

5. Use a 5cm round cutter to cut out 12 scones and transfer them to the prepared baking tray. Whisk the remaining egg with the milk and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Then scatter the remaining Cheddar cheese over the tops.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Keep a few to eat over the next couple of days and freeze the rest in batches.

Extracted from Good Mood Food by Tim Spector. Published in hardback by Jonathan Cape, priced £30. All photography by Issy Croker. Available 22 October