Savoury Ham and Cheese Scones

For the past 2 days, i've been trying to bake a cake, a semolina cake which i found in the website. I do have a recipe on hand for a semolina cake but that takes more step to do it so i opted for a easier one instead. 2 times , i couldnt get it right, it was coarse and dry. So until i get that right, i will post it up. This morning , still feeling the urge to bake something, i chose something that i think it's more easier to do..scones. I'm thinking of  savoury ones and i found a recipe from foodnetwork.com. This time it didnt disappoint me , the scones rise beautifully and i find that the texture of these scones are different from my previous scones. Not as light as my previous scones but their inside are soft and doesnt crumble...almost resembles a cake texture. Instead of using milk in most of the scones recipes, this one calls for heavy cream, probably that's one reason, i'm not too sure. Rich and cheesy, if you love savoury scones, this is something that you might love. As for me, i still like the sweeter ones.

There's a slight change in the recipe as i have shaped these scones into rounds using cutter instead of wedges , replaced the bacon with some english roasted ham and also i used salted butter.
Recipe ( from foodnetwork.com )
1 big slice of roasted ham , chopped
3 cups all purpose flour ( i replaced with self raising flour)
1 tbsp baking powder ( skipped)
1tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
113 gm butter, cut into pieces
6 oz grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced chives
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper ( skipped)
1 cup heavy cream, plus 2 tbsps

Method:
1.Preheat oven to 400F/200C
2.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, cheese, chives and black pepper with  a pastry cutter or fork, work until it starts to form lumps and come together. Add the ham. Add the 1 cup of cream slowly and work just until it becomes a sticky dough, being careful not to overwork.
3.Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it comes together, form into a circle with 2.5cm thickness.
4.Cut them into rounds with  a round cutter with 6.5cm in diameter and transfer them to a baking sheet with a spatula, leaving 1/2 ich space between them. Paint the tops with the remaining 2 tbsps of cream and bake until golden brown, approx 22-23 minutes.
5.Remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Serve warm.


 Submitting this to the Aspiring Bakers Challenge#6 - Say Cheese ( April 2011) hosted by Jean (Noms I Must). Cheeeeeesee!