Nicola Lamb’s flaky cheese and pickle scones

Method

1. Add both flours, the baking powder, salt, pepper and half the grated cheddar to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
2. Cut the butter into 2cm cubes, then add to the dry ingredients along with the gherkins. Use the stand mixer or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour for 30 seconds or so. Only go so far that the butter is in irregular-size pieces. You need some larger bits of butter to get the layers later.
3. Add the buttermilk in a steady stream until the dough is looking just hydrated – there can still be dry bits. Tip onto a clean surface and push the dough together, scraping all the dry bits into the middle. Roll out to approximately 40cm long, sprinkle with half the leftover cheese and perform a ‘single fold’ – that’s when you fold the top third over the middle third and then the bottom third over them both (like a letter).
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4. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll to 40cm long, then sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and perform another single fold. Pat the dough into a rectangle around 2.5cm-3cm thick. Trim the edges (see tips, below; you can bake these as snack scraps if you like) and pat down slightly to get the dough back into proportion. Cut into 6 large squares, then put on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Put the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes or the fridge for 45 minutes.
5. Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Gently brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash (see Tips). Bake for 12-15 minutes (watch the colour), then turn the oven down to 170°C fan/gas 5 and bake for 5-10 minutes more until the scones are golden and well baked. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool, then serve warm.