Sausage & Cheese Scones

 Savory sausage cheese scones are delicious salty baked pastries. 

They combine fragrant Chinese sausages and rich melted cheese, with a crispy outer layer and soft fluffy inside. 

Perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea and casual snacks, they are easy to make and full of savory flavor.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

220g all-purpose flour

8g baking powder

30g granulated sugar

2g fine salt

30g milk powder

Wet Ingredients

60g unsalted butter (cold)

1 whole egg

80ml pure milk

Fillings & Toppings

80g Chinese sausage (diced)

100g shredded mozzarella cheese

A little chopped scallion (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix dry raw materials

   Sift flour, baking powder, milk powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Stir evenly and set aside.
2. Rub in cold butter

   Cut cold butter into small cubes, add into the flour mixture.

   Use your hands to rub the butter evenly into the flour until it turns into coarse cornmeal texture. Keep the butter in solid state without melting.
3. Knead into dough

   Beat the egg well, reserve a little egg liquid for brushing surface later.

   Pour the rest egg liquid and cold milk into the flour slowly, stir gently to form a rough dough.

   Do not knead repeatedly to avoid hardening the scones.
4. Add savory fillings

   Put diced Chinese sausage and half of the shredded cheese into the dough.

   Fold and mix lightly to distribute the fillings evenly inside the dough.

   Cover with plastic wrap and rest the dough for 15 minutes.
5. Shape the scones

   Place the rested dough on a floured board, press it flat into a 2 cm thick dough sheet.

   Fold it in half and press flat again, repeat twice to create layered texture.

   Use a round mold to press out scone shapes, or cut into small squares directly.
6. Preheat oven & arrange

   Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

   Put shaped scones on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leave gaps between them.

   Brush a thin layer of reserved egg liquid on the surface, then sprinkle the remaining cheese shreds on top.
7. Bake thoroughly

   Put the baking tray into the middle layer of the oven.

   Bake at 180°C for 18 to 22 minutes until the surface turns golden yellow and fully puffed up.
8. Cool and serve

   Take out the baked scones, let them cool slightly.

   Eat while hot for the best taste, you can taste melted cheese and fragrant sausage inside.

Cooking Tips

1. Must use cold butter and cold milk to ensure fluffy layered taste.
2. Do not over knead the dough, otherwise the finished scones will be hard.
3. Chinese sausage can be slightly fried in advance to release fragrance.
4. Adjust baking time properly according to your own oven power.
5. Store sealed after cooling, heat in oven for 3 minutes before eating again to restore soft texture.

Detailed Recipe for Hunan Style Mashed Chili, Eggplant & Preserved Egg (Lei La Jiao Pi Dan Qie Zi)

 This is a classic, super appetizing home-style dish from Hunan cuisine.

 It features smoky roasted chili, soft creamy eggplant, and rich preserved eggs, mashed together with a savory, slightly spicy dressing.

 It is fragrant, tender, and an excellent rice-pairing side dish.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 2 long purple eggplants
• 3–4 fresh green chilies (or spicy Hunan chili peppers)
• 2 preserved eggs (century eggs)

Aromatics

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 small piece ginger
• A little chopped scallion

Seasonings

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp chili oil (optional)
• A little white pepper
• Sesame oil
• Proper cooking oil

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare and roast the chilies

   Wash green chilies, remove stems. Heat a dry pan over low heat, put chilies in and roast slowly. Press and turn constantly until the skin is charred and wrinkled, and a strong smoky aroma comes out.

   Take out the chilies, let them cool slightly, then peel off the charred skin. Tear the chilies into strips by hand.
2. Cook the eggplants

   Wash eggplants, cut into long sections. Steam them over high heat for 12–15 minutes until fully soft and can be easily pierced with a chopstick.

   Take out the steamed eggplants, squeeze out excess water gently, then tear them into thin strips by hand.
3. Process preserved eggs

   Peel the preserved eggs, rinse them clean. Cut each into small dices or roughly mash them. Set aside.
4. Mince aromatics

   Peel garlic and ginger, chop them into fine mince. Put them into a bowl together with scallion sections.
5. Make the seasoning sauce

   In the bowl with garlic and ginger, add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, a pinch of salt and white pepper. Stir well until the seasonings dissolve.

   Add chili oil if you prefer a spicier taste.
6. Mash all ingredients (traditional Hunan way)

   Put the roasted chili strips, eggplant strips and preserved egg dices into a large bowl or a traditional mortar.

   Use a masher or pestle to gently mash and mix all ingredients together, so the flavors fully blend.
7. Mix with sauce and finish

   Pour the prepared seasoning sauce into the mashed mixture. Drizzle with a little sesame oil.

   Stir and mix evenly until all ingredients are coated with sauce.
8. Serve

   Transfer to a plate, sprinkle a little extra scallion for decoration. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm for the best flavor.

Cooking Tips

1. Roasting chilies with no oil is the key to the authentic smoky flavor of this dish.
2. Tearing eggplants by hand keeps a better texture than cutting with a knife.
3. Do not squeeze eggplants too dry, to keep them tender and juicy.
4. Adjust the number of chilies based on your tolerance for spiciness.
5. This dish tastes even better after resting for 10 minutes to let flavors fully infuse.