Chive and feta scones

Ingredients

• Makes 8- 12 scones
• 400 g (3 cups) plain flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 180 g (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 200 g (1 cup) crème fraiche or sour cream
• 30 g (1/3 cup) chives, finely chopped
• 200 g (3/4 cups) feta, crumbled
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk for egg wash

Instructions

1. Place the oven rack in the centre of the oven.  Preheat oven to 200° C/ 400 ° F.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and black pepper.  In a separate, smaller bowl whisk together the egg, cream and chives.
3. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour and toss to coat.  Cut the butter into the flour mixture using the tips of your fingers or a pastry cutter until you have pea size crumbs. (Size matters here.  You want little pieces of butter, coated in flour that will melt as the scones bake and create layers of flakiness. I don’t use a food processor to do this because I find it mixes the butter and flour to finely.) 
4. Once the butter is incorporated, add the egg mixture and work quickly to combine. (don’t overwork the dough)  Add the feta pieces, again mixing quickly just until combined.   You should have a shaggy dough.  Pat the dough together and place on a lightly floured surface.   Let it rest 5 minutes, then dust the surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick square.  Fold it in half, like closing a book, to form a rectangle, then again to form a square.  Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest.
5. When chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into a 3.5 - 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) thick square.  Cut the square into 3 bands, then cut the bands into triangle shaped wedges.  Alternatively, roll the dough out a little thinner and cut into biscuit like shapes using a pastry cutter or the rim of a glass.  Place on the lined baking tray, brush with the egg and cream mixture and sprinkle with more cracked pepper.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
6. Eat straight away or they will keep a couple of days wrapped in aluminium foil, reheat in a warm oven before serving.