Everything Bagel Scones

with cream cheese, smoked salmon and dill

May 17, 2026

∙ Paid

Hey everyone, hope you’re all having a lovely weekend.

There are few things better than a warm savoury scone straight from the oven, especially one loaded with parmesan and everything bagel seasoning. These are buttery, properly cheesy, and topped with crunchy seeds, somewhere between a bakery-style scone and the best breakfast bagel you’ve ever had. I also love making these as squares rather than rounds. They feel more rustic, there’s absolutely no dough wastage, and it makes the whole process far simpler.

One of the most important rules for great scones is keeping your butter cold. Cold butter creates little pockets throughout the dough which melt in the oven and create steam, giving you that soft, layered texture and beautiful rise. If the butter gets too warm before baking, the scones can spread rather than lift, leaving you with something flatter and heavier. I like to cube the butter straight from the fridge and work fairly quickly once it’s mixed in.

Another small step that makes a huge difference here is soaking the shallots in ice water before adding them to the dough. Thinly sliced shallots can sometimes taste harsh or overpowering when raw, but a quick soak softens their intensity while keeping all their sweetness and crunch. They become fresher, milder, and far more balanced once baked into the scones. Just ten minutes in really cold water transforms them completely.

The everything bagel seasoning is also worth making from scratch rather than buying pre-made. Mixing your own means you can balance the flavours exactly how you like them, whether that’s more sesame, extra poppy seeds, or a little heavier on the dried onion. I use a combination of sesame seeds, nigella seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion, and celery salt for a savoury, deeply toasted flavour that works beautifully with parmesan. Any leftover seasoning is brilliant scattered over eggs, avocado toast, roasted vegetables, salads, homemade bread, or even mixed through cream cheese.

Instead of cutting these with a round cutter, I shape the dough into a square and cut it into 9 equal pieces in a simple 3 x 3 grid. I love the more rustic bakery look, but it’s also genuinely practical. There’s no re-rolling scraps, no wasted dough, and the scones stay lighter because the dough is handled less. Sometimes the easiest methods really are the best ones.

RECIPE BELOW…