Preheat the oven to 375F.

In medium bowl, cut the sourdough with the butter. My sourdough is very liquid. so I ladled it from its jar to the measuring cup.

In a second medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, thyme, and cheese.  Tip this bowl into the sourdough/butter mixture.

Stir to form a cohesive dough.  Mine was very liquid, hence the additional flour. After adding 4 tablespoons of flour, the dough pulled away from the sides of the bowl. You may need more or less flour. Aim for a sticky dough that holds together. Sourdoughs are stickier than yeast doughs and won’t behave like yeasted dough. That’s okay. Mine looked like this:

Set aside for 20-30 minutes. This is a good time to clean up the flour that’s settled on every surface and wash the dishes. Wash in cold water: warm water speeds gluten formation, leading to sticky, floury guck, Thanks to Jeffrey Steingarten’s “Primal Bread” for this indispensable tip.

After 30 minutes, the batter looked like this:

Using your hands, form scones. The yield is low: 5-7 golf-ball sized scones.  Lay them on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet.  Bake 25 minutes.  Best eaten immediately, but hold overnight if reheated.  Good with anything.

Variations:

-vary the cheese: Jessica’s original recipe calls for sharp cheddar

-vary the herbs: chives, oregano, marjoram

-add a little chopped scallion or minced garlic

Remember to feed your starter a little flour!