Savory zucchini, Gruyere and herb scones

Grate the zucchini first on a box grater straight into a bowl so it releases moisture; keep all cold ingredients in the fridge.

Dice the Gruyere into centimetre cubes, so it melts out at the edges into crispy cheese bits.

In the stand mixer bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, black pepper, chopped rosemary and thyme leaves.

Paddle on low speed just until combined.

Add the cold cubed butter and paddle until the pieces are broken to about a quarter of their size, some larger chunks remaining and some flattened.

With the mixer on its lowest speed, add half the buttermilk, then stop; the zucchini will add moisture.

Turn out; discard any gummy, stretchy, overworked bits. Run fingers lightly through the mixture ('salad tong hands') to break up curds and even out the liquid, aiming for a furry, slightly damp 'wet wool sweater'.

Squeeze the grated zucchini a little at a time to work out as much water as possible.

Spread the dough out, sprinkle all the zucchini and cheese on top, and fold it together lightly by hand, using the dry patches to coat the zucchini.

Build the dough into a rectangular wall with a bench scraper and press it down; dust with a little flour and press slightly to even the thickness rather than rolling. Reinforce the edges.

Cut in a tic-tac-toe pattern and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet with the bench scraper.

Brush with leftover buttermilk and top with a big pinch of flaky salt and more black pepper.

If the surface feels cold, bake right away; if unsure, chill first. Bake at 400 the whole time until beautifully browned, about half an hour here, and the top springs back.