Whole Wheat Apricot Scones with Flax Seeds and Oats

With the farmer's market returning to all its outdoor glory next week, my weekends of baking breakfasts are coming to an end. Once I can satiate my breakfast pastry cravings with my choice of treat from any number of vendors (a whole grain scone from Chris and Lori's Bakehouse being my most frequent choice), I turn my breakfast creativity away from muffins and scones and towards the savory. This scone recipe, which I've had bookmarked forever, is my last hurrah. I lightened the texture of the scone by substituting whole wheat pastry flour for regular whole wheat flour, and made my scones round instead of wedges, otherwise following the recipe faithfully. Just a little bit of butter and flax seeds make these scones surprisingly rich, with the honey and dried apricots imparting the perfect amount of sweetness. Like White House Honey Oat Muffins, the character of the honey really comes through in the recipe, complementing, but not overpowering, the apricots. If apricots aren't to your liking, feel free to substitute the dried fruit of your choice. Although I've loved my time baking all manner of sweet breakfast treats, I'm excited to move on to savory pursuits and sampling the delicious treats the Dane County Farmers' Market has to offer.


Whole Wheat Apricot Scones with Flax Seeds and Oats
adapted very slightly from Whole Foods Market
makes 12 scones

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces and well chilled
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk, more for brushing
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Put flour, oats, flax seeds, baking powder and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse again mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add apricots and repeat process.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, buttermilk, eggs and almond extract then pour in a constant stream into food processor while pulsing just until mixture is blended. If very dry, add another tablespoon of buttermilk. Dough will be a little sticky. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and form into a 9-inch circle. Using a floured knife, cut dough into 12 wedges and transfer to a large baking sheet, arranging the scones 1 to 2 inches apart.

3. Brush scones with buttermilk and sprinkle them with sugar. Bake until cooked through and golden brown around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Seeded Whole Wheat Scones

I had no idea how much I would like the scones when I first stumbled across the recipe. I've made lots of scones in my day, including many whole wheat ones, and I thought these would be, like most I've made, tasty and nutritious, but not extraordinary. I was so very happy for that assumption to be proven wrong. They have the slight sweetness and tender crumb common to most of my scones, but the mix of seeds performs an alchemy that makes these scones unbelievably delicious. While nuts get all the glory, seeds remain tragically underutilized in baked goods, but these scones are doing their part toward remedying the situation. While I've been happily chowing down on these for breakfast, their savory qualities would also make them a wonderful companion to soups and salads. If you feel the need to gild the lily, a healthy slathering of butter would not be unwelcome, but they definitely stand on their own, as any good pastry should. More than any other baked good I've made in recently memory, I urge you to try this unique and unexpectedly wonderful recipe.

Seeded Whole Wheat Scones
adapted from the New York Times
makes 12 scones

5 ounces (1 1/3 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour
2 ounces (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat pastry flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 ounces (1/2 cup) raw brown sugar
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons mixed seeds (for instance, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax and poppy)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Dump anything remaining in the sifter into the bowl with the sifted ingredients. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

3. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and, with the machine running, add to the flour mixture. Stop the machine and add the seeds. Pulse a few times to combine.

4. Flour your hands and a spatula, as well as your work surface, and scrape out the dough.  Gently shape into a rectangle 1 inch thick. Cut into 6 squares, then cut the squares diagonally to give you 12 triangular scones. The dough will be tacky but should not be too sticky to work with. If it is, add a little more flour.

5. Place the scones on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, or serve warm.

Cherry Whole Wheat Scones

This is, quite simply, a scone for fans of the traditional, not-terribly-sweet scone and whole grains. Since my discovery of whole wheat pastry flour I've found almost no need to use all-purpose flour. Nearly every time I've used whole wheat pastry flour where all-purpose would traditionally be used, I've found I liked the result much better, and these scones are no exception. Chewy, slightly tart dried cherries play beautifully with the nutty whole wheat flour under a dusting of crunchy cinnamon sugar in these scrumptious scones. The more I bake with whole grain flours, the greater appreciation I have for the taste of the flour itself and using it to add flavor, instead of just serving as a blank canvas, as all-purpose flour does. Whole wheat pastry flour also gives baked goods a much more tender, flaky texture so I just can't think of a reason to go back to the bland days of AP flour. I'll admit that my taste buds were trained to like whole grains from a young age, but I think nearly everyone can not only adapt, but learn to really enjoy whole grains as well, although most people probably won't ever become as fervent about them as I am.

Although I've faithfully transcribed this recipe, you'll notice that I obviously didn't cut my scones into wedges as instructed. With this soft, sticky dough I found it far easier to simply divide the dough into equal pieces and make round drop scones, but that of course, is up to you. I have no particular allegiance to either shape, and as long as there's a tender, flaky center and crisp crust on the outside, I'm happy. If cherries aren't your thing, there's no shortage of other dried fruit that would work beautifully in this recipe-currants, blueberries, cranberries or pretty much anything your heart desires. As with most scone recipes, extras will freeze nicely for breakfast-on-the-go during the week, although they will never be as delicious as they are fresh out of the oven. A freshly-baked scone, hot cup of coffee, and newspaper is my ideal way to start my Sunday, allowing myself a few moments to relax and refresh before tackling the errands of the day. Even if it isn't quite the same meditative process for you, these scones are still a tasty and nutritious way to fuel up for the day and well worth a place in your recipe collection.

Cherry Whole Wheat Scones
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
yields 8 scones

1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil a baking sheet or clay baking brick.

2. Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the cinnamon in a cup and set aside. Sift the remaining sugar,t he flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. If any of the bran remains in your sifter be sure to add it to the flour  mixture. Add the dried cherries and stir well.

3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Reserve 1 tablespoons of the beaten eggs for later. Beat the oil and milk into the remaining eggs. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the egg mixture, and stir until just combined: The dough will be soft. Turn it onto a floured surface and pat in into a circle about 8 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.

4. Cut the circle into eight pie-shaped wedges. With a spatula, lift each wedge and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet or brick so that they're not touching. Push any errant cherries back into line. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar.

5. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Whole Wheat Currant Scones

Although many scones have nearly turned into cookies these days, I'm a fan of the traditional, not-too-sweet variety. Creative flavors abound, which I both purchase and bake, but sometimes it's nice to go back to classics, the most traditional scones being currant scones. The simple flavor profile created by cream, butter, and currants is delicious, but the white flour traditionally used to make scones doesn't bring anything to the party in terms of nutrition or flavor, so I seek out scone recipes using whole grain flours. Whole wheat pastry flour gives these scones a wonderfully nutty flavor and light texture, a perfect contrast to sweet and chewy raisins or currants. And while cream lends an irresistible richness and decadence to scones, for pastries I plan on having for a regular weekday breakfast, I prefer the lightness and tang of buttermilk. Currants work best in this recipe, distributing tiny bits of flavor throughout the scone, but raisins or any other dried fruit you like (I recommend dried cherries or blueberries) will also work splendidly.

The next Saturday or Sunday morning you can have a little extra time, whip up a batch of these simple, flavorful scones and reward yourself with a hot breakfast fresh from the oven. If you don't have to share with too many people pop any leftovers in the freezer so you can treat yourself with a tasty breakfast any day of the week.

Whole Wheat Currant Scones
adapted from Bob's Red Mill
makes 8 scones

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2  teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup currants or raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Use an ungreased 10" x 15" baking pan.

2. In a bowl, combine whole wheat flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. With 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until coarse crumbs form.

3. In a small bowl, beat egg with buttermilk to blend. Add egg mixture and raisins to flour mixture; stir just enough to moisten evenly. Scrape dough onto baking pan; pat into a 1" thick round. With a sharp knife, cut round into 8 wedges, leave in place.

4. Bake 30-35 minutes until browned. Cut or break scones into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Raspberry Scones

Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times of the week. While my husband is typically still tucked in bed, I go for a refreshing early morning walk, pick up my Sunday paper (which hopefully has been delivered by the time I get back), and make myself a delicious breakfast. Baked steel cut oats and omelets make frequent appearances on my breakfast plate, but I also frequently whip up a batch of muffins or scones, which has the added bonus of providing extras for the work week and to freeze for later. I bought some frozen raspberries at the farmer's market for another recipe, which happened to leave me with the exact right amount to make this simple, delicious scones. If you don't want to seek out spelt flour (available at well-stocked grocery stores, health food stores like Whole Foods, and even at my local Target), I'd recommend using whole-wheat pastry flour, or at the very least a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Spelt flour has so much more flavor than regular all-purpose flour that it only takes a bit of sweetness from some honey and fresh, tart flavor from the raspberries to round out the flavor of these delicious, healthy scones. The delicate, crumbly texture is a real treat; take care not to bake these scones too long and dry them out. I'm looking forward to adapting this recipe with other whole grain flours and berries as they come into season at the farmer's market and flooding the house with comforting aroma of fresh-baked scones for many Sundays to come.

Raspberry Scones
adapted from Food and Wine

2 cups spelt flour1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/3 cup canola oil 
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 
1/3 cup hot water 
1 cup fresh raspberries
 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the spelt with the baking powder and salt. Stir in the oil, agave nectar and vanilla. Stir in the hot water, then the raspberries.

2. Divide batter into six even mounds onto the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush the tops with oil. Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Let the baking sheet cool completely on top of a rack.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

I'm still not sick of pumpkin. Any food with pumpkin or pumpkin spice in the name immediately catches my attention and I'm constantly on the hunt for new recipes, especially baked goods, using pumpkin. I made and really enjoyed some Pumpkin Muffins a few weeks ago so I've been hunting for a whole wheat pumpkin scone recipe, of which there are surprisingly few. I generally get my recipes from well-known sources like Food and Wine, Epicurious (which aggregates Bon Appetit and Gourmet recipes), or Martha Stewart, but none of my go-to sources had a pumpkin scone recipe that I could find, so I resorted to Google. I found the basis for my recipe through Saveur, a great food magazine and tweaked it just a bit to my preferences. As usual, I have many more scones than I can eat on my own before they get stale, so I froze extras for satisfying breakfasts over the next couple of weeks. The spice and pumpkin flavors are clearly present and complemented by the nutty whole wheat flour, but not too aggressive and the delicate texture imparted by the whole wheat pastry flour makes these light and seasonal scones a healthy breakfast treat.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones
adapted from A Dash of Sass, via Saveur
makes 8 scones

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I recommend canned instead of fresh; it has a more concentrated flavor)
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed or grated and kept cold until needed
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 t. turbinado sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc.) (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a SilPat.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the pumpkin, cream, vanilla and one egg until combined. Place bowl in the refrigerator while preparing the dry ingredients.

3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

4. Using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingers, quickly work the cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients. Work until the mixture resembles a crumbly, sandy mixture.

5. Add the cold wet ingredients to the crumbly mixture using a rubber spatula. Only stir until combined. Carefully add 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans and any additional add-ins (chocolate chips, dried fruit). Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup chopped pecans to sprinkle on the top of the scones. Knead the dough briefly, if needed.

6. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape dough into a 7-inch square. Using a large knife, carefully cut the square into quarters on the diagonal and cut each quarter into two pieces (8 pieces total). Place on lined baking sheet.

7. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush each scone lightly with the egg. Sprinkle each scone with 1/4 t. turbinado sugar and the remaining pecans.

8. Bake for 12 to 17 minutes or until scones are golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking time**, being careful not to overbake the scones (they will dry out).  Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm or store in an airtight container for up to a week (extras can also be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen).

 *The hydration level of flour varies quite a bit depending on the ambient humidity, so how much liquid is required to bring the dough together will also vary.

**I suspect my oven runs a bit hot, so your baking time will probably be towards the middle or end of the range given, possibly even greater if your oven runs a bit cool. I would start checking at 12 minutes and keep an eye on them, as scones can go from golden to burnt (especially the pecan topping) in a short amount of time.

Currant Scones

You might be sick of recipes from Good to the Grain, but I most definitely am not. I had a froze the extra Strawberry Barley Scones I made last Sunday and had one for breakfast every day this past week, with the exception of Saturday morning at the farmer's market where I bought a whole grain carrot-raisin scone from Chris and Lori's Bakehouse. I indulge in a pastry every Saturday morning at the farmer's market; it's been a scone from Chris and Lori's Bakehouse every week for the past few months. As for the strawberry barley scones, I took one out of the freezer every morning after I finished my yoga and let it thaw while I took a shower, got dressed, and walked the dog (about an hour). I then heated them for about 5 minutes or so in a toaster oven preheated to 350 degrees. Although scones are best fresh from the oven, the scones reheat remarkably well, maintaining their flavor and texture. I plan to do the same with the extras from this week.

Spelt flour is not likely to be at your average supermarket. I found my Arrowhead Mills spelt flour at Whole Foods. Currants, on the other hand, are pretty likely to be available at most grocery stores; I got mine from the bulk bin at Whole Foods.

While they are certainly not savory scones, these scones are not terribly sweet, and that is by no means a bad thing. Spelt flour is mild with a slight hint of sweetness which pairs well with the tiny, sweet currants and adding a lot of sugar would only bury the delicious spelt and currant flavors. I think the American diet has become all too acclimated to sweetness since high fructose corn syrup is added to seemingly nearly every processed food out there.

Currant Scones
from yet again, Good to the Grain

When I was student, for a time, in Cambridge, England, I ate a currant scone every day of the semester. They were rough-dropped mounds, with crisp edges and studded with currants. When trying to recreate these scones in my kitchen, I reached for spelt flour. Its underlying hint of ripe fruit complements the sweetness of the currants. If you want more dried fruit, sprinkle a larger handful into the batter.

Butter for the baking sheets

Dry Mix:
1.25 c. spelt flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. kosher salt

Wet Mix:
2 ounces (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 c. currants
1.5 c. heavy cream

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Rub two baking sheets with butter. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any grains or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.

2. Add the butter to the dry ingredients. With your hands, work the butter, pinching it until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Add the currants and stir to combine. Pour the cream into the bowl and stir the ingredients just until the flour is moistened throughout.

3. Separate the dough into 9 mounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 4 inches between the mounds. Use your hands to break up any large heaps of dough and to tuck in the crumbs.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. You'll know these scones  are done when the tops and bottoms turn golden brown. The scones are best eaten warm from the oven or later the same day.

Strawberry Barley Scones

The recipe feeds two of my recent obsessions: Good to the Grain and strawberries from the farmer's market. While Kim Boyce has recipes for Strawberry Jam and Three-Citrus Marmalade in her book, I used the Strawberry Preserves I made last weekend, which are almost identical to her recipe (no pectin; cook fruit mixture to 210 degrees, using a candy thermometer).

Most grocery stores are not going to have barley flour. Even Whole Foods, where I got barley flour out of the bulk section, didn't have it bags from it from Arrowhead Mills or Bob's Red Mill, as I would have expected. They have all kinds of other seldom-used flours (a few of which I also bought), but no bags of barley flour for some reason. You may have to do a little hunting around at natural foods and gourmet grocery stores to find it, but it's definitely worth it to make these scones. The crunchy top coating gives way to a crumbly and moist center with the perfect amount of sweet strawberry jam. They're best warm out of the oven, but I plan on freezing the extras and heating them in the toaster oven this week for breakfast (I wouldn't use a microwave).

Strawberry Barley Scones
from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

Barley flour has a distinctly sweet, creamy quality that taste great with fruit. This recipe sandwiches a generous smear of jam between two disks of dough. When the scone bakes, the jam thickens, even caramelizing a little around the edges. Strawberry Jam is delightful in these scones, as is Three-Citrus Marmalade, or you can use a purchased jam of your choice.

The moist dough and the small irregular bits of butter are responsible for these tender scones. Resist the urge to add more flour to the dough that you need-it should be sticky but manageable. A generously floured surface will help these scones come together.


Dry Mix:
1 c. plus 2 T. barley flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1.25 t. kosher salt

Wet Mix:
4 oz. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 egg

Finish:
1/2 c. Strawberry Jam or Three-Citrus Marmalade
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. sugar

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Rub a baking sheet lightly with butter. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl., pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.

2. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and add them to dry mixture. Use your hands to rub the butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until the butter is in sizes ranging from rice grains to flattened peas. The more quickly you do this, the more the butter stay solid, which is important for the success of the recipe.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg until thoroughly combined. Scrape the buttermilk and egg into the dry mixture, and mix until barely combined.

4. Use a pastry scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. The dough may be too sticky to handle; if it is, dust it with flour and fold it together a few times. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Flour your hands and pat each piece of dough into a disk about 3/4-inch thick and 7 inches in diameter.

5. Cover one disk with the jam or marmalade. Top the spread with the other disk and press down gently so that the dough settles into the jam. Brush the dough lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Use a sharp knife to slice the circle into 8 triangular wedges, like a pie. Carefully place the wedges on a baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them.

6. Bake the scones for 22 to 26 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The scones are ready when their tops are golden brown and some of the jam or marmalade has bubbled over onto the pan. To keep the scones from sticking to the pan, slide a thin spatula underneath them while they're still warm and move them to a baking rack. The scones are best eaten warm from the oven or later that same day.