Relishing It

Oh, I do love a good a scone.  And I’m not too fussy about the style.  I love cake-like scones with a bit of icing on the top just as much as I enjoy the crumbly biscuit-like versions.  This scone falls firmly into that second category.  It’s substantial.  Dense.  Almost ‘heavy’ (in a good way!) because of all those healthy whole grains packed into such a small treat.  But it also has a nice hint of natural sweetness from the maple syrup, which marries incredibly well with those oats.

These scones come together in a flash, so they are perfect for a lazy weekend morning.  Be sure not to overwork the dough, as the irregular cold butter chunks make for a wonderfully textured scone.  When you bake these, the cold butter leaves behind empty air pockets which add a fantastic, flakey texture.  Yes, chunks of butter are a good thing.   I decided to not put any sugar in the scone (aside from the sprinkles on top), and instead let the sweetness of the maple syrup come through.  It worked perfectly.  I like to eat these treats with a smear of butter and a little maple syrup on the side.  Enjoy!

The Recipe:  Oat and Maple Scones

(Makes 7 round scones or 6 wedges)

1 3/4 cups (235 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (80 grams) whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup (53 grams) old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 HEAPING tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk, (use a bit more, if necessary)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted, cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

About 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on the tops

Preheat the oven for 400°F.  Position rack to the middle of the oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the flours, oats, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl.  Whisk them together.  With a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small breadcrumbs.  (Note: a food processor can also be used, but I would recommend mixing in the oatmeal by hand at the very end, so it retains it’s shape.)  It’s ok to have some irregular chunks of butter.  In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk and maple syrup together.  Pour them into the flour mixture and either by hand, or with a rubber spatula mix it all together to form a dough.  Do not over mix.  If the mixture feels too dry, add a bit more milk.  This particular dough should not be sticky.

On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough out until it is about 1 1/4 – inches tall.  Using a 2-inch cutter cut the dough into about 7 rounds and place them on the parchment- lined baking sheet.  Or cut them into 6 larger wedges, if you don’t have a 2-inch cutter.  Using a pastry brush, top the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.  Bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

These scones are best if eaten on the day they are made.  They will dry out a bit after that, but certainly nothing a little smear of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup can’t help.  Enjoy!

Source:  Adapted from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals at Rose Bakery via Smitten Kitchen

Hope you’re all having a lovely week — thanks for stopping by!

Laurie

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