Whole Wheat Maple Scones
I've had many scones that are nearly indistinguishable from muffins—soft and fluffy with a top that is just slightly firmer than the interior. That's not what I'm looking for in a scone. I want a scone to be very crisp and even a little dry so you can break off chunks and pop them in your mouth to be followed by a sip of hot tea or coffee.
I've been on a maple kick lately so my pantry has an arsenal of maple essentials; syrup, sugar and extract—and using all three in a recipe really punches up the maple flavor which is kind of hard to achieve with just one of these elements.
I used whole wheat pastry flour which subs so well for AP and delivers heartier flavor while still staying tender, and made a maple glaze with butter and cream to spoon over the top of the finished scones. You can skip the glaze, if you like. Still good—lightly sweet and less sticky.
Whole Wheat Maple Scones
Makes 8
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons maple sugar (sub 3 tablespoons white), plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
1 large egg
1 teaspoon maple extract (sub vanilla)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 400ยบ.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
Combine cream, egg, extract and syrup in a bowl or large mixing cup and whisk to combine.
Add cold butter cubes to flour mixture and pulse until it breaks down to the size of peas. Dump into large bowl, add most of cream mixture and gently combine in as few strokes as possible. If the dough seems dry add the rest of the cream (I used all of it). Lightly flour a flat surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead a few times until it comes together then pat into a 1" thick round (you can also use a rolling pin).
Cut the round in half lengthwise and crosswise so you have 4 quarters, then cut each quarter into 2 wedges. You'll end up with 8 pieces. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with maple sugar. Put on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool on racks.
Preheat oven to 400ยบ.
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
Combine cream, egg, extract and syrup in a bowl or large mixing cup and whisk to combine.
Add cold butter cubes to flour mixture and pulse until it breaks down to the size of peas. Dump into large bowl, add most of cream mixture and gently combine in as few strokes as possible. If the dough seems dry add the rest of the cream (I used all of it). Lightly flour a flat surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead a few times until it comes together then pat into a 1" thick round (you can also use a rolling pin).
Cut the round in half lengthwise and crosswise so you have 4 quarters, then cut each quarter into 2 wedges. You'll end up with 8 pieces. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with maple sugar. Put on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool on racks.
Maple Glaze
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon maple extract
Pinch kosher salt
Combine everything in a small heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking a few times to combine. Let it boil, turning down heat if it gets too wild, for a few minutes until slightly reduced and thickened. Spoon over cooled scones (a cooling rack set over a sheet pan catches drips and makes for easy clean-up).
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