Whole Wheat Scones

Whole wheat scones with buttermilk. Scone is a single-serving cake or quick bread or biscuit. These delicious scones are made with whole wheat and buttermilk.  Buttermilk gives a lovely, light texture to the scones. Once cooled, split, fill and serve with strawberry jam or whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS

1. Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
2. Unsalted butter – 4 tbsp (60 gms)
3. Baking Powder – 2 tsp
4. Baking Soda – ½ tsp
5. Salt – ¼  teaspoon
6. Sugar – 2 tbsp (optional)
7. Cinnamon – ½ tsp
8. Buttermilk – ¾ cup (180 ml)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200degree C /450°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Mix well with a whisk or a fork.
3. Cut the butter into little pea-size pieces and scatter them over the flour mixture. Mix the flour and butter together, using the back of a fork to mash the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also use your fingers to mash the butter into the flour.
4. Add buttermilk and mix together thoroughly without over mixing. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times, and then turn the dough out onto a floured counter or cutting board.
5. Pat the dough out flat with your hands until it’s about ¾ inch thick. If the dough sticks to your fingers, sprinkle a little flour on the top and bottom. If it’s too dry (not holding together), add a splash or two of buttermilk or water.
6. Using a cookie cutter (any shape) or upside-down drinking glass, cut out biscuit rounds. Gently press together the scrap dough and cut another biscuit or two, taking care not to over-handle the dough. Squash the bits that weren’t cut into another 1 cm high mound and cut again and repeat until all the dough is used.
7. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

GUTTANS TIPS

1. SERVING : Once cooled, split and fill the scone with strawberry jam or whipped cream or both and serve with tea. To fill these scones in the middle, gently make an indentation in the center of the scone with an apple corer. Then, spoon a heaped ½ teaspoon of jam into indentation.
2. BUTTER & BUTTER MILK SUBSTITITE : Substitute butter and buttermilk with whipping cream. For this recipe, add 1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream instead of 4 tbsp butter + 3/4 cup butter milk.
3. BUTTERMILK : Buttermilk gives a lovely, light texture to these scones. The acidity of sour milk or buttermilk helps create extra carbon dioxide bubbles when mixed with bicarbonate of soda or baking powder.
4. BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE : If you don’t have sour milk or buttermilk add 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar to 160 ml milk instead.