Rye Scones with Apricot

I love scones. I love baking with whole grains. I love rye flour. All of these things came together in this recipe. All of these things and more!

I got some rye flour that was more finely milled than the stone ground rye I often use, and found that it makes a delightfully soft loaf of bread, great for sandwiches or alongside a bowl of steaming soup. I decided to use it in some other baked goods, and was thinking muffins or scones. I had this Barley Four Scones recipe to start from and so I did.

I also went back to the original source of that recipe, Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce, for more ideas. In the book, the author states that rye flour goes well with fruits, especially apricots. That seemed like a good place to go for scones, so I added chopped dried apricots. On a whim, I replaced the caraway I usually put in with rye with anise seeds.

This whim had a big payoff! Well, that and following the advice of an expert. The anise and apricot are a brilliant match, and they only get better with the rye. The fruity flavor of the apricot with the gently nutty rye would be good enough, I think, but the surprisingly haunting lift and aroma from the anise is an especially warm and pleasing addition.

Whether I make more bread loaves (like this one or this one), or soda bread, or try out some cheddar-rye muffins I have in mind with the rest of the rye flour I purchased, I hope I’m smart enough to save some to make these delicious scones again. I surprised myself with how good they are. I hope something you make for yourself, especially on a whim, can make you this happy, too!

Rye Scones with Dried Apricot and Anise

You could make these scones a little bit thicker, or shape them differently cutting them into squares or using a cutter to make circles, or whatever you like. Keep in mind that a different size or thickness may require a change in baking time.

I used a food processor to make this dough, but you can certainly cut in the butter by hand and stir in the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

1 cup rye flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon whole anise seed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold

½ cup buttermilk

1 large egg

½ cup chopped dried apricots

Coarse sugar for coating, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In the bowl of food processor, combine the rye flour, all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and anise seed. Pulse a few times to combine.

3. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add to the flour mixture. Pulse the food processor several times to mix in the butter until it is in pieces about the size of small peas, and well-coated with the flour mixture.

4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and egg until well-combined. Pour into the flour mixture. Pulse several times until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add the apricots and pulse just until the dough begins to come together in large clumps.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pull and gently squeeze and knead the dough together to get a relatively smooth dough ball. Gently press the dough into a disk about ½ inch thick. Cut the disk into 8 equal triangles. Sprinkle each with coarse sugar if using.

6. Place the cut dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown on the bottom, and appear dry on the outside. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 8 scones.

Other recipes like this one: Barley Flour Scones, Cherry Almond Scones, Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones, Caraway Rye Soda Bread

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