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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Barley Flour Scones

I always have big ideas. Big ideas like cooking my way all the way through a great cookbook, tasting every recipe, and having the time of my life. My big ideas rarely survive contact with reality, however, and so my wonderful cookbooks get put aside, victims of busy schedules and procrastination.

The good news is that I did finally get a chance to try another recipe from a book I’d love to bake my way through, Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. (These bars were based on a recipe in this book, as was the multigrain flour mix that I used in these baguettes and this zucchini cake.) I baked a version of the scones in the barley chapter, made with whole grain barley flour and just a touch of brown sugar.

I simplified both the ingredients and the procedure for this recipe. I just kept the scones basic, without the baked-in layer of jam in the original recipe (although that would be great, too), and I made the dough in the food processor. I like to make scone doughs with the food processor, possibly because I’m a little lazy, but more likely because I’m impatient (and busy), and excited to taste final products without having to wait too long.

These scones are wonderfully delicious! They mostly taste of barley flour, which is almost toasty and a little nutty. It’s mild enough that you can also taste the butter and a pleasant hint of salt. There’s just enough brown sugar in the mix to enhance the other flavors rather than make things especially sweet. The scones are pleasantly crumbly, but hold together very well at the same time. Their relative simplicity also makes them great vehicles for fruity jams or lemon curd.

I love to have something quick to grab in the morning when I wake up and stumble my way to the coffee pot. These scones are perfect for that, with the delicate barley flour flavor giving me something delicious to contemplate as I try to wake up. They’re also great afternoon snacks, of course, and, most important, they’re a delicious stop on my slow but determined journey of big ideas.

Barley Flour Scones

Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons barley flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 stick (4 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup buttermilk

1 large egg

Coarse sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the barley flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix well.

3. Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Pulse several times until the butter is mostly in pea-size chunks and well-coated with the flours.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg until smooth. Add to the mixture in the food processor. Process just until the mixture can hold together when squeezed. Transfer the crumbly dough onto a well-floured surface.

5. Gently knead the dough together and press into a disk roughly 7 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Cut the disk into 8 equal triangles. Transfer the unbaked scones to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sugar.

6. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until the scones appear dry and lightly golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy slightly warm or cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or two or freeze for a month or so.

Makes 8 scones.

Other recipes like this one: Barley Pancakes with Orange Juice and Vanilla, Cherry Almond Scones, Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones

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Cherry Almond Scones

I’ve wanted to try a dried cherry and almond version of these Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones since I bombed an attempt to make them with fresh cherries last summer. I’m happy to say that using the delicious dried cherries I picked up on a mini vacation to Door County, WI last year was a much better idea. Besides, dried cherries are available year-round making them a better choice for out of season baking.

My original idea was to talk about making a basic scone recipe that I could vary as I chose, but, then, I realized that if I’m really working on such a thing, I’ve been working backwards. To have such a narrative make any sense at all, I should start with basic cream or buttermilk scones and show you how adding this or that has made my life wonderful. I didn’t do that. I made the Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones two years ago because they looked good. Then I decided to make a cherry-almond version without the oatmeal. Not a particularly fascinating story.

These scones are good, though. Dried cherries and chopped almonds are a delicious combination and I enhanced their shared performance with some almond extract, too. The scones are a bit softer than the oatmeal version, simply because I used all-purpose flour without, she said guiltily, any whole grain additions. The buttermilk contributes to this fluffiness as well.

These scones are not very sweet on their own, but I drizzled a bit of a buttermilk glaze over them. I think I’ve become obsessed with glaze since making this cake, and just couldn’t go without it. You, of course, don’t need to use it and could sprinkle some coarse sugar over the scones before baking for a bit of enhancement, or go without the additional sweetness altogether.

I cut these tea-time treats into heart shapes (aaawww…) with a cookie cutter. Actually with two different cookie cutters making some 3-inch and some 2-inch hearts for Valentine’s Day. You can cut them into whatever shape you want, although baking time might vary if you make them much larger or smaller than I have here. For me, I find them good enough that I should have made them even smaller, so I could have several at a time without quite so much calorie guilt.

Cherry Almond Scones

Both the glaze and the coarse sugar sprinkle are optional for these scones. Feel free to swap in other dried fruit and nuts to suit your taste.

for the scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon fine salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup chopped almonds

½ cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup dried cherries

Coarse sugar for sprinkling, optional (do not use if using the glaze)

for the optional glaze:

½ cup sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse a few times to combine well.

3. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is distributed in pea-size lumps. Add the almonds and pulse just until they are evenly distributed.

4. Add the buttermilk and almond extract and process just until the dough starts to come together. Add the cherries and pulse a few times to distribute them.

5. Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Gently knead the dough to bring it together. Form the dough into a disc about 1inch thick. Cut out the dough with 3-inch or 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutters (I made some of each) or cut the dough into 8 to 12 circles, squares, or triangles if you prefer.

6. Transfer the cut dough to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired and you are not planning to glaze the baked scones. Bake at 350 F for 20-25minutes or until the scones are gently brown on top and golden brown on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7. Cool the scones completely, if not using the glaze, or enjoy them slightly warm. If using the optional glaze, set the cooling rack with the scones on top of a baking sheet or a sheet of parchment paper. Cool until they are just warm to the touch.

8. To make the glaze, place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons buttermilk and ¼ teaspoon almond extract. Spoon or brush evenly over slightly warm scones. You should have just enough glaze to pour about a teaspoon over each scone. Allow to cool long enough for the glaze to set. The glaze will remain slightly sticky.

Makes about 12 three-inch heart-shaped scones.

Other recipes like this one: Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones, Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Biscuits

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