Master Einkorn Flour Fluffy Scone Recipe for Tea Time
One of my all time favorite things to do with my hubby is enjoy a nice bakery quality scone and smooth coffee. Seriously, when our kids were three and under we went on vacation to Huntington Beach, CA and two days into it our house was hit with the stomach flu. Funny looking back how we still have good memories of that trip and many revolve around the walks we took. One such walk landed us at a quaint neighborhood coffee shop. Ahh! A good coffee shop scone is so spoiling. Thankfully, scones are easy and pretty quick to make at home using a much better grain: einkorn!
If you were here with me last year, you know I just had to figure out a recipe for sourdough einkorn flour croissants. This was also a cherished treat due to our coffee shop visits. When I first served a basic scone at home to our kids, my middle boy exclaimed, “Mom! You need to put this on your website,” in his dramatic tone. After some perfecting and experimenting I’m excited to do just that. This is an adaptation of Carla’s recipe in Einkorn the Cookbook, but I like that these are a bit more fluffy.
What makes a Good Scone
A scone is very similar to a biscuit but what makes a good scone? Biscuits were created in the southern United States in the late 1800’s using lard, buttermilk and a light flaky bread. Scones, however, are believed to have been created in Scotland as far back as the 1500’s. Scones soon became a popular bread in England when tea rooms opened in the 1800’s. Now days, scones are used at tea parties, breakfasts and especially alongside coffee.
Scones are a denser bread than biscuits and are often made using a full fat milk, heavy cream or a combination of both. Not as flaky as biscuits, scones tend to have more of a crumb. This sometimes annoys me while enjoying them in our car and trying to stay clean! Even so, I can’t deny my love for this rich quick bread. Nothing quite comes close to it’s place at afternoon tea time.
My previous scone recipes included the blueberry lemon scones and strawberry scones in an iron pan. Both are delectable and appealing BUT they are a much softer texture than this classic individually sliced and baked style.
Ingredients You Need for Fluffy Einkorn Scones
Cream or Milk?
To use cream or not to use cream, that is the question! You will have many scone enthusiasts stand upon cream as being the ultimate ingredient in this recipe. It adds density and richness as well as helping create the desired crumb.
I, however have tried both cream, plain milk and a combination and I must say I like the texture and look of the milk risen scones much better (my family agrees). Mind you I use fresh raw milk that is most likely 15 % cream as opposed to conventional milk that creates a consistent 4% cream. For this recipe, I’ve decided to go with milk to help the rise and texture but you may also try half-n-half, especially if your milk isn’t as rich as mine.
Sour Cream
I believe sour cream helps immensely with the richness. Incorporating some sort of cultured food into my scones also gives the batter extra flavor and a twinge or rising help. If you don’t have sour cream you may use a full fat yogurt but know it will probably affect the texture just a bit.
Sugar
The go to sugar for a light fluffy scone is cane sugar but know you may also use maple sugar or coconut sugar. I’ve used sucanut successfully alongside the cane sugar. While these sugars are o.k. to use, be prepared for them to add more of the maple or molasses flavor as opposed to the light refined cane sugar sweetness. Please don’t substitute ingredients for sugar that are liquid, such as maple syrup. You’ll end up with a coffee cake rather than scones.
Kitchen Utensils You need for Scones
Bench Scraper
Though not required, I use a bench scraper or dough scraper to cut my scone dough into shapes. My husband made mine as a Christmas gift a couple years ago but This Page shows where you can get a discount on quality kitchen items and they have a great one too!
Pastry Brush
While not required, this will help a LOT. I opted for a silicone pastry brush years ago and wish I’d gone the traditional route as it hasn’t worked as well. In this recipe you want some kind of brush to sweep on the milk or cream over your scones before baking. It will help the tops and edges brown so much more beautifully.
The Fluffy Einkorn Flour Scone Recipe
Now that you understand what we’re making, let’s get started!
Scoop your 3 1/2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the sugar, baking powder, and salt, mixing together with a fork or spoon.
Cut your cold butter into pea size cubes and incorporate until it looks like flour coated peas throughout. I use my fingers to pull apart butter in the flour and make sure it’s distributed evenly. Add in the sour cream and milk or half-n-half, incorporating the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. It will feel crumbly and tough at first. Keep folding the dough together until it begins to stick.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to sit. This allows the moisture to be fully absorbed by the flour.
Preheat the oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit. Take the dough and fold several times. This incorporates air in and helps with the rise. Believe me, you’ll see a difference if you do this! Using a bench scraper or butter knife, cut dough in half. Place one half back into the mixing bowl and the other onto the floured counter top.
Using a rolling pin or working with your hands, roll or spread to 10 inches by 3.5 inches. Cut again, this time in thirds to make three elongated square shapes. These will be about 3 1/3 inches wide. Using a knife, cut a second diagonal line on each square. You should have 6 triangle scones. Transfer these to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Do the same procedure with the second half of your scone dough.
Once chilled, wipe the tops of the scones with milk or cream. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 14-16 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Once out of the oven, transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy alone or with your favorite topping such as jam or lemon curd.
Fluffy Master Scone Recipe
Rich fluffy Tea Scones.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Einkorn Flour
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 10 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
- 3/4 Cup Full Fat Milk or Half-n-Half
Instructions
- Scoop your 3 ½ cups all-purpose einkorn flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the sugar, baking powder, and salt, mixing together with a fork or spoon.
- Cut your cold butter into pea size cubes or grate frozen butter into bowl incorporating until it looks like flour coated peas throughout. I use my fingers to pull apart butter in the flour and make sure it's evenly distributed. Add in the sour cream and milk or half-n-half, incorporating the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. It will feel crumbly and tough at first. Keep folding the dough together until it begins to stick. This is a thick dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes. This allows the moisture to be fully absorbed by the flour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit. Take the dough and fold several times. Cut dough in half. Place one half back into the mixing bowl and the other onto a floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin or working with your hands, roll or spread dough to10 inches by 3.5 inches. Cut again, this time in thirds to make three elongated squares. These will be about 3 1/3 inches wide. Using a knife, cut a second diagonal line on each square. You should now have 6 triangle scones. Transfer these to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
- Do the same procedure with the second half of your scone dough. Once chilled, wipe the tops of the scones with milk or cream. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Once out of the oven, transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy alone or with your favorite topping such as jam or lemon curd.
Notes
Add in chopped nuts, dried fruit, freeze dried fruit or chocolate chips while mixing in the the wet ingredients.
Other Options for Fluffy Basic Scones with Einkorn Flour
Add in are always fun and can completely change the scone. Insert your add-in ingredients when mixing in the wet ingredients. It’s better to use dried or freeze dried berries as opposed to fresh in these scones. Fresh berries will fall apart in the dense dough and make a mess. Here’s a few combinations to try.
- Chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts
- Freeze dried blueberries and a splash of lemon extract
- Dried cranberries with slivered almonds
- Dried Mango and coconut
- Chopped apple and Cinnamon
Other Recipes You May Like
Einkorn Strawberry Scone Recipe in the Iron Pan
Einkorn Flour Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Sourdough Einkorn Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe
The Best Einkorn Flour Recipes for Every Season
Let me know how these turn out for you. Thanks for stopping by!
From the Hilltop,
Krista…..! I love your tea ideas…
but they are definitely not for the average person with a budget!
Chocolate Conniption sounds divine… but $19.00 for 3 ounces??! (Plus shipping!!) And Lamplighter Lemonette… $14.00 for ONE ounce!!!
Who can do that ??!!!
You are absolutely right but most average people would also not be using expensive einkorn for baking either 🙂 Average people tend to lean more on the side of purchasing several $5-$7 coffees in the week. I realize many do not live this way and that’s ok. I share this because most teas now are grown with toxins, have bleach in bags and some people are looking for alternatives. I’ve been very impressed with the way these teas taste and are made and want to share them for those who want or need to avoid toxins ( as our family has needed to). Tea IS very very light and most boxed tea’s weight is in the packaging. Full size bags which are 1-3 oz. have 25-30 servings. That’s .63 cents per cup. Much healthier and cheaper than Starbucks for those avoiding toxins. These are still an “only for special times” treat for me too though.
Good perspective. And I appreciate the cost breakdown.