We love scones. It is one of those things that both kids and adults like for breakfast or snacks. Each year we get a small amount of currants in our CSA box. It isn't enough to make jam or sauce for a whole dinner - and so what to do with the currants is a question people often ask me. Most recipes call for dried currants, which is a whole different taste and texture. Today we made scones using our fresh currants (and a few gooseberries) - they turned out perfectly. This recipe makes a very moist and tasty scone with only a slight tang and a nice fruit flavor.
Yes, this recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour and oatmeal and is still light and moist!
fresh currant scones::
2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup steel cut oats
6 Tbsp raw sugar (you could also use rapidura or honey)
3 Tbsp ground flax
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
10 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (make your own fresh butter!)
1/2 cup currant mix (see below)
3/4 cup cold buttermilk (make your own buttermilk)
Preheat the oven to 375ºF
In a bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, flax and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the chilled butter into the dry ingredients until the dough is crumbly. Fold in the currant mix (see below). Add the buttermilk and stir lightly with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. (The dough will be sticky, but don't overwork it - you want a moist tender scone!)
I like to use scone pans. It keeps me from overworking the dough and also creates nice child sized neatly shaped scones - which is good for my picky eaters. If you have a scone pan, at this point gently scoop the dough into your greased scone pan (I like using coconut oil). Gently smooth.
If you don't have a scone pan, no biggie. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a large circle about 2 inches thick. Cut the dough into wedges. With a spatula, transfer the wedges to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
If you like, before baking brush the top of the scones with cream and sprinkle raw sugar over the top to add a bit of sweetness.
Bake for 22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Best served warm - we ate ours with the strawberry freezer jam we made a few weeks back. Oh so good.
currant mix:
Currants tend to be very tangy and tart. To sweeten them a bit and break the berries down to smaller bits throughout the scone, I like to make a quick blend to use in the recipe:
3/4 cup fruit...I used fresh red currants (with a few gooseberries)
1 tbsp honey
In a skillet heat the fruit and honey for a minute on high to bubble. Take off of heat immediately, smash fruit a little with fork. Scoop out into a bowl right away to cool. Use this mix in the scones!
ingredient tip::
We used fresh heavy cream to make our own butter and buttermilk for this recipe. This is a fun way for the kids to participate. Click here to find out how!
