I intended to make scones this morning. Instead, I made a complete mess of the kitchen, the floor, and myself. When my awkward blob of dough finally made it into the oven where I knew it would stay put for at least 20 minutes (and not fly around the kitchen), I was almost too defeated to scoop up the batter I'd dropped on the rug and scour the dirty dishes. Soon, though, the warm and subtle scent of lemon and blueberries started wafting out of the oven and improving my momentary pessimism. It wasn't long before I removed my golden brown lump of creation and took a taste. And? I was flabbergasted. Shocked. Dumbfounded. I expected to chew on something gummy and bland, but instead I found myself savoring a perfectly soft and lemony cloud dotted with plump and juicy blueberries. Impossible. The fruit of my labor.
I tried to make these as healthy as possible, but you simply cannot make scones without butter. It's against the rules. To compromise, I used 'spreadable butter' which has a little canola oil added. Aside from this, they are low in gluten, high in protein and fiber, and just sweet enough. Seriously perfect for any time of day.
For the length of time that I baked this batch, they turned out very moist and crumbly. The outside edge had a really nice light crunch that I loved, and the inside had a consistency that was between muffin and traditional scone. I normally don't enjoy the dryness of scones, but I might actually bake them for a few minutes longer next time just to see what happens. Also, they might be easier to eat if dropped onto the cookie sheet in 3 or 4-inch rounds instead of one big 8-inch blob. This will alter the cook time slightly, but feel free to experiment.
Please enjoy this recipe, and remember not to get discouraged if your bake-ventures don't go as planned. You might end up with something spectacular.
:)
Lemon Poppyseed and Blueberry Scones
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp poppyseeds
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter or margarine, cubed
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and poppyseeds. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of peas. Gently stir in lemon zest and blueberries.
In a separate bowl, whisk lemon juice, maple syrup, egg, and milk. Add to dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just until evenly moistened.
Shape dough (it will be sticky) onto parchment-lined baking sheet in one thick round, or divide out into smaller rounds. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the center is cooked through and the top is golden. Let cool slightly, then slice and serve warm.