Currant

Chef Michael Smith's Hazelnut & Currant Spelt Scones

October 13, 2016
0
0 Ratings
Photo by Michael Smith
  • Makes 6 - 8 scones
Author Notes

Chef Michael of the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts in Toronto shared this gorgeous, fall recipe with me and I'm sharing it with you...with his blessings, of course! Using whole grain flours tends to produce baked goods with a heavy texture, but these whole grain spelt scones have a very soft and light texture. The secret is to whip the cream first, before adding it to the dry ingredients! As always with scones, be careful not to over-mix and watch them as they bake! —signe langford

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 cups whole grain spelt flour
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 5 tablespoons cold butter
  • 1 free-run egg, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup 35% or whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup currants
  • 2 tablespoons 35% or whipping cream
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons turbinado or chunky sugar (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a stand mixer bowl. Add cold butter and mix with a paddle on low speed (#2) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Some small pea sized lumps of butter should be visible. Mix through currants and chopped hazelnuts briefly to combine
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, begin to whip the 185mL of cream until beginning to thicken – be careful not to over whip! Add the egg to the cream and lightly mix through. The cream should still be liquid, and just starting to hold a peak. Add the cream mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed to combine. Do not over mix. If mixture seems dry, add a splash of extra cream. The dough should almost come together, but will still look somewhat rough. It should be fairly soft, even slightly sticky.
  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough together (but don’t knead) into a ball. Press into a disc about ¾ inches thick. Cut into 6-8 wedges. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet leaving about 2 inches of space between each scone.
  5. Brush scones lightly with the remaining 35% cream, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden, rotating once during baking. The scones should be springy to the touch when pressed in the center. Be careful not to over bake – scones can very quickly begin to dry out!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

0 Reviews