Chef Michael Smith's Hazelnut & Currant Spelt Scones

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!