A Riff on King Arthur Flour's Basic Scone

adapted from Basic Scones and Variations from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion

I think this is only the second scone recipe I’ve ever attempted. The first was a pumpkin chocolate chip scone recipe this past fall, which was messy but of course delicious (how can pumpkin and chocolate not be?) But although I usually don’t follow recipes exactly (usually a matter of cutting out egg yolks or corn syrup or substituting an egg with flax seed meal and water), this adaptation was sort of ridiculous. The original (which I’ll send you if you want) called for 1/4 c. dry milk, which I never keep on hand since I find it a little icky, and it didn’t call for cream cheese. And instead of Kefir, it called for either milk or buttermilk or water.
The thing I was mostly concerned about was the omission of the dry milk and the resulting wet-to-dry ratio, but I increased the Kefir from ½ c. to 3/4 c. and they are sooo tasty. Extra-tender (maybe from being a little wetter) even though I felt like I totally manhandled the dough (it just did not want to come together for a while there), and the turbinado on top actually didn’t make it overly sweet, maybe since I used slightly more tart fruit.



Makes 16 scones.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
approx. 1/3 cup dried cranberries
approx. 1 tsp flax seed meal

1 duck egg (although you don’t need nearly this much)
few drops vanilla extract (all I had left!)
3/4 c. plain Kefir
2 tbsp. Cream cheese
6 tbsp. Smart Balance (half regular, half light)
1 duck egg beaten with 1 tsp water, for topping
Turbinado for topping

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and milk.

Cut in the cream cheese and Smart Balance until they’re the size of baby peas (or slightly larger).

Add the liquid until combined (don’t overmix!).

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold and gather it together until it’s cohesive (this part was the hardest for me). Divide the dough in half and place both halves on a baking sheet (grease if it’s nonstick). Pat each half down into a circle (the book recommends ½ inch thickness, but mine were much thicker than that). Cut each circle into 8 wedges and separate slightly.

Brush the scones with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the extra turbinado. (I don’t have a pastry brush, so I used my fingers – messy, but it worked fine). Bake them for 7 minutes, then turn the oven off and, without opening the door, let the scones remain in the oven for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. (King Arthur also insists you put them to bake on the middle rack). Remove scones from oven and let cool, preferably on a wire rack.

Serve soon for best flavor. King Arthur also mentions, however, that scone dough lends itself to being made ahead of time, shaped, and frozen or refrigerated overnight before baking. If freezing them, add an extra 2 minutes to baking time before you turn the oven off.