Spelt Scones
These Spelt Scones offer a delightful alternative to traditional wheat scones, perfect for those with gluten sensitivities or seeking a healthier option. Crisp on the outside with a buttery, flaky interior, these scones match the taste and texture of their wheat counterparts but are made with spelt flour, known for its nutritional benefits and easier digestibility.
Ingredients
- 4 cups 500g (1 lb + 1-1/2 oz) white spelt flour
- 4 teaspoons 16g baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon 4.5g sea salt
- 2 tablespoons 25g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 1/2 cup 115g (4 oz) cold butter
- 1 egg beaten
- 3/4 cup 175ml milk, buttermilk, goat milk, soymilk or rice milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F). Butter or line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Sift together dry ingredients. Dice the butter and rub into the dry ingredients with your fingers (or a pastry blender) until the mixture is crumbly.* You can also blend the ingredients in a food processor, but use the pulse action to ensure you don’t overmix.
- Whisk together the eggs and milk (take out 2 tablespoons of the mixture for brushing the tops of the scones and put aside), and stir the rest into the dry ingredients until just blended. It’s important you don’t overwork the mixture or the scones will be dense.
- Tip the mixture onto a floured board and knead just a couple of times, adding a little flour as needed (the mixture should be firm enough to hold its shape when cut). Pat into a round that is approximately 1″ (2 cm) thick. Then, using a round cookie cutter (the size is up to you – I used a cutter just shy of 2″ (5 cm) for mine. Then place scones onto prepared baking sheets giving a couple of inches space between them.
- Brush tops of scones with the reserved egg-milk mixture and bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until scones have risen and the tops and bottoms are golden.
Notes
* You can freeze or refrigerate this mixture at this point in an air-tight container.
Note re spelt flour: Spelt is an ancient grain – 6000 years ancient in fact – with a long list of advantages to its name. It hasn’t been messed about by commercial processing practices, has an impressive array of nutrients, and is much easier to digest than wheat. While it does contain some gluten, that gluten operates very differently to wheat gluten. You see, while wheat gluten gets stronger the more you work it, spelt gluten starts breaking down as you work it – this is what makes it so much easier for us to digest. Many people who can’t eat wheat gluten, can tolerate spelt gluten, though it’s not recommended for those who are coeliac.
Note re spelt flour: Spelt is an ancient grain – 6000 years ancient in fact – with a long list of advantages to its name. It hasn’t been messed about by commercial processing practices, has an impressive array of nutrients, and is much easier to digest than wheat. While it does contain some gluten, that gluten operates very differently to wheat gluten. You see, while wheat gluten gets stronger the more you work it, spelt gluten starts breaking down as you work it – this is what makes it so much easier for us to digest. Many people who can’t eat wheat gluten, can tolerate spelt gluten, though it’s not recommended for those who are coeliac.
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 6gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 370mgPotassium: 28mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 281IUCalcium: 100mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how if you liked it in the comments below!