Where I come from, scones aren’t really a thing. We covet the scone’s cousin – the biscuit – which everyone’s grandmother makes the best, and which we prefer smothered with butter and molasses. In fact, I never met a scone at all until I moved to the West coast, and while immediately smitten with the flaky pastries, I have always snickered at the funny way some people around here pronounce them – “scawns”. Is that a quirky canuck thing, or do Americans/Australians/Brits ignore the long “o”, too?
While biscuits have a delicious place in my heart as a means of transport for stew, when it comes to breakfast and tea, I favour sweet scones in all their golden, pillowy glory; preferably studded with nuts and fruit, and topped with whipped cream and jam.
These ones are enriched with toasty whole wheat flour and toothsome oats, and dotted with fresh, juicy raspberries. The berries are barely stirred into the shaggy mixture before the dough is kneaded into a cohesive circle; they will break up quite a lot as you gently work the dough, yielding delicious raspberry streaks.
To say that scones are best eaten the day they are baked is a huge understatement. In my opinion, they are only worth consuming if it happens within 24 hours. That said, they freeze beautifully! Store whatever you can’t gobble up in a day in the freezer; just pop them in a warm oven to reheat before serving.
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raspberry Scones
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup large flake oats not quick or instant
- ½ cup cold butter cut in cubes
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp cold milk
- 1 cup raspberries do not thaw, if using frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the oats. Working quickly with your fingers, press the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs (or cut it in with a pastry blender).
- In a glass measuring cup, combine the milk and egg; beat with a fork to blend. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir gently until the dough starts to come together (there will still be floury patches). Stir in the raspberries — the dough will still be shaggy.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and gently knead about 6 times, until cohesive (the raspberries will start to break up; that's fine). Pat into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a knife or bench scraper, divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheets and bake about 22 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pans once during baking. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
