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Whole Wheat Apricot Scone
Something happened to the Apricot Scone recipe I posted here a while back. No matter where I searched, it did not show up. Poof! Ah, technology …
Sooooooo, I hunted through my “regular” recipe files and found two recipes for whole wheat apricot scones. I selected the easiest one with the least amount of sugar, played around with it twice, and voila. So easy and so good. The scones are incredible in part due to the fancy shmancy dried apricots I always order from Traina Foods in California, a minimum of two pounds of Sun Dried Ruby Royal Jumbo Apricots. They are soft, flavorful, and have a really nice color.
The Best Whole Wheat Apricot Scones (version 2.0)
Yield: 8 small scones
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- Little less than ½ tsp. table salt
- Grated zest of ½ lemon or ½ orange
- 4 Tbsp. (½ stick) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup + a little extra diced dried apricots (I cut with scissors and toss with the flour/butter/sugar mix to distribute)
- ½ cup half-and-half (or use half cream and half whole milk. I’ve even used just whole milk – still delish)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp sparkly white sugar (for the top)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar and make sure everything is well combined.
With a hand-wire pastry cutter, cut butter into the flour mixture and whisk to incorporate. Stir in lemon or orange zest, then add apricot pieces and be sure they are evenly distributed.
Measure the half-and-half or milk into a 2-cup measuring cup, and add the egg. Beat with a whisk to mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture (leave a tiny bit in the measuring cup to put on top of the scones as a glaze) and stir with a rubber spatula to just combine; there may be some flour at the bottom of the bowl.
Quickly use your hands, turn the dough and any excess flour out onto a board or countertop, press, gather, and knead it until it just comes together. Ideally, do not knead more than 12 times. As soon as the dough holds together, pat it into a rough, 8-inch circle in the middle of the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. I use a rolling pin so it is even. Cut the circle into 8 even pie-shaped wedges. Use the remaining egg/liquid in the cup and spread on top of the scones with your hands, then sprinkle the top with about one teaspoon of sparkly sugar. Lightly press the sparkly sugar in the scones.
Separate the pie shaped wedges on the cookie sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until pale golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or reheat lightly.
Note: If you plan to eat them soon, store the scones in an airtight container at room temperature. For more than two days, seal them in a heavy plastic bag or container, and freeze them. Before serving, bring them to room temperature. Either way, reheat them briefly in a 300°F oven. They’re best served warm.
