Mouth Watering Scones for Breakfast

To any out there who believe all scones are too dry, I beg to differ. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, of course, but my scones are pretty much always amazingly good: lightly moist, tender and delicate, needing nothing at all on them to enjoy.
 

Buckwheat Scones with Romano, Figs, Thyme & Walnuts

This morning I had a little brainstorm. I had no bread left in the house (I know - SHOCK!), so I was going to make some scones for breakfast to go with our weekend splurge of bacon and cheese omelets. I wanted to use mostly a whole grain or seed of some kind. I already knew that both whole Kamut flour and whole buckwheat flour (no relation to wheat whatsoever) make very delicate scones. I opted for buckwheat. Then, what other flavors to use? I have fresh thyme growing outside, so that would be one flavor. I didn't have much cheese, but I had a chunk of Romano, which I love, so I got that out. For a touch of sweetness, I used dried white figs. And nuts. Gotta have nuts! I used walnuts this time, despite the fact that my husband doesn't like them. Sometimes, I just need to make myself happy too. And guess what? He loved the scones. There are so many wonderful flavors packed into them, the nuts made no difference to him.

Lovely Texture in the Scones

Lots of things were going into these scones, so I was kind of holding my breath to see how the dough would look, how they would bake. Well, the dough came together perfectly. Perfect texture for forming. They cut perfectly. They baked perfectly. The aromas while baking were mouthwatering. And the flavors? O - M - G! These are absolutely my favorite scones since I came up with my Earl Grey Currant Scones with Lavender & Pecans, over two years ago. While I love all the scones I have made, those last were the reigning favorite. Now I have a true contender. 

I added a little sugar to the scone dough. Usually I use only 2 tablespoons, though this time I opted for 3 tablespoons to give balance to the saltiness of the cheese. This was perfect, and there is barely over a teaspoon of sugar per scone. Not that onerous a portion. We do not use any butter or jam on our scones, as they are truly perfect alone. There is just under 2 teaspoons of butter per scone in the dough. What with the cheese and the cream, there is plenty of richness in there already, and with the mix of all the flavors, nothing more was needed. They were that good! I do brush the tops of the scones with cream, then sprinkle on some sugar, just to add a tiny sparkle and crunch. You may opt to do this or not, as you prefer. The added amount of cream in doing this is negligible. I just use whatever is left in the measuring cup when I measure out the cream for the recipe. Some always stays in the cup. I use this, sometimes needing a few drops more, but most often not.

Parchment lined pan - Scones patted out and cut - Brushing with cream

I have avoided using dried figs in scones or anything else. Generally, all that are available are dried Black Mission Figs, and somehow, I just do not like them. I discovered, however, that I really do like dried white figs. I love eating them right out of the bag. Since I ordered a large bag of them recently, I thought I would give them a try in these scones, and I must say, they were an excellent addition; just another little bit of sweetness into the mix. The thyme was not at all overwhelming, but just adding a pleasant herbal note. Altogether perfect.

Buckwheat Scones with Romano Cheese, Dried Figs, Thyme & Walnuts

Makes 8 scones
 

Buckwheat Scones with
Cheese, Figs, Thyme & Walnuts

1¼ cup (125 grams) buckwheat flour
¾ cup / 105 grams all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2.6 ounces / 75 grams Romano cheese, grated on large holed grater
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter 
¾ cup / 3.15 ounces / 88 grams dried white figs, chopped
½ cup / 1.45 ounces / 40 grams walnuts, coarsely chopped
¾ cup / 6 ounces / 180 ml heavy cream
sugar for sprinkling 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in 2nd or 3rd shelf from bottom. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, thyme leaves and Romano cheese. Toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Cut in the cold butter as for pie dough, until the mixture is in coarse crumbles. Add in the chopped figs and walnuts and toss to distribute in the mixture. Drizzle on the cream, reserving some behind, in case it is not all needed. Toss the mixture quickly with a fork to moisten evenly, without actually stirring. If most of the mixture is already moistened, and it is possible to bring the dough together into a fairly stiff ball without too much handling, then do not add more cream. If there remains too much of the dry mixture, drizzle in the cream by bits until all the dry parts have incorporated. 

Oil a clean surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Bring the dough together into a neat ball with as little handling as is possible, then flatten into about an 8-inch diameter circle. With a long chef's knife, cut across the circle four times, to create 8 scone wedges of equal size. With the knife, lift the scones onto the prepared parchment lined pan, keeping them at least an inch apart, as they will grow and spread during baking.

Use any remaining cream in the measuring cup to brush the tops of the scones, then sprinkle the tops with a little more sugar. Bake the scones for about 16 minutes, until golden and set. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.