Oatmeal Scones with dried fruit

This recipe make a TON of scones. I baked them like a cookie bar a 9×3 AND an 8×8 lined with parchment. You could easily half the recipe and make it either as written or in an 11″ spring-form if you’re like me and too lazy to shape your scones without letting a pan do it for you.

I served these scones with Rhubarb Vanilla Jam, a small batch recipe from Sweet Domesticity. Though next time I make this jam I’ll use a low-sugar pectin and only 3/4 of the sugar called for. It is way too sweet for my taste, but I only made it a week ago, so maybe it just needs to mellow out some more. Also, when making jam I always use Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste, instead of vanilla extract because it gives you those awesome little vanilla flecks without the expense or hassle of a whole vanilla bean. Yes, it carries its own over-sweet notes, but those cook out in a good jam anyway and blend with the sugar and fruity flavors of whatever you’re making.

The scone recipe is below the jump.

Whole Wheat Cherry Scones, from The Metropolitan Bakery Cookbook

SCONES

3 c all-purpose flour [AP]

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/4 c granulated sugar [white or raw, but not brown]

3 3/4 c old-fashion oats

2 Tbl orange zest

1 Tbl + 1 1/4 tsp baking powder (AKA 4 1/4 tsp )

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 c (4 sticks) of cold unsalted butter, but into small cubes

1 1/2 c dried cherries [or any dried fruit or candied ginger chopped up into raisin sized pieces]

 1 1/4 c butter milk [I used 5 Tbl Powdered Buttermilk with the dry ingredients and 1 1/4 c ice water later in the recipe]

TOPPING

2 Tbl sugar (preferably raw)

2 Tbl whipping cream or half-and-half

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat. With the paddle attachment at low speed, mix the until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in your dried fruit. Add the buttermilk [or cold water if you’ve already mixed in your buttermilk powder] and mix until the dough is evenly moistened and begins to come together.
2. Use a knife to divide the dough into 3 roughly even segments and scoop at a time out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, gently round and flatten each piece into a 3/4″ disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and as long as overnight.
3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F and line your baking sheets with parchment. You may not be able to fit more than one giant scone on a sheet, just keep in on stand-by in the refrigerator, but prepare a 3rd pan for it, even if you don’t have a 3rd rack in the oven.
4. Unwrap the disks of dough, one at a time, at place on a cutting board. Cut each disk into 6 equal wedges [like a pizza]. Brush the tops with the cream and sprinkle with sugar.Separate the wedges and transfer onto your lined baking sheet. Leave 2″ between scones if you want multiples per baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the baking sheets between upper and lower/front back racks halfway through baking. Cool on wire racks. Serve slightly warm.

If you count the full recipe as making 32 little scones, they are each 200-225 calories per square. Not a light snack by any measure, but with whole wheat flour and old fashion oats they are high in fiber, which can sort of make up for their fatty, buttery, salty goodness?