Strawberry scones
Prep Time: 20 minutes total
Cook Time: 30 minutes + 15 minutes
Keywords: bake breakfast snack vegetarian vegan strawberries flour butter scone spring summer
Ingredients (14-16 scones)
- 1 pound / 450 g organic or pesticide-free strawberries (see Note below)
- 1 teaspoon / 4 g ultra-fine or granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml balsamic vinegar of good quality
- 6 whole strawberries
- 1/2 cup / 65 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup / 60 g whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup / 56 g sprouted whole-wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons / 13 g almond meal
- 1/2 tablespoon / 6 g baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon / 1.6 g baking soda
- A pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon / 12 g sugar
- 4 tablespoons / 2 ounces / 56 g coconut oil, cold (so it is hard) OR cold unsalted butter (I have been using Amish Country butter)
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml well-stirred [homemade] kefir or buttermilk
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml / 60 g puréed oven-roasted strawberries
- 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml vanilla extract
Instructions
How to oven-roast strawberriesNote: The recipe will make more strawberries than you need for the scones, but you can store them and use them in other ways.
Wash strawberries and, leaving them whole, carve out the stem. Place strawberries in a bowl, sprinkle sugar and balsamic vinegar, then toss gently.
Heat the oven to 350 F / 177 C.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat that is wider and longer than the sheet, so no juice can escape from any side.
Place the strawberries on the sheet on a single layer. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let strawberries cool slightly then transfer back to the bowl to cool a bit longer. The strawberry juice while baking, so when transferring them, make sure you pour all the juice in the container.
Process the strawberries with an immersion blender (or blender) until you obtain a cream. Measure the amount to use for the scones and store the rest in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within a couple of days.
How to make the sconesPreheat oven to 425 F.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper and dust the surface lightly with flour.
Wash and hull the 6 strawberries. Cut each into 6 slices and set aside.
Measure the dry ingredients (numbers 2 through 9 of the list) and put into a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Break coconut oil (or cut butter) into pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse a few times for 3 seconds until the mix resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a bowl.
With a fork, stir well the kefir or buttermilk. Add the blended strawberries and the vanilla extract and stir again (the wet ingredients). Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until the ingredients are just combined.
Turn the dough onto the lined baking sheet. Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour and with delicate hands shape the dough into a 7-inch wide square. With a bench scraper, cut the dough into four strips lengthwise and then crosswise to get 16 small squares. With the help of the bench scraper, separate the pieces, so that they are an inch apart. If the corner pieces are much smaller than the others, join them. You should end up with 14-16 scones of comparable size.
Place 2 strawberry slices on each scone and press lightly so they sink slightly into the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown. Transfer the scones onto a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
Once cooled completely, the scones can be frozen. When you want to serve them, put them straight in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes.
