Grist & Toll Sonora Wheat Scones

Recipe by Nan Kohler of Grist & Toll

Photos by Lisa Riznikove

This delicious scone recipe is courtesy of Grist & Toll, an artisanal small batch flour mill in Los Angeles. Their single varietal Sonora Wheat Flour is an Ark of Taste ingredient featured in our Spring Slow Food box. Sonora Wheat is a landrace wheat that was planted throughout California until the late 1800s. Now Grist & Toll and other artisan millers work with small farms dedicated to keeping Sonora Wheat and other heritage grains around. This scone recipe is  pairs perfectly with the Meyer Lemon Curd also in the box.  

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups (11.25 oz) Sonora Whole Grain Flour

1/3 cup (2.33 oz) sugar 

¾ tsp salt

1 tbsp aluminum free baking powder

1 stick (4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 tbsp fresh lemon zest

1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream

1 large egg

heavy cream for brushing, optional

sugar (your choice: superfine or sanding) for sprinkling, optional

Makes 6-8

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together Sonora Whole Grain Pastry Flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. 
2. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, quickly cut in the cold butter, then add lemon zest and toss to combine.
3. In a liquid measuring cup, measure cream. Add egg to cream and whisk to blend. Pour half of the wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients,(you may not need all of it) and gently but thoroughly combine, adding wet until you have a good dough texture. Use any remaining cream and egg mixture to brush on the scones before sprinkling with with sugar. 
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. It’s okay if there are still some unincorporated dry particles. Using a bench scraper, gently give the dough a couple of folds, which will help incorporate any bits of dry flour still not mixed in.
5. Pat dough into a circle roughly 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.
6. Using a knife, score and cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.
7. Place scones on prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Brush with cream (leftover cream/egg mixture is perfect for this) and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
8. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until scones are golden brown around edges and set in the middle.