scones part deux: taste it and make it!

on my way to work in the mornings, i always pass by peet's coffee and teas. i've never actually stopped at this particular franchise as i'm more of the local mom and pop coffee shop kind of gal. this morning tho was different. and glad i was when i did because i found the most tastiest scone i've ever had: the multigrain scone.

i don't know why this was such a revelation to me as i've always been a fan of multigrain anything. i guess i just never had it in a scone form. after i inhaled the last of the crumbs from the bottom of the bag, i thought: man! i want some more of that! *ding!* wait, i can make that!!

well the idea was born and off the internets i searched. First was finding out what was in the scone. I did come across the ingredients list and here's what it listed:

Multigrain Scone:
Enriched Unbleached Wheat Flour, Butter, Sugar, Water, Cream, Dates, Coconut, Lemon Peel, Flax Seed, Cracked Wheat, Oats, Rye Meal, Yellow Polenta, Rolled Barley, Millet, Rice Bran, Wheat Germ, Sunflower Seeds, Rolled Rye, Milk, Baking Powder, Salt, Artificial Color.

Afterwards, searched and rifled through a bunch of recipes and settled on this one since it sounded like it would have right texture i was looking for.

wow, was this recipe awesome! it was the perfect base for the scone. i added 3/4 cup of shredded coconut and it was pretty damn close to what i had at peet's coffee and tea.
things i would do differently:

- i would definitely add more coconut flakes, cranberries, and probably add another type of nut into the mix. also, some vanilla extract. it's missing something but i can't quite put my taste buds on it. cornmeal maybe? gotta buy another scone and dissect it more thoroughly.

-my scone was slightly burned so definitely less cooking time and closer to what the recipe called for. about 20 minutes tops.

-handle the dough less and maybe just round balls? i wanted a more bakery scone look rather than the ones i did. we'll see.

-i did the oat flour route and instead of grinding it to a fine meal, i'd probably grind it coarsely instead to help with the consistency.

-this was lightly sweet. while i'm all for less sugary intake, i really enjoyed the balance of sweet and nutty that the peet's scone had. next time, i'll add a full cup of sugar and see what that tastes like.

all in all, this was a very satisfying experiment (better than the fist attempt i did) and was surprised at how easy it all was. and this try actually produced an actual scone-like, erm, scone? lol. with that being said, next stop: maybe make my own corned beef?? :O

Mixed Flour Buttermilk Scones with Cranberries and Almonds
(from Seven Spoons)

For the scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour or oat flour, see note
¼ cup flaxseed meal
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Finely grated zest from one lemon
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small dice
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries, see note
3/4 cup flaked almonds, toasted and then chopped
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk, plus more if needed
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

For glaze (optional)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

To make the glaze, stir together the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Use parchment paper to line a standard baking sheet and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. On the machine's lowest setting, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles course meal. The butter should be in small pieces approximately the size of peas. Mix in the cranberries and almonds.

With the machine still on low, slowly pour the buttermilk into the flour and butter mixture in a thin stream, stirring until just combined. Use only as much buttermilk as needed to bring the dough together - don’t worry if you don’t use it all, or if you need to add a tablespoon or more. Small bits of butter should still be visible, but almost all the flour should be incorporated. (skipped this and did mine by hand. i coarsley grated the butter into the dry ingredients, adding the coconut as well, and followed the rest as directed. :D)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Working quickly, gently knead the dough, folding and pressing gently until it just holds together. Divide the dough into two, and shape each ball of dough into a 6-inch round about 1-inch thick. Cut each round into six wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake scones in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, then carefully pull them out and brush the top of each lightly with the glaze, if using. Return the scones to the oven and continue to bake until the the tops are lightly golden and the cut sides look flaky and dry, around 5-8 minutes more. When fully cooked, the scones should feel light for their size and sound almost hollow when tapped underneath.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Best served warm the day they are made, but can be toasted or rewarmed in a low oven. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes 12 medium scones.

Author's Notes:
• In lieu of whole wheat flour, toasted oat flour also works quite well. To make your own, spread 3/4 cup of rolled oats on a baking sheet and bake in a 375°F oven until lightly golden, stirring occassionaly, around 7 minutes. Allow to cool, then grind in a food processor into fine meal.

• Our dried cranberries were markedly less sweet than the raisin-like ones sold in many grocery stores. Using the latter style might warrant reducing the granulated sugar to a 1/3 cup.