Maple Scones (Québec)

If you have a hard time finding whole-wheat pastry flour, feel free to substitute unbleached white flour.

¼ cup pure maple syrup
6 Tbsp. milk or cream
2¼ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup quinoa flakes (or rolled oats)
1½ Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
11 Tbsp. butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
large-grain sugar, such as turbinado

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6). Place oven rack in the top position. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the maple syrup and milk in a small cup, and set aside. Combine the flour, quinoa/oats, baking powder, and sea salt together in a bowl.

Using a food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture, pulsing until it resembles little pebbles in a beach of sandy flour (about 20 quick pulses).

You can also cut the butter into the flour using a knife and fork, or smushing it through your thumb and fingertips. Now add the maple syrup milk. Pulse (or mix) until the dough just comes together - don't over mix. If the batter is too dry add more cream a bit at a time - you want it to hold together without
being crumbly.

Turn out onto a floured surface, kneed once or twice, just enough to bring the dough together. Now arrange the dough into a 1” thick rectangle. Trim the edges and slice the dough into nine equal-sized squares. Arrange the scones next to one another on the prepared baking sheet - ¼” distance between each of them. Brush generously with the egg wash and sprinkle with the large-grain sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden along the bottom and tops.

Makes 9 scones.