Delicious, soft, flavorful and nutritious Ricotta & Rye Scones disappeared in my kitchen faster than I managed to turn them into the dessert I was originally aiming for (Scones filled with whipped honey cream cheese, strawberries and tarragon 🙂 – never mind, second trial will be next weekend.

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Lately, I’ve been exploring different varieties of flours and so-called ancient grains. But what actually are ancient grains? Well, even though there is no exact definition the Whole Grains Council states: “All whole grains in the larger sense are ‘ancient’ they all can trace their roots back to the beginnings of time.” Katie Gourley in her book Baking for Biodiversity adds: “However, ancient grains are typically referring to those that have remained unchanged over the last several hundred years. This list typically includes both landraces as well as ‘pre-wheat’ cereals such as einkorn, emmer and spelt”.

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Rye is one of my favorite grains in general and rye flour can be used in a variety of baked goods starting from breads, through cookies, scones and dry & crispy biscuits to the flavorful brownies as rye pairs very well with chocolate. I am planning to experiment with rye & other ancient grains during this fall but I thought that this recipe might spark an interest in some of you as well. Besides the rye, I used in the recipe oat flour (I quickly ground my oats at home) and a little bit of buckwheat flour. If you don’t have some of those flours around, substitute them with what you currently have. The slightly nutty flavor of the rye and earthy notes of buckwheat go very well with creamy and refreshing ricotta cheese that keeps scones moist and rich and simply delicious to enjoy just as they are, straight from the oven without anything at all.

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INGREDIENTS

(makes ~ 8-10 scones)

70g Rye Flour

40g Oat Flour

20g Buckwheat Flour

15g Cornstarch

25g Brown Sugar

8g Baking Powder

40g Butter, unsalted, cold

120g Whole-milk Ricotta

50g Heavy Cream, cold

Zest from 1/2 Lemon

Pinch of Salt

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METHOD

1. Combine all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (70g Rye Flour, 50g Oat Flour, 15g Cornstarch, 25g Brown Sugar, Lemon Zest, Baking Powder and a pinch of Salt)

2. Add cold butter, chopped on small pieces or grated on a cheese grater and incorporate with dries. Chill in the fridge for ~ 30 minutes

3. Into the cold mixture pour heavy cream and add cold ricotta. Combine everything quickly but well together, form medium – size balls and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper leaving some space in between the balls as they were spread during the baking. Flatten each ball gently a little bit, brush with a little bit of heavy cream, if desired, sprinkle with some coarse sugar and bake at 425°F / 220°C for ~ 15 – 20 minutes. They should stay nice and moist in the center. If not eaten right away, store your scones in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days and reheat before serving

Dobrú chuť,
Lenka