Wholemeal Date Scones Food

WHOLEMEAL DATE SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200.C.
• Spray a baking tray with cooking oil.
• Pour 2 cups boiling water over dates and allow to soften for approx 10 mins before draining & chopping.
• Sift flours with icing sugar & salt into a bowl.
• Rub in margarine with fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add dates and make a well in the centre then add egg.
• Stir lightly with a knife and add enough milk to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface and cut dough into 5cm rounds.
• Place on the baking tray and brush with a little milk before baking for 15-20 mins or until golden.

STARBUCKS DATE SCONES

Steps:

• Combine the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, the bran, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar. Cut in the butter. (Or combine in a food processor, just until crumbly.) Add the egg, buttermilk, and dates; do not overmix. (If the dough seems too sticky to work with add a couple more tablespoons flour.) Shape the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into 12 triangles.
• Bake on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.

WHOLEMEAL DATE SCONES

Steps:

• Add lemon juice to milk and set aside for 5 minutes until milk thickens.
• Sift flour and baking powder.
• Rub in butter (use a food processor, if available).
• Add dates and milk and mix quickly to a soft dough.
• Turn out onto a floured surface, knead lightly and pat to 2.5 cm thickness. Cut into 12 scones.
• Place scones on a non-stick baking tray, leaving about 1 cm between them.
• Brush tops with a little milk (so they will brown) and bake in a hot oven (220 C) for 10-12 minutes.
• Cool on a rack for scones with crisp edges or wrap in a clean teatowel to cool for soft-edged scones.
• Split to serve with jam or low fat spread.

DATE AND WALNUT SCONES

Steps:

• Place the flour in a bowl with the baking powder and mixed spice, stir until well mixed, rub in the butter (or whizz in a food processor).
• Stir in the sugar, dates, walnuts and sugar.
• Pour the milk into a well in the middle of the flour and mix with a palette knife to a soft dough. You may not need it all, add gradually until you have a soft but not a wet dough
• Roll out the dough and using a cutter, cut out 8 scones, re-rolling the dough if necessary. Place on a baking sheet, brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
• Bake in the oven at 220C for about 18 minutes until well risen and golden brown, Cool on a wire rack.

DATE AND WALNUT SCONES

Steps:

• Sieve the flour and salt (if using) into a bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, mixed spice, dates and walnuts. Rub in the cold diced butter until you have a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs.
• Pour in the milk and mix to a soft dough. I'm always cautious of overmixing when making scones so I use my hands and stop mixing as soon as the mixture comes together.
• Tip the mixture out on to a lightly floured work surface and lightly fold the dough over on itself a few times until smooth.
• Pat the dough out into a circle about 1-1 1/2 inch thick. Using your cutter, cut into rounds. Try not to twist the cutter while you are cutting out the scones or the scones will turn out wonky!
• Place the rounds of dough on a baking sheet fairly close together. Brush the top of the scones with the milk and sprinkle with the sugar, if using. Bake the scones for 10-15 minutes or until risen and golden brown on the bottom. Serve warm with butter, honey, jam or syrup.

VANILLA AND DATE SCONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220deg and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Put flour, brown sugar and butter into food processor and mix until ingredients are fully combined. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Pulse until just combined.
• Cut dates in half, remove stones and any stalk heads then add to the mixture and mix and pulse for a second or two - not too long if you want the dates to remain chunky.
• As the dough will be quite sticky, rub flour on your hands then collect it into a ball and gently knead it into shape. Toss on a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with flour and shape into a rectangle about 3cm thick. Cut the dough in half longwise, then cut each half into four pieces. Transfer pieces to baking tray leaving room to spread, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until scones are a rich golden colour and sound hollow when tapped.
• NOTE: If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter and flour together with tips of fingers then mix in sugar, buttermilk and vanilla until just combined. Cut dates up and add to mix, stirring to combine.