Baking with alternative flours (f.e. teff, brown rice flour and other various sprouted flours) is a new thing for me, mostly because they are hard to find on the island we live on. In the past, I ordered some through the Internet and used them in a couple recipes I found online.
But unfortunately, most of them didn’t turn out the way that I liked, which made me feel discouraged to learn more about them. As a result, they ended up expiring in the pantry.
About a month ago, I purchased Amy Chaplin’s cookbook At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen and I have been reading it ever since. Amy is a vegan/vegetarian chef, whose knowledge in the subject is the result of many years of working in mostly vegan restaurants in Europe and New York City.
Her book is a phenomenal source for beginners like myself. If you are like me, wondering about cooking and baking with alternative flours, condiments, seasoning, oils, etc. I highly recommend this book as a great resource.
Even though this recipe is not from Amy’s book, it is my first serious attempt that I feel very good about towards baking with a type of flour that is not all-purpose or wheat. I chose spelt flour because (1) it was *surprisingly* available in a supermarket on the island, and (2) from what I understand, it is one of the most popular whole grain, non-wheat flours out there.
So what is spelt flour?
Spelt is an ancient whole grain from the wheat family (same genus, different species). It does contain gluten, but has a much lower gluten content compared to wheat. As a result, it is kinder on your digestive system. It has a nutty and somewhat sweet taste that gives great wholesome flavor and delicious crumb to the baked goods.
Most recipes I found online or in various cookbooks use spelt flour in combination with all-purpose (or wheat) flour. But in this blueberry scone recipe, I only used spelt flour. It did give the end product a really nice, almost surprising nutty flavor.
I chose to add in some blueberries and lemon zest, because (1) blueberries are in season and (2) I love the combination of lemon and blueberries. I used a little bit of honey and Medjool dates as sweetener to make my scones somewhat healthier.
They made the most amazing breakfast to serve with my morning coffee when I spread some ricotta cheese on top and drizzled them with a little bit of honey.
OTHER BLUEBERRY RECIPES YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
- Lemon Blueberry Tartlets
- Peach Blueberry Tart
- Blueberry Hot Toddy Recipe
- Blueberry Feta Salad
- Best Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
- Flourless Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
Blueberry Spelt Scones with Lemon
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 8-10 medium-size Medjool dates, pitted and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and towel-dried
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned ground oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the butter. Using the back of a fork mix until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
- In a measuring cup whisk together vanilla extract, honey, almond milk, and lemon juice. Stir the mixture into the flour-butter mixture.
- Gently fold in the lemon zest, dates, and blueberries.
- Transfer the dough on to the baking sheet and make a 1-inch thick disk (as seen in the photos) that is approximately 7 inches in diameter.
- Sprinkle the oats on top and gently press on top and on the sides for them to stick to the dough.
- Cut it into 8 equal pieces.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process to ensure even baking.
- Serve warm.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I went blueberry picking but it took me too long to get to this recipe so my blueberries are all frozen. Great I didn’t loose any but what are your recommendations on making this recipe with frozen berries. I love your site and visit it regularly. Love your healthy recipes!
Hello Jeannette,
Oh happy to hear that. I love spelt flour baked goods and this scones recipe is perfect with fresh or frozen blueberries.
Thanks for your sweet words about my recipes. I truly appreciate it.
I cannot eat wheat and have tried making scones with gluten free “flours” with some success–the texture is a little weird, taste a little funny but recipe worked. I tried substituting spelt–the recipe is very similar to yours(blueberries and all) but they were muffin-like instead. I will certainly try yours!!! Looking forward to baking them later today. I will get back with you. Thank you for posting!!!
This makes me so happy Elizabeth. I hope it works for you.
Have you tried baking with almond flour? I have so many almond flour recipes on this blog.
When my allergy testing was done almonds were suspicious–so I have had to avoid them too. I haven’t tried it recently but should–a lot has changed for the better health wise. thanks for all your recipes.
These are wonderful. I have made them several times and everyone who has had the pleasure of eating them have approved. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!!
I am happy to hear that you liked it Elizabeth. Thanks for coming by.
Cheers!
I am not a scone fan but this recipe made me one. Absolutely yummy!
Blueberry scones never disappoint, no? Thanks for coming by Aysegul.
Hello! These look delicious! Do you think they could be made without the oats? Could I cut out some sugar by removing dates? Would love to know your thoughts!
Hi Audrey,
So glad to hear that you liked these. Come blueberry picking season, this is the first recipe I make. 🙂
Yes, you can make these without the oats. And yes, you can cut the sugar by removing dates. However, I want to warn you that this is already minimally sweetened so if you cut the amount of dates used you might end up with a much less sweeter scones. If that’s okay with you, you should be fine.
I hope you like it as much as we do.
Cheers!
I love these scones. They are perfectly sweetened and easy to make.
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
These look so good and I’m very excited to try the recipe! Love everything you post Aysegul! I recently started baking quite a lot with spelt flour and really love its nutty flavor. The recipe for spelt pancakes I have on my blog is one of the most popular posts so I guess people are getting more interested in alternative flours. 🙂
Hi Lili,
You are so sweet. Thank you!
Ohh I can only imagine how delicious those pancakes must be. I am heading there as soon as I finish typing this.. 😛
Thanks for letting me know.
Cheers!
Ice
This is so good to hear Aysegul! I just recently started baking with spelt too, although, like you said, using 1/2 spelt, 1/2 AP or some almond flour. I’ve been playing with a recipe a few times with different ratios of flour, but you’ve given me the courage to go all spelt! Thank you! These scones look fabulous and blueberries are my favorite berry… Love your captures of stirring and cutting the dough. Just gorgeous!
Same here Tracie. With these alternative kind of flours I find myself having to test the recipes over and over again. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it. First time, after several tries, I feel like I nailed with these scones.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Sending lots of Caribbean sunshine to your way!
These look so so good!! wish we could try one now, i bet they are more than delicious <3
Thank you ladies!
These look perfect, Aysegul! I usually don’t bake with other flours too (except for almond flour, which I’ve used quite a bit), but you’ve inspired me to venture out. Your scones look so beautiful, and I love that you spread ricotta and honey on them – how delish!
Thank you Beeta. I am new when it comes to using these alternative flours, but I am loving it. Also, just bought some brown rice flour. I am looking for ideas/recipe to bake using it. We’ll see if I’ll succeed. 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous. Everything you make is gorgeous!
You are so sweet Aimee. Thank you!
I feel the same way about your work, my friend.