Chestnut Scones

One of the purchases I made while I was at home was a bag of chestnut flour. I'd been looking for it haphazardly for the last year, ever since reading this recipe in Dorie Greenspan's Baking and finally found it at the Italian Centre Shop. I might be the only person I know who dances a jig in the middle of a shop aisle upon finding flour, but I'd be happy to be proven to be in good company. 

These scones have a slight sweetness and their flavour is subtle, but really lovely. I was expecting them to be more exotic than they turned out to be, but that was just fine. It's a great recipe as is and I think there's room for tinkering. I want to make another batch and add some of the bergamot extract to it, as I think it could be delicious.

Chestnut Scones

(p. 34, Baking)

Makes 12 

1 large egg

3/4 cup cold heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup chestnut flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick or half a cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

To begin, centre a rack in your oven and preheat it to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you are lucky enough to have one. 

In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the egg, cream, and vanilla. I ended up using vanilla soy milk instead of the cream, which wasn't a problem. 

In a larger bowl or the basin of a large food processor, measure out the flour, chestnut flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk or pulse to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add the chilled butter pieces and blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You should have some larger flakes of butter and some smaller pieces - the variation is a good thing here. If you are working with a food processor, take care not to over-process so that everything is evenly dispersed. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. This dough will be wet and sticky. Don't over mix it or the scones might be tough. I found it easier to remove the flour/butter mixture from my food processor and do the wet/dry mixing in a bowl on the counter. Still in the bowl, knead the dough gently by hand 8 to 10 times until if forms a smooth mass. 

To shape the scones you have a few options. Dorie recommends turning the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, dividing it in half, and shaping each half into a disk roughly five inches in diameter. Each disk can be cut into six wedges. Alternatively. I portioned the scones straight out of the bowl with my fingers, which resulted in a more rustic drop-scone look that I happen to be partial to. The scones can be frozen at this point by placing them on a baking sheet, putting that sheet in the freezer and then wrapping them with plastic wrap once they are fully frozen. They don't have to be defrosted before baking, just add about 2 minutes to the total baking time. 

To bake the scones, place them in the oven for 20-22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firm to the touch. They are best if cooled on a rack for 10 minutes before serving, or at room temperature. 

My new camera lens gets here today, so here's hoping I can provide some better food photos with its assistance. ^_^