Breads and Muffins Archives

May 6, 2016

Lavender Lemon Spelt Scones with Honeyed Lemon Ricotta

Each school morning we begin with a full hour of reading as I’ve found it’s been quite a pleasant and sweet way to begin our school time together. We curl up on the couch, sip tea, and immerse ourselves in piles of books. On one of the days during this past week, I thought it would be fun to do something a little extra-special- a simple breakfast and reading time in bed. My daughter was completely delighted. We took turns reading to each other as we ate our scones and sipped our tea. During this season of homeschooling, I’ve prioritized our reading time together with hopes that it will rekindle her love for books and her curiosity to learn. It’s in these small ways that I hope to make reading and learning a positive and joyful experience for her. We’ve already noticed small changes- she now reads on her own again, the lists of books she wants from the library are getting longer, and she is always excited to begin the school day because of these shared times of reading. We are thankful.

January 29, 2016

Chai Spice Scones with Dark Chocolate

Just a quick post for today; I had a request for these chai spice scones that I posted to instagram a while ago and thought I would post the recipe here in case anyone else was interested. These are based on my orange cinnamon scones with dark chocolate in which I swapped out the orange juice and for chai tea concentrate (I like this one), omitted the zest, and added a touch of cardamom. Simple changes, but the flavor profile is altered completely. These are exactly how I prefer my scones- whole grain, yet soft and tender, with crisp edges, crackly tops, and just subtly sweet. Although coffee is an obvious choice to pair with scones, I especially enjoy these alongside a warm mug of almond milk.

Chai Spice Scones with Dark Chocolate

Ingredients

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup coconut sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
2 ounces chopped dark chocolate, about ⅓ cup
1 large egg
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons chai tea concentrate
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Cut butter into small cubes and scatter over the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter cubes into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, chai tea concentrate, and cream. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and form two circles ¾" thick. Use a floured knife to cut each circle into 6 wedges. Transfer scones to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1" between each.
Whisk together the egg yolk and water. Use a pastry brush to brush scones with the egg wash. Bake 13-16 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

January 27, 2016

Cinnamon Beet Rolls

Over the summer our local CSA hosted a “kids on the farm” day and it was one of the highlights of our summer. It was such a treat to visit a real farm and see how and where all of our summer produce is grown. The kids went on an edible farm walk through raspberry bushes, fields of kale, rows of tomatoes, and even explored a mushroom forest. They learned about healing herbs and made little pouches of homemade tea. They were able to help feed the pigs and visit the cows. The experience was wonderful and deepened our appreciation for all of those hard-working farmers out there. Upon arriving at the farm, we were greeted by a large table set up with a heaping bowl of pink dough deeply colored from red beets. The kids all delighted in being able to take a bit of dough and shape their own rolls for their morning snack. And now as we approach Valentine’s Day, I thought it would a festive time to make those beautiful pink sweet rolls again and bring back memories of our day at the farm.

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