autumn/ Dorie Greenspan/ Fruit/ whole wheat/ year round

Iced Honey-Apple Scones with Whole Wheat | Baking with Dorie

I lean on scones when it comes to reliable baking goods for company. Among my favorite kinds are rich, flaky cream scones and light, tender buttermilk scones. Berries show up a lot as add-ins since they are staple items in my fridge. Now iced honey-apple scones may be finding a sweet spot in my kitchen. Who doesn’t like apples, especially when they are so many interesting varieties to choose from?

About the icing, which I’d like to skip — but I can’t after I taste the end result. Stirring together confectioners’ sugar and milk is nothing complicated. Nonetheless, the icing adds a lovely shine on the otherwise dull surface of the scone. At the same time, I find the touch of sweetness appealing. Now I’m a convert for topping the scones with a slick of icing.

The dough for the iced honey-apple scones is more sticky compared to most. Hold back from adding more flour because you don’t really need it. The easy approach is to make drop scones by using an ice cream scoop with a capacity of one-quarter cup. Turn them out on a cast iron baking pan. Then bake for 18-20 minutes. The scones bake to a light, airy crumb. More than that, the flavor and texture of tiny chunks of apple inside is delectable. So far, I’ve gotten only favorable reviews on these scones.

Print Recipe

Iced Honey-Apple Scones | Baking with Dorie

By Dorie Greenspan – Serves: 12

Ingredients

2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (75 grams) spelt flour (I use whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 small tangerine, 1 clementine or ½ orange
¾ stick (6 tablespoons; 3 ounces; 85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) honey
1 cold large egg
¾ cup (180 ml) cold milk
For the icing
½ cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
About 1 tablespoon milk
About 1 teaspoon bee pollen for finishing (see headnote; optional)

Instructions

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Working in a large bowl, whisk together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Finely grate the zest of the tangerine, clementine or orange into the bowl and whisk it in—hold onto the fruit. Scatter the bits of cold butter over the flour, reach in and use your fingers to mash and press and mush the butter into the flour. (You can do this with a pastry cutter, but it’s really easier and faster to use your fingers.) Keep tossing the dry ingredients around and smushing the butter until you’ve broken it into flour-coated pieces as small as cornflakes and as big as peas. Add the apple to the bowl and toss until covered in flour. Pour over the honey and, using a fork, give the mixture a couple of turns. There’s no need to be thorough now.

Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl, squeeze in the juice from the zested citrus and stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and, using the fork, toss, turn and stir everything together until the flour is moistened. With your hands, gently—and sparingly—squeeze and knead the dough just enough to pull it into a ball. It’s futile (and unnecessary) to expect a smooth, neat packet of dough, because this dough is wet and very sticky.

Now you’ve got a choice: If you want to make drop scones, choose an ice cream scoop—one with a capacity of ¼ cup is good, as is a ¼-cup measure or a large spoon—and scoop 12 portions of dough onto the baking sheet. If you want to make wedge shaped scones, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a circle that’s about 6½ inches across and 1 inch high (the height’s more important than the diameter here). Dust the top with flour. Using a bench scraper or a chef’s knife, cut the dough into quarters and then cut each quarter in half, so you have 8 wedges. Carefully transfer them to the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be froze for up to 2 months; see headnote.)

Bake the scones for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they’re tall and golden brown on top and bottom. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and make the icing.

To make the icing: Put the sugar in a medium bowl and add the milk a little at a time, stirring with a small flexible spatula or a spoon. It’s hard to give a precise measurement for the milk—just keep stirring until you get a shiny icing that falls slowly from the tip of your spatula or spoon.

Spread some icing over each scone, using a silicone brush, a small offset spatula or a table knife.

A word on working ahead: The dough can be made, cut and frozen up to 2 months ahead—make sure to wrap the scones airtight—and then baked straight from the freezer. As soon as you start to preheat the oven, place the scones on a lined baking sheet and let them stand until the oven reaches temperature. You may need to bake them a few minutes longer.