Easy Wholegrain Persimmon Scones | Healthy Baking Recipes
Crunchy, crumbly, these wholegrain persimmon scones can become your most favorite snack. Pair them with your evening chai. Candied persimmons on the top make these ideal for your sweet cravings, sans any guilt or worry about empty calories!
I tasted my first persimmon back in 2010 during a vacation in Singapore. Persimmons are quite a common fruit there, but for me they were a delicious novelty so I went on to devour half a dozen of them, one after the other, in the sheer delight of discovering a fruit with such wonderful flavour profile! So my joy knew no bounds when I spotted persimmons outside my local grocery supermarket – albeit a bit pricey as they’re imported from South East Asian countries – I knew that I just HAD TO grab a few and bring them home.
I did wonder for some time as to what to use them in – they pair beautifully with savory as well as sweet dishes. The idea of topping scones with them was a last-minute one, but the resulting scones were so yumm we finished them within 2 days. I have used wholewheat flour and buckwheat flour to make these scones.
What makes buckwheat a supergrain?
Although it sounds amusingly like it belongs to the wheat family, Buckwheat bears no relation whatsoever to wheat. Quite the wonder grain, buckwheat is a seed rich in nutrients like Manganese, Magnesium and Phosphorus and antioxidants like rutin and quercetin. It is a rich source of fiber and plant protein. What is more, the resistant starch in buckwheat aids in regeneration of cells lining the colon, improving its health and preventing colon cancer.
I have used milk for mixing the dough as well as glazing the scones, but you can make them dairy-free, by substituting butter with oil or applesauce and using water to mix the dough.
Ingredients you need for Wholegrain Persimmon Scones
Here are the ingredients you need for these easy bakes:
Whole-grain flours -I’ve used buckwheat flour and whole-wheat flours here. Including wholegrain flours not only increases the nutrition of the scones by several notches, but also renders a nutty texture to them that adds to the taste.
In contrast, traditional scones utilize self-raising flour or all-purpose flour. Self-raising flour or APF have more gluten available in them, so the scones rise higher and are fluffier. However, these do contain a lot more simple carbs and lot less fiber, so I consciously make the choice to stick to wholegrain flours which with rich fiber content.
Palm sugar – palm sugar is the less-processed version of table sugar. This means that it has lesser glycemic index (GI) and higher antioxidants, minerals and vitamins content present. I prefer palm sugar for it’s low sweetness as well, but you could easily substitute it for table sugar if it isn’t available.
Arrowroot flour – makes gluten-free baking a dream, by making the baked items fluffy and light in texture. While we’re still using whole-wheat flour which does have gluten, we’re also adding buckwheat flour which is heavy and nutty, and adding arrowroot flour makes the final scones fluffier.
Butter/oil – The classic scone recipes call for butter to be brushed or patted into the flour as we roll it. The butter helps make the scones light, crumby and delicious! However, it’s OK to use oil for the vegan version as well.
Milk/ Almond milk – This is for mixing the dough for the scones, as well for glazing the scones before we transfer them into the oven for baking.
Cardamom and Nutmeg – for adding the nice, delicate spice-kick and also to break the sweetness of persimmons. Persimmons and cardamom is in fact, a timeless combination. Try it!
Baking soda – helps make the scones rise and be their fluffy, soft selves.
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Easy Wholegrain Persimmon Scones | Healthy Baking Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup buckwheat flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 ¼ tsp freshly-ground cardamom
- ¾ cup palm Sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened at room temperature (can be substituted with coconut oil for vegan version)
- ¼ cup milk almond milk or water for vegan version
FOR TOPPING
- 2 ripe persimmons medium
- 1 tsp palm sugar
Instructions
- Begin by pre-heating the oven at 200° C (nearly 350°F). Also, prepare a parchment-lined baking tray.
- First, sift together the flours and salt through a sieve in a bowl and add back the bran collected at the end into the mixture. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, i.e. flours, baking soda, nutmeg powder & ground cinnamon.
- Now, rub in the softened butter or oil into the flour mix, gently working it into crumbs. Add milk or water to form a soft dough.
- Flour a surface lightly and knead with soft hands. Place the dough on the floured surface with a rolling pin, or preferably just pat together to form about 1-inch or 2.5cm thick sheet.
- Using a round or square cookie cutter, cut shapes from the dough. Just press and lift the cutter from the dough in straight motions and avoid the temptation to twist it. Now, arrange the rounds on the baking tray.
- Now, press the center of each scone using an icecream scoop or round spoon, thus creating a shallow well.
- For the persimmons, remove the tops and slice into halves. Holding the halves gently, slice into 3-4 parts, removing the peel with a light hand.
- Place the persimmon slices onto the well created on each scone. Sprinkle some sugar on each scone to get candied fruit effect.
- Transfer into the oven immediately. Bake at 200°C for about 15-20 minutes, until they’re firm and golden-brown on the outside.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight jar.
- Devour!
Notes
- To soften the butter, leave it outside the fridge overnight. Alternately, microwave water in a ceramic mug for a minute, transfer the water to another container, and place the empty hot mug over the cold butter cubes.
- The bran collected from the flours while sifting is the real fiber hero! Don’t forget to add it back to the recipe.
- I first made this recipe when I was still tolerant towards the lactose-content in milk. Now however, I’m largely lactose-intolerant and have to resort to almond milk for this recipe. It does change the flavor a bit as the fats in dairy-based milk are now replaced with low fat content in almond milk. However, the scones were still delicious, and it’s a conscious choice I will keep making for the sake of my well-being.
- Avoid over-kneading the dough, as this will make the scones denser in texture. The dough should be light, soft and somewhat sticky right before you proceed to cut the same into rounds.
- These scones can be stored for up to a week in an airtight jar.
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