Cape Breton Scones

Yeah, yeah. I know... Cape Breton isn't in Ontario. Still, I've been making these for closer to 40 years than I like to think about. They are one of the first things I ever baked. I got the recipe from my grandmother, who was from Pictou rather than Cape Breton, but these are the real deal nevertheless. Nova Scotian cooking uses a lot of brown sugar and molasses, which came up from the Caribbean in exchange for salt cod.

You can make these with spelt flour if you like. Use a slightly skimpy amount of spelt flour, by a tablespoon say, and the same of extra milk, or they may come out a little dry.

Lovely with butter and jam, and a nice big pot of tea. Bliss, in fact.

Note Added 20/10/17: I found this recipe while going through Dad's old cook book, and in fact they didn't come directly from Grandma, but are ascribed to Mrs. Robinson of Englishtown, N.S. (north of Sydney, on the coast, so yes, definitely from Cape Breton.)

10 to 12 scones
30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

1 1/2 cups soft whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups soft unbleached wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup Sucanat or dark brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

Sift or gently mix together the flours, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter. Beat in the brown sugar, then the egg. Mix the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk to make a soft, biscuit-like dough.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Pat each section of the dough out to about 1 inch thick on a floured board, and form it into a neat circle. Cut it into 6 wedges, and put each wedge on the parchment paper-lined baking tray. (Or you could just lightly grease and flour the tray if you prefer.) Repeat with the other section of dough.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and just firm.

I have gotten lazy in my old age and tend to use a disher to scoop them out (like a slightly small ice-cream scoop.) This makes a round scone, obviously, and I tend to get 11 of them.