Wholemeal Scones

I am avid baker and the first concern I had when undertaking this challenge was that I would no longer be able to have something special for afternoon tea. Everything I baked before contained white flour and refined white sugar. I admit it almost made me rethink my pledge. 

But as time has gone on I have realized that you can still have your special treats and that it is just a matter of thinking outside the box and substituting ingredients.

My first stumbling block was wholemeal flour. The wholemeal flours I had used in the past were heavy, dry and basically unappealing. It wasn’t until a friend recommended Jimmy’s Materchef Range Atta Wholemeal Flour that I realized what I was missing.

The flour is sifted and has the smooth consistency of white flour but all the goodness of wholemeal flour. I use it for everything I make – scones, cakes, waffles, pancakes and even my white sauce for savory dishes.

Of course the issue of refined white sugar was not as easily resolved. By adding honey or pure maple syrup to most recipes you can skip adding sugar but for some recipes this completely throws off the consistency and then the end result. When you need to add sugar to a recipe and cannot add a liquid substitute I recommend Organic Coconut Sugar. Is also has the added bonus of giving your dish a caramel flavor. However if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar I would recommend you only add half a cup of coconut sugar.

For afternoon tea today my family enjoyed wholemeal scones with no sugar strawberry jam.

Wholemeal Scones

2 cups of wholemeal flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons of quality butter
1 cup of milk (any milk – I use lactose free)

Sift flour and baking powder together. Gently rub in butter with fingertips until you create a breadcrumb consistency. Stir through milk. Gently knead on a floured board until smooth. Cut out desired shapes and bake in a 180 degree over for 15-20 minutes until browned.

Enjoy