Buckwheat Cream Scones, Your Way

Ingredients

1½ cups (175 g) unbleached all- purpose flour

¾ cup (100 g) buckwheat flour

½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour % cup (65g) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces (115 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons extra if needed

½ cup (120 g) sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Add-ins (optional; list follows)

GLAZE:

Heavy cream or 1 large egg, beaten

Turbinado sugar (see Note)

FROSTINGS-CHOOSE ONE (OPTIONAL):

Classic Vanilla Frosting (recipe follows)

Meyer Lemon Frosting (recipe follows)

Maple Frosting (recipe follows)

Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Favorite Nut Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions

Put the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter pulse until the butter bits are very fine. The mixture should be like a light sand with hardly any visible

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold the cream mixture into the flour mixture along with any add-ins if you're using them

Dump the dough onto a clean work surface and knead it a bit to bring it together . The dough should be fairly dry, but if it seems too dry to come together, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of cream. Divide the dough in half and shape each into a flat disk about 6 inches (15 cm) across. Dust with a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky to work with

Chill the dough disks in the freezer for 30 minutes or wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day. (To freeze unbaked scones, cut and wrap individually before you freeze them.

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Cut each disk of dough into 6 wedges, like a pie O. If you're planning on using a frosting, brush the scones with heavy cream. If you're not using a frosting, brush the scones with either the beaten egg or heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Arrange the scones on the baking sheet with a couple of inches between them and bake until slightly golden and cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.

For frosted scones, spread or drizzle the frosting on the scones while still slightly warm. The scones are at their best if you can serve them as soon as they've cooled to just barely warm. Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat for 10 minutes in a 325°F (160°C) oven before serving.

Notes

A freshly baked scone is a beautiful thing, though you'd never know it from the dreadful, oversize, dry pucks that show up in so many coffee shops these days. This dough produces delicate, flavorful scones that can be frozen and baked to order, and you can choose your own flavor adventure from the many add-ins and frostings, all of which are quick to make and last in the fridge for a couple of weeks. —Makes 12 scones

Note: Turbinado sugar is nice for this because it's coarse and crunchy. Look for Sugar In The Raw brand.