These spelt flour scones are a healthier English scone, perfect for afternoon tea. Scones with wholemeal spelt flour are light and airy, higher in fibre and more nutritious.
What you'll love about the recipe
- Wholegrain spelt flour is high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, making these spelt flour scones a healthy choice
- A delicious, light wholemeal scone with the mild, slightly sweet and nutty flavour of spelt
- A quick and easy teatime recipe - they'll be ready to eat in just 30 minutes, and your kitchen will be filled with the delicious smell of baking:)
Ingredients
Wholemeal spelt flour. Spelt is a specific form of wheat that predates most of the wheat that we use nowadays. It is an excellent source of fibre, and rich in iron, B vitamins and several other minerals.
In addition to being a healthy choice, wholegrain spelt flour has a lovely nutty flavour. I've found it to be very successful in baking, with a lighter texture than ordinary wholemeal wheat flour.
You might also like to try these spelt flour blueberry muffins.
Note that spelt flour is not suitable for gluten-free diets. For gluten free scones, follow this recipe.
Baking powder helps the scones to rise.
Butter. Ideally, the butter should be at room temperature as it will be easier to rub into the flour. However, I don't always remember, and the recipe still works!
I've also previously made scones with olive oil, and I see no reason why you couldn't make these wholemeal spelt flour scones with olive oil if you prefer.
Egg. Although all scone recipes don't include eggs, I find an egg makes the scones rise well and adds extra lightness, especially when using wholemeal flour.
Milk. You need a few tablespoons of milk to make the scone dough. This can be dairy or non-dairy milk, as you prefer.
Sugar. I've added just a tablespoon of sugar to the recipe to add a hint of sweetness. As homemade scones are so often served with jam, there's no need for more sugar, and you can omit it if you prefer. Use any kind of sugar (except large crystals!)
How to make spelt flour scones
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (200 fan). Lightly grease a baking tray.
Add the spelt flour and baking powder to a large bowl. Add the butter to the flour and, using a blunt knife, cut the butter into small pieces in the bowl. This will make it easier to rub in.
Then, rub the butter into the flour. Pick up some of the flour and butter between your fingers and thumbs and rub them gently together. Continue to do this until there are no more visible pieces of butter. Give the bowl a little shake, and if any more pieces of butter appear, rub those in too. The mixture should look like brown breadcrumbs.
Stir the sugar into the mixture.
Beat the egg in a small bowl and stir in the milk.
Add the egg to the flour mixture, and bring the mixture together with a blunt knife. It should start to stick together in large clumps. If it's not sticking together, add a tiny splash more milk.
Bring the dough into a ball with your hands, and place on a floured worktop or board. Gently flatten the dough until it is about 2cm thick.
Using a 5-7cm cookie cutter, cut the dough into scones. You can re-roll the trimmings, but be gentle otherwise the scones could become tough. Depending on the size of your cutter you should get 6-10 scones.
If you don't have a suitable cutter, shape the dough into a circle and cut it into triangles.
Place the scones on the greased tray and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Watch them carefully to make sure they don't burn in the hot oven.
Recipe tips for spelt scones
Like all good scones, there are 3 secrets of success to making the best spelt flour scones
- Handle the dough gently to keep the scones light in texture
- Ensure that the oven is fully up to the correct temperature before the scones go in the oven. Scones need a very hot temperature to rise properly, and properly risen scones are fluffier and more delicious!
- Enjoy your spelt flour scones when they are very fresh - ideally still warm from the oven. If you want to make them a day or more in advance, pop them in the freezer.
Variations
- For spelt flour fruit scones, add 50g sultanas.
- To make spelt flour cheese scones, omit the sugar. Add 50g grated cheddar to the flour and butter mixture before adding the egg and milk. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of mustard powder. Top with a little extra grated cheese before baking if liked.
Serving and storage
Serve your wholemeal spelt scones when they are very fresh - or warm from the oven if you can! Try them with a big spoonful of this healthy low sugar jam.
If you've made spelt flour cheese scones, they are delicious with a bowl of homemade soup.
If you want to prepare the scones in advance, then it's best to pop them in the freezer so that they stay fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, in most instances, spelt flour can be used as a replacement for plain flour, as it is in this healthy scone recipe. If you want to use spelt flour in place of self-raising flour, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder for every 100g of flour.
If you are using wholemeal spelt flour, made from the whole grain, then yes it is a healthier choice than plain white flour. It's higher in fibre and other nutrients than white flour which has been processed to remove bran and germ.
No, spelt flour is not gluten free, and is not suitable for coeliacs. If you want to make gluten free scones, use this specific gluten free recipe.
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Recipe
Spelt Flour Scones
Equipment
- baking tray
- 5 - 7cm cookie cutters or can make triangular scones if preferred
Ingredients
- 150 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 25 g butter ideally room temperature
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional
Instructions
- Lightly grease a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (200 fan)
- Add the flour to a bowl and stir in the baking powder.
- Add the butter to the flour and using a blunt knife, cut the butter into small pieces in the bowl.
- Rub the pieces of butter into the flour with your fingertips. It'll only take a couple of minutes as the ratio of butter to flour is quite low. Give the bowl a gentle shake, if there are any remaining pieces of butter they'll come to the surface and you can rub them in. The mixture should look like brown breadcrumbs.
- In a small bowl or jug, beat the egg and stir in the milk.
- Make a dip in the flour mixture and pour in the egg. Gently mix with the knife until the mixture starts to come together. If it's not starting to stick together, add a splash more milk.
- Bring the dough together into a ball with your hands and place on a floured board or worktop.
- Gently flatten the dough with your fingers until it is about 2 - 2.5cm thick. Cut out the scones with a cookie cutter. Gently bring together the offcuts to cut out the remaining scones.
- Place the scones on the greased baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. If necessary turn the tray partway through baking - the oven is very hot so the scones will burn easily.
- Cool on a wire rack and enjoy whilst they are fresh - ideally still warm from the oven!!
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Lyn says
Hi
Can I use melted butter instead of rubbing in which is a bit tedious? I’m a lazy scone maker - instead of cutting them out in rounds, I simply pat the dough into a circle and cut wedges before baking 😊
So happy I found your site with lots of low sugar and healthy recipes - will be trying out many of them Thank you.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying the healthy recipes:) I often make scones with olive oil, so I see no reason why melted butter wouldn't work. They might not be quite as fluffy, but I'm sure they'll be lovely. And the wedges are a good time-saving option, less fiddly too!