Rosemary-Raisin Walnut Scones

These were inspired by Lesley Stowe Rosemary Raisin Pecan Raincoast Crisps:  I wanted to keep the flavor profile but translate it to whole grains and to scones.  They take a bit more prepwork than my Presentation Scones, but they're worth it for a special treat.

As I made them
 Options & notes

If you have a mill, mill these together:
    250 grams soft white wheat
    50 grams brown rice (makes the scones a little crunchy on the
outside)
    1 teaspoon dried rosemary
    1/2 teaspoon thyme (optional)
    1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds (optional)
     1 clove (optional)
    1 inch vanilla bean, cut into bits
 Alternative
   2 cups of all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour or blend of these, substituting up to 1/3 cup of rice flour, if you have it,
for some extra crunch
   1 teaspoon ground rosemary
   1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
   1/2 teaspoon ground thyme (optional)
   itty-bitty pinch of ground cloves (optional)

   and add 1 teaspoon vanilla with the juice, water/buttermilk, and
egg below
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk powder
 buttermilk powder allows more dairy flavor with less liquid volume; you can instead use up to 3/4 cup buttermilk to complete the liquid
volume below
25 grams flaxseed, ground (optional)
 I grind this to a coarse powder in a small electric coffee mill/spice grinder (never used for coffee, just for spices and seeds), because it gums up the mill.  It adds a nice nuttiness, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.  Ground flax is now easy to find in health food stores and some supermarkets, but it goes rancid quickly; the seeds are easier to store
1 cup raisins
zest of 1 orange (optional)
up to 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
3/4 cup toasted walnuts (optional)
 I use walnuts instead of pecans because I've always liked them with rosemary.  Other nuts should work just fine, including pecans, almonds, or pine nuts.  Skip the nuts if someone has a nut allergy.
to toast walnuts:
spread raw shelled nuts on baking sheet 12-15 minutes at 325 degrees; snap a piece and taste to be sure they're toasted all the way through
8 tablespoons cold butter
1 egg
1 lemon
1 orange
 add juice of these together to a measuring cup and add water to total 3/4 cup liquid
 If not using buttermilk powder, add buttermilk liquid to juice of 1 orange to total 3/4 cup


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mill the flour and spices together.  Sift, stir, and/or whisk the flours, spices, salt, soda and cream of tartar, sugar, buttermilk powder and flax seeds until thoroughly mixed.   Whirling all in the food processor is a great option that makes the next step simple.
Prepare the raisins and walnuts by chopping coarsely, or, better yet, let a food processor do the work (this helps prevent large burnt raisin syndrome, which has turned so many children away from raisins forever).  Place the raisins in the food processor with the zest (if using), and zap until the raisins are quite fine bits (about the size of whole black peppercorns).  Add the walnuts and process in a few pulses until they are coarsely chopped (pieces 1/2 inch or less). 

If you chopped the raisins and walnuts by hand, add them to the dry ingredients with the zest now.

Use a coarse grater to grate in the butter, stirring lightly every minute or two to coat the butter curls with flour; or use a pastry blender to cut it into the flour.

Separately whisk the egg into the liquids, then add to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened and barely mixed (no large lumps of dry flour left). 

Drop large spoonfuls on lined or greased baking sheets; wet your hands and pat into neat rounds 1/2 inch thick, and bake for 20 minutes.  I bake 2 sheets at once in my convection oven and turn front/back and top/bottom at the 10 minute mark.  You can also pat them into two large disks, score into wedges like pizza, and break them apart after baking.

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