Sweet Potato Scones Studded with Sweet Corn
Fall, and Whole Grains Month, Come Too Soon
These last weeks of summer, the sweet corn tastes like candy, and I’m buying it at the market every week, as if it could keep Fall at bay. There are still watermelons and raspberries and corn, dangit, so it’s still summer, even if the squashes and sweet potatoes are singing their own siren songs. To make the most of this great produce, may I suggest that you make Sweet Potato and Corn Scones, and celebrate Whole Grains Month?
These scones are easy, fast, and have just enough novelty to excite your jaded palate. Yes, sweet corn in a sweet scone is delicious, and the kernels have a chewy sweetness that harmonizes with the sweet potato.
They are also a lesson in whole grain flavor balancing. It’s always been my rule, when working with whole wheat, balance it with assertive flavors that aren’t lost to the whole grains strong flavors.
I used Baker’s Field Flour and Bread’s All-purpose soft white wheat flour, which is a tender, pale whole wheat flour comparable to a whole wheat pastry flour. I added some buckwheat flour for a nutty flavor and a hint of spice.
Scones are an Easy Quickbread, Perfect for Fall
The corn needs no preparation other than cutting it from the cob, as the time in the oven is all the cooking it needs. I used melted coconut oil, for the plant-based crowd, but if you are a butter lover, grass-fed butter would work, too.
Of course, Whole Grains Month is the time to assess your whole grain consumption and see whether you are reaching that recommended 3 servings per day. I would hope that you are exceeding that, because whole grains are the staff of life.
Whether you are an omnivorous eater or a vegan, or any variation in between, whole grains will make a positive impact on your health. They’re great at reducing your carbon footprint, too, especially if you buy local. If your palate is accustomed to white flour foods, it make take a little adjustment, but with the right whole grain foods, you’ll be craving that crunch in no time.
The nearly effortless switch to whole grain crackers or breakfast cereals makes a difference. There are so many good breads and pastas these days, just buy a few and try them out.
Get into whole grains, and your body will thank you!
Sweet Potato and Corn Scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups soft white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or margarine
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 ears sweet corn cut from the cob
- 2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, combine whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the sweet potato, melted coconut oil, milk and cider vinegar. Stir into the dry ingredients until almost mixed, then add the corn and mix. Lightly flour the counter and scrape the dough out onto the flour. Form a disk of dough, then pat to about an inch thick. Use a bench knife or chefs knife to divide in 8 wedges. Sprinkle with Turbinado and transfer the scones to a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and firm. Transfer the scones to a rack with a spatula. Cool completely.
