*These Buckwheat & Ricotta Scones with Strawberry Swirl are Gluten & Refined Sugar Free.
When it comes to playing around with flavor combos and unique ingredients, scones are my favorite canvas. Once you find a good recipe, it’s easy to change things up and experiment.
With spring just on the verge of arrival I’ve been feeling the urge to bake a seasonally appropriate scone. These Buckwheat & Ricotta Scones fit the bill perfectly.
The scones are made with buckwheat & Oat flour, sweetened with honey, kept moist and soft with a dose of freshly made ricotta cheese, and given a little spring flair with a swirl of strawberry jam in the middle of each one.
The strawberry swirl looks fancy, but making these scones ‘cinnamon roll style’ is very simple and gives these classic baked goods an unusual twist. You can use any jam you like, but I prefer to make sure that it is sweetened only with fruit juice to keep the scones free of refined sugar. I think I’d like to try filling these with a blackberry or blueberry jam next time I make them. Yum!
I kept these scones gluten free by using a mix of buckwheat and oat flours. Buckwheat is actually a seed, not a grain (which was news to me, until recently) and has a strong, somewhat earthy flavor. I mixed it with oat flour to balance the flavors out. Oat flour is technically gluten free, but can be contaminated with other gluten containing grains during processing, so if this is a concern for you make sure that the oat flour you use specifically states that it is gluten free.
You can buy pre-made ricotta cheese for these scones, but making your own is incredibly easy and will give your scones the best flavor and texture. You only need a bit of whole milk, lemon juice, and salt. In 5-10 minutes you’ll have a mound of fresh warm ricotta ready to use in these scones.
A Few Tips For Perfect Scones, Every Time:
*Do not over-mix your scone dough. Only knead or mix it until it just barely comes together. This will ensure that the scones are tender instead of tough.
*Be careful to not overcook the scones. Take them out of the oven as soon as the tops have a touch of golden brown. I like to let them cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then place them in an airtight container. The moisture that is trapped in the container with the warm scones will keep them more moist, for longer.
These scones are best eaten warm out of the oven. If eating once they’ve cooled, warm them up for 10 seconds in the microwave and drizzle with just a touch of honey and butter for the best way to enjoy these lovelies!
More Strawberry-filled Sweets:
Strawberry Vanilla Almond Cream Layer Cake
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Macaroons
Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Popsicles
- 1 cup Buckwheat Flour
- 1½ cups Oat Flour
- ¼ cup Coconut Palm Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 6 tablespoons Butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup Ricotta Cheese
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup + Strawberry Jam (sweetened with fruit juice)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, oat flour, palm sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, ricotta cheese, and cream until smooth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the egg mixture into it. Mix together until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a ¼-1/2" rectangle. Spread the jam on top of the dough in an even layer, using more or less jam, as desired. Roll the dough up (keeping the jam on the inside) as if you were forming cinnamon rolls. Wet the dough slightly with water at the seam and press the dough together to keep the spirals sealed.
- Using a piece of thread or floss, slide the thread underneath the roll of dough and cut 1 inch thick spirals. Placed the spirals 2 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake scones for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
- Store in an airtight container.
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