A Little Nutmeg Gives Maple a Boost
Do not skip it.
Good breakfast pastries solve problems. They should have a simple baking method for hectic mornings, be hand-held for grabbing on your way out the door, and be satisfying enough to keep you going for those first few hours before lunch. This week I made our Toasted Oat and Maple Scones, because I had places to be and people to see. I’m happy to report that these scones checked all those boxes and more.
But there’s far more to love than mere convenience. Unlike most scones, these didn’t force dried fruit upon me. (I’ve grown tired of raisins and cranberry studded baked goods from the holidays.) To be clear, these scones are not boring. There are maple-coated toasted oats for flavor and texture, tangy buttermilk (used for both its acidity and shortening qualities), and a drizzle of icing for sweetness (and a bit of fun). The flavor combination manages to be interesting while maintaining an everyday simplicity.
There aren’t many ingredients in the recipe, and they’re all easy to find, either in your pantry or at the grocery store. There is, however, one ingredient that you might be tempted to skip. It’s the freshly grated nutmeg. I know this about you because I also wanted to omit it.
Don’t skip the nutmeg! It’s a tiny amount, and it’s only added to the glaze, but this touch of spice sets off the maple flavor in the entire scone. If you’ve ever made a maple-flavored cake or cookie and felt like the maple disappeared into the background, you’re right. That is true and real. Maple is a delicate flavor that can be easily lost, but a pinch of nutmeg will bring it forward again. Using pre-ground nutmeg is, but do not skip it.
To keep your morning routine on schedule, our recipe makes use of a food processor to cut in the cold, salted butter, but you can also use a pastry blender or fork if needed. For other quick-bread breakfast bakes, try our Carrot-Tahini Quick Bread with Candied Ginger and Pistachios or Cardamom-Spiced Pistachio and Apricot Muffins.
Baking Tip of the Week: Dividing dough evenly into wedges, rounds and bars
Cutting dough into equal pieces is an extremely common step in baking, and if you don’t keep a “measure twice, cut once” attitude about it, it’ll be a chronic problem. Not only does it keep your baking uniform and attractive, but if you keep the pieces even then you’ll ensure they bake evenly and at the same rate.
The best way to divide dough—whether it’s cinnamon rolls, granola bars, or wedges for these scones—is to score or mark it first, and then split it in half. Don’t skip the scoring part. I’ve had my fair share of “knowing” what halfway was, and let me tell you, it’s not always easy to stick slivers of dough back together.
From there, you can score your halves into however many pieces you need. If it’s an even number, cut the half in half and split it from there. It’s much more manageable to work in segments and you’ll probably never have a weird, off-size cut again.
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Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Allie Chantorn Reinmann is a Digital Staff Writer for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. She’s a Thai-American chef who earned her diploma for Pastry and Baking Arts at The Institute of Culinary Education and worked professionally for over a decade honing her craft in New York City at places like Balthazar, Bien Cuit, The Chocolate Room, Billy’s Bakery and Whole Foods. Allie took her know-how from the kitchen to the internet, writing about food full-time at Lifehacker for three years and starting her own YouTube channel, ThaiNYbites. You can find her whipping up baked goods for cafés around Brooklyn, building wedding cakes and trying her hand (feet?) at marathon running. She’s working on her debut cookbook and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
