Today I’m sharing a healthy breakfast scones recipe and talking about why you’d want to use kefir in recipes. If you’re looking for ways to use up extra kefir, or have been thinking about jumping on the kefir bandwagon, then keep reading!
How are you liking this little kefir series? Learn more about how to make kefir and why you’d want to in this post. Or Pin it for later!
Related: Peanut Butter Kefir Popsicles , Cherry Kefir Popsicles
How To Make Scones With Kefir
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat flour (fresh-milled is great here!), 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 large egg with 3 Tbsp sugar until foamy.
- Next, add in 4/5 cup (200 ml) cold milk kefir to the egg mixture and set aside in fridge.
- Grate 6 Tbsp very cold (or even frozen) butter into the flour mixture and rub between fingers to incorporate. Largest pieces should be pea-sized or smaller.
- Do the same with 2 Tbsp room temperature coconut oil.
- Pour liquid ingredients into dry and carefully fold together, being sure not to overmix.
- Turn dough out onto counter. If it’s a bit sticky, cover the counter with flour first. You can add a bit more if needed. If it seems too dry, slowly drizzle a bit more kefir at a time until it just comes together.
- Flatten dough out into a rough rectangle, fold it over itself and press down. Do this twice more to build flaky layers. Work quickly and don’t allow dough to become warm.
- Roll out to about 3/4″ thick and cut out with a 2″ biscuit cutter or small glass.
- Place on a parchment paper covered tray or plate and chill scones, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile preheat oven to 450 F.
- Brush scones with egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 1 Tbsp water.
- Bake at this temp for 6 minutes then lower to 375 F and bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until scones are golden brown. Enjoy with butter and jam!
What You Need To Make These Healthy Breakfast Scones
- biscuit cutter or small glass
- milk kefir
- other ingredients listed above
- rolling pin
Are Scones Healthy?
These healthy breakfast scones are! While plenty of scone recipes are loaded with sugar and lack any other nutritious ingredients, I love these scones because:
- I use fresh-milled whole wheat flour (whole wheat flour from the store is good, too!)
- Kefir adds calcium, protein, B vitamins and more
- Traditionally, scones weren’t hyper-sweet like the ones you get at bakeries nowadays, and these scones are more traditional in that sense- only 3 tablespoons for the whole batch!
- But they’re still adaptable: If you are wanting a bit of a treat, you can add a little more sugar or some honey, plus something yummy like mini-chocolate chips or turbinado sugar on top.
- Butter plus coconut oil make these scones nice and soft and keep a bit longer than a straight butter recipe. Not to mention those healthy fats will help to keep you fuller longer.
As I mentioned in my French Toast Casserole, Sourdough Protein Muffins, Soft Baked Granola Bars AND Simple Healthy Sourdough Crepes recipes, pairing a sweeter or more carb-heavy breakfast item with eggs, bacon, sausage or another higher protein dish will always up the nutrition and balance things out even more.
Personally, I love having a little something sweet with my morning coffee- it just tastes all the better 🙂
Why Bake With Kefir?
Firstly, I love to use kefir every which way I can. In order to keep my kefir grains healthy, especially in the summer time, I have to make a new batch every day! That’s quite a bit of kefir for a family of 5. I have my little morning glass of plain kefir every day but no one else in my family enjoys it quite as much. So using kefir in recipes means none of it goes to waste.
Secondly, kefir is also great for soaking grains, especially if you aren’t into sourdough. (Soaking or fermenting grains makes them much easier for your body to digest and absorb all the nutrients from the grains. You can soak grains in cultured buttermilk, sourdough starter, even water with a splash of apple cider vinegar. I like to do that last one with brown rice or oats.)
Third, kefir works like buttermilk in recipes. It reacts with baking soda, making things fluffy and light. Did you know that if you use baking without enough acid (vinegar, buttermilk, sourdough starter, kefir, etc.) it doesn’t fully activate and can make your recipe taste metallic?
Lastly, kefir adds a nutritious punch to baked goods. Again, kefir is full of protein, calcium, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and more!
Does Baking With Kefir Kill The Probiotics?
Yes, that level of heat will kill the beneficial bacteria BUT baking with kefir is great not only for the above listed reasons, but also for:
- Flavor- kefir adds a tangy flavor like buttermilk or yogurt
- Moisture- just like adding sour cream or yogurt to a recipe
- Texture- kefir, like buttermilk, makes for a wonderfully fluffy crumb
Plus, you can always drink a glass of kefir alongside your scone and it’s a win-win!
Step-By-Step Photos
A Note On Fresh-Milled Grains
Milling your own grains is becoming more and more popular, and not just with preppers.
Milling your own grains increases the nutrition of your flour by leaps and bounds. Flour normally has a very short shelf-life, which is why you want to use your fresh-milled grains right away.
The flour we buy from the store (and trust me, I do too!) has been spun in a centrifuge to remove some or all of the bran and germ. This makes it shelf-stable.
Adding in store-bought whole wheat flour still adds a lot more nutrients than using just all-purpose, and we’re all doing the best we can here!
If you do choose to mill your own whole wheat flour for this recipe, I suggest measuring 1 cup of wheat berries into your mill, then sifting and re-milling any large pieces. Then sifting both flours together along with your baking powder into your bowl.
After doing this, I just had a couple of tablespoons of wheat bran left over. I love to throw bran into muffins! Save it in an airtight container and use it within 3 days.
You can learn more about milling grains from Kristin at Generation Acres Farm
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Grab Your Healthy Breakfast Scones Recipe Below
Looking for more healthy-but-delicious breakfast recipes? Find them here!
Healthy Breakfast Scones
Made healthier with kefir and fresh whole grains, these healthy breakfast scones are perfect any time of day. Nourishing, satisfying, fluffy and delicious, pile the, high with whipped cream and berry sauce or keep it simple with butter or jam.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150g) whole wheat flour (I use freshly milled hard white)
- 1 1/2 (210g) cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 4/5 cup (200 ml), 190g) cold milk kefir
- 6 Tbsp (80g) cold butter
- 2 Tbsp room temp coconut oil (or additional cold butter)
- additional flour for sprinkling surface
- 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp water for egg wash
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat flour (fresh-milled is great here!), 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 large egg with 3 Tbsp sugar until foamy.
- Next, add in 4/5 cup (200 ml) cold milk kefir to the egg mixture and set aside in the fridge.
- Grate 6 Tbsp very cold (or even frozen) butter into the flour mixture with a box grater or dice into very small pieces. Rub between fingers to incorporate. Largest pieces should be pea-sized or smaller. You can also use a pastry cutter for this.
- Do the same with 2 Tbsp room temperature coconut oil. Alternatively you can use 8 Tbsp cold butter (in total) but coconut oil does help preserve these a bit longer and retain moisture.
- Pour liquid ingredients into dry and carefully fold together, being sure not to overmix.
- Turn your dough out onto the counter. If it's a bit sticky, cover the counter with flour first. You can add a bit more if needed. If it seems too dry, slowly drizzle a bit more kefir at a time until it just comes together.
- Flatten dough out into a rough rectangle, fold it over itself and press down. Do this twice more to build flaky layers. Work quickly and don't allow dough to become warm.
- Roll out to about 3/4" thick and cut out with a 2" biscuit cutter or small glass.
- Place on a parchment paper covered tray or plate and chill scones, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile preheat oven to 450 F.
- Brush the scones with the egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 1 Tbsp water whisked together. At this point you can sprinkle on turbinado if desired.
- Bake at this temp for 6 minutes then lower to 375 F and bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until scones are golden brown. Enjoy with berries and cream, butter or jam!
Notes
Keep everything as cold as possible and avoid overworking the dough.
You can use just all-purpose if you don't want to use any whole wheat flour.
Do not twist the biscuit cutter as you cut out the scones- press down and lift straight up. Twisting seals off the edges which inhibits the rise of the scones.
See full blog post for step-by-step photos and additional details.
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Happy to help in the comments! See you again soon,
-Tara
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