Barley & Spelt Scones

When I went looking for barley based quick breads, I soon came across Finnish Rieska. Rieska is simply the word for bread, but it appears to mostly apply to fairly rustic flat-breads these days. There seems to be a lot of variation in the breads themselves, from simple mixtures of barley flour, water, and salt cooked somewhere between crisp and chewy, to fairly elaborate multi-grain versions with butter, eggs, and sugar, leavened with yeast or baking powder.

I have gone for a middle way with mine, and essentially used this northern Scottish barley scone recipe. It's from Orkney, which has strong Scandinavian connections so they are certainly related recipes and I am left with the impression that this could be a Finnish Rieska very easily. I've upped the salt, and the leavening, and the buttermilk; the last probably because I am using slightly different flours. I also baked mine in the oven, although there is no reason not to cook them on a griddle and I will probably try that out as the weather gets warmer and I am less enthused about putting on the oven.

Possibly I will continue to play around with other versions of barley flat-breads, or possibly I will find myself making this regularly. I was very pleased with how this turned out. I expected it to be a bit heavy, and it is; but it's light enough that I would rate it as sturdy rather than stodgy. One piece will go a long way to filling you up!

8 servings
40 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

2 cups barley flour
1 cup whole spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk plus a little

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Measure the barley flour, spelt flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl and mix well.

Stir in the buttermilk. At some point you will likely need to abandon the spoon and mix it with your hand. You should get a smooth, stiff, but pliable dough. You shouldn't knead it, but it can be turned out and worked enough to get it smooth. You may need to add a tablespoon more of buttermilk to get the last bits worked in.

Once you have a smooth ball, flatten it out and put it on the prepared parchment. Keep flattening and shaping it until it is round and evenly about 3/4" thick. Score it into eighths with a pizza cutter or knife, but not all the way through. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm. Since there is no fat in it, it won't really colour up.

Let it cool to warm before cutting it into wedges and serving. Excellent with butter, cheese, jam, etc.




Last year at this time I made Cheddar Cheese Crackers. 

Posted in: Ontario Food