Tea time isn’t exactly an American tradition. In fact, where I live, if you ask for tea, it comes ice cold and sugary sweet. But over the last few years a sweet friend of mine, who is clearly more refined than I am, has hosted several “teas”. This usually marks the start of a new season of Downton Abbey. (I know it’s over now, and I don’t want to talk about it.) The beautiful spread of delicate tea cups, piping hot earl gray tea, cucumber sandwiches, clotted cream, and of course, scones was enough to make anyone consider themselves British for the evening. Thus the inspiration for these whole grain scones with lemon glaze. Brilliant!

Making scones with greek yogurt

The little gardeners have been listening to The Chronicles of Narnia as their bedtime reading for the past few months. We started in the beginning with The Magician’s Nephew and are now in the final book, The Last Battle. It’s an incredible series, and my husband and I looked forward to bedtime reading as much as the kids did. (The hubs even asked one night for “just one more chapter!”)

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, sweet Lucy meets a faun called Mr. Tumnus in her first trip into the land of Narnia. They strike up an immediate friendship over a tea of cake, jam, and toast with sardines. Clearly her parents never reinforced the whole “don’t talk to strangers, and certainly don’t go to their home five minutes after you meet them” rule. But thankfully, everything turns out just fine.

To mark the end of our Narnia journey, we decided to host a little Tea with Mr. Tumnus party with a few other homeschooling friends. The kids were thrilled to use real tea cups with saucers, tiny “silver” forks and spoons, and to have treats like pear cake, lemon glazed scones, and turkish delight. (Turkish delight is also from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I was able to order a small box from Amazon. It is essentially a square gummy-type candy coated in powdered sugar.) A fun time was had by all, including the moms, since we got to chat and enjoy scones and tea as well.

Whole Grain Scones with Lemon Glaze

If you’ve never had scones and are wondering what they are, they’re a bread (can be sweet or savory) with a slight crumbly texture and usually in a triangular shape. I decided to create a simple and slightly sweet whole wheat scone with a zesty lemon glaze to brighten up the taste. Lemons are such a versatile fruit, and these scones could even be left plain and served with cream or homemade lemon curd! The possibilities are endless. And I used greek yogurt in the scones to lighten them up and keep them from being too dry.

Lemon Scones with Greek Yogurt Ingredients:

2 cups soft whole wheat flour (any whole grain flour will do)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Sugar or honey
1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp milk I used unsweetened cashew
1 tsp Vanilla
4 tbsp cold butter cubed
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 lemon, zested
1/2 lemon, juiced

Whole Grain Lemon Scones Recipe:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine soft whole wheat flour (or all-purpose or regular whole wheat in a pinch) in a bowl along with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Add in cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to mix in. You want the mixture to look crumbly with no big chunks of butter.

In a separate bowl, combine Greek yogurt, vanilla, and milk. Add to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Your dough should be all together in a ball. But if it’s too crumbly, and not coming together, add more milk a tablespoon at a time.

Place your scone dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Form it into a flattened round shape about one inch thick. (I divided my dough and did two rounds since kids were going to be eating these. This made perfect sized scones for little hands.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and on top. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for several minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool completely.

While cooling, make the lemon glaze. Combine powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in small bowl. Stir until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. If you need to thicken your glaze, add more sugar. If you need to thin it, use more lemon juice (or milk for a less lemony taste). Place a sheet of wax paper under your wire rack, and drizzle the lemon glaze on top of each scone. (The wax paper makes clean up a breeze.)

Serve these whole grain yogurt scones with tea, coffee, or your beverage of choice. And don’t forget to lift your pinky! Enjoy!

Other Whole Grain Recipes to Enjoy:

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Pies

No Knead Whole Grain Baguette

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Yield: 8

Easy Scones with Zesty Lemon Glaze

A slightly sweet scone with a zesty lemon glaze! A perfect treat for breakfast or for any tea time.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups soft whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Sugar, or honey
1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp milk, I used unsweetened cashew
1 tsp Vanilla
4 tbsp cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 lemon, zested
1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or a fork until the mix resembles coarse crumbles.
Combine yogurt, vanilla, and milk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Dough should hold together. (Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, if dough is too dry.)
Place dough on parchment paper and shape/flatten into one large circle, or create two smaller circles. Use a pastry cutter or butter knife to cut dough into 8 equal pieces.
Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes on pan, then move scones to a cooling rack.
While scones are cooling, make glaze. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl, zest lemon into powdered sugar and stir. Juice half a lemon into the sugar and stir. If glaze needs to be thickened, add more powdered sugar. If you'd like a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice or a splash of milk.
Place a sheet of wax paper under cooling rack and drizzle lemon glaze on top of cooled scones. Serve for your next family breakfast or tea time. Enjoy!