Servings: 8
Equipment
- Pastry cutter
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
- ⅔ cup cold plain milk kefir plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
- 1 large egg cold
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 2 tbsps coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not preheat the oven yet; the dough chills first.
- Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until fully combined.
- Add the cold butter cubes. Cut in with a pastry cutter or rub between your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with visible pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Whisk the ⅔ cup kefir, egg, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture, holding back 2 tablespoons if your kefir is thin (see Notes). Stir with a spatula just until a shaggy dough forms. A few dry patches are fine. Do not overmix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press into a rough 8-inch round, fold in thirds like a letter, then press back into a 7-inch round about 1¼ inches thick.
- Cut into 8 wedges, pressing straight down. Space them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Freeze the tray for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F while it chills.
- Brush the tops with the reserved 1 tablespoon kefir and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until deep golden on top and 200°F in the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Kefir thickness: if your homemade kefir is thin enough to run off a spoon like cream, hold back 2 tablespoons and add back only if needed. If it is thick enough to plop, loosen with milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Butter temperature is the whole recipe. If it softens while you work, chill the bowl for 10 minutes.
- Freeze raw: freeze cut wedges on the tray, bag up to 3 months, bake from frozen with 3 to 5 extra minutes.
- Storage: airtight, 2 days at room temperature. Reheat for 5 minutes at 300°F.
- Do not substitute bread flour. The crumb turns chewy.
Nutrition
Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 429IU | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe? Share it Today!Mention @wholesomefamilymeals or tag #wholesomefamilymeals!