Wholemeal Maple Scones with a Light Glaze

Why Maple Syrup Earns Its Place in British Baking

Maple syrup is not just for pouring over pancakes. In the British kitchen, it brings a soft caramel note, a gentle sweetness, and a talent for keeping baked goods moist. Unlike caster sugar, which sweetens without adding much character, maple syrup contributes flavour as well as sugar. For wholemeal scones, that matters. The nutty, slightly earthy quality of wholemeal flour can be a little austere on its own. Maple syrup rounds it off beautifully.

Use an amber or dark robust maple syrup for baking. The delicate grade is lovely on porridge but too subtle once it meets flour and heat. As a general rule, if you are swapping sugar for maple syrup in a recipe, replace 100g sugar with 75–80ml maple syrup and reduce other liquids by about one tablespoon for every 50ml of syrup. Scones are forgiving, so you can be relaxed about this — but the flavour is the real reason to make the swap.

The Wholemeal Difference: Flour, Texture and Flavour

Wholemeal flour gives scones a wheaty depth and a slightly open, tender crumb. But 100% wholemeal can be heavy and dry. The most reliable approach is a blend: 200g wholemeal plain flour and 150g white plain flour. The white flour provides structure and lightness; the wholemeal brings flavour. If you only have wholemeal, add an extra teaspoon of liquid and handle the dough gently.

Wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid than white, so keep some buttermilk back and add it only if the dough needs it. You want a soft, slightly sticky dough that just comes together. Two teaspoons of baking powder and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda give the lift. Half a teaspoon of fine sea salt sharpens the flavour. Cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, is rubbed in until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. A light touch here means taller scones.

Maple Wholemeal Scones: The Recipe

Makes 8 scones. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Line a baking tin with baking parchment.

Ingredients:

• 200g wholemeal plain flour
• 150g white plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 75g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 80ml maple syrup (amber or dark)
• 160–180ml buttermilk, or milk with 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• Milk, for brushing

For the glaze: 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp milk.

Method: Whisk the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until no large lumps remain. In a jug, stir the maple syrup and vanilla into the buttermilk. Pour most of this into the dry ingredients and bring together with a round-bladed knife. Add the remaining liquid if needed — the dough should be soft but not wet. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat to about 3cm thick. Cut with a 6cm cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Place on the tin, brush the tops with milk, and bake for 12–15 minutes until well risen and golden. Meanwhile, warm the glaze ingredients in a small pan. Brush over the hot scones as soon as they come out of the oven. Cool on a wire rack.

The Light Glaze That Keeps Them Moist

A heavy icing makes scones cloying. This glaze is deliberately thin. Brushing it on while the scones are hot means it melts into the surface, sealing in moisture and adding a gentle sheen. The butter helps the glaze cling; the milk stops it turning sticky. If you prefer a slightly thicker finish, add a tablespoon of icing sugar to the warm glaze, but keep it pourable. Brush twice if you like.

This step is what keeps wholemeal scones moist for two days. Without it, they tend to dry out by the next morning. After cooling, wrap the scones in a clean tea towel and store them in an airtight tin. The glaze also means they revive beautifully.

Variations and Seasonal Twists

Once you have the base recipe, it is easy to adapt. Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of mixed spice, or the finely grated zest of an orange. Fold in 75g raisins, chopped dried cranberries, or chopped walnuts. For a maple and pecan version, add 60g chopped pecans to the dough and scatter a few more on top before baking.

For an oat-topped finish, brush with milk and sprinkle with porridge oats before baking. A savoury variation works well too: omit the maple syrup, add 50g grated mature Cheddar and 1 teaspoon of mustard powder, and glaze with milk only. Maple also pairs surprisingly well with rosemary — scatter a little chopped rosemary and a pinch of sea salt over the glaze while it is still tacky. In autumn, a handful of chopped cooked apple, well drained, makes a lovely seasonal scone.

Serving, Storing and Rescuing Day-Old Scones

Serve the scones warm with butter, clotted cream, or a spoonful of maple butter. To make maple butter, beat 100g soft unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and a pinch of salt until light and fluffy. It keeps in the fridge for a week.

Scones are best on the day they are made, but these hold up well. Store in an airtight tin lined with baking parchment, with a tea towel over the top. To refresh, warm in a 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3 oven for 5 minutes. Baked scones freeze well for up to one month; reheat from frozen at 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 for 8–10 minutes.

Day-old scones are not a disappointment — they are an opportunity. Split them, toast them, and top with cheese or jam. Or tear them into a buttered dish, pour over a custard made with milk, eggs and a little maple syrup, and bake until golden for a simple maple bread and butter pudding. If they do dry out completely, blitz them into breadcrumbs and use them as a crumble topping. The light glaze means they stay softer for longer than most wholemeal bakes, but try not to push past three days. After that, the crumble tin is your friend.