Bacon and Cheese Scones with Sea Salt

Bacon and Cheese Scones with Sea Salt

Makes 8 scones.

I wanted these to taste like the scones I have had at Northstar Cafe and Kittie's Cakes, both in Columbus.  I can't say I completely created a replica, but they came pretty close!
Source: Our Nourishing Roots

2 cups freshly ground or sprouted* whole grain flour, preferably a lighter variety like soft white winter wheat (I didn't use freshly ground flour, just regular, and it seemed to still work out okay)
2 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, unsalted, chilled, cut into small pieces
6 pieces of bacon, cooked, chopped into small pieces (about 1 cup)
1 – 1 1/2 cups good sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425.

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, and salt.  Sprinkle the butter pieces over the top and pulse 10-12 times until the pieces are smaller and it looks like a coarse meal.

Add the cheese and bacon, pulsing once or twice to incorporate them.  Dump the mixture into a large bowl.

Pour the cream over the coarse meal, gently stirring with a rubber scraper until the dough just comes together.  Press the dough into a floured pie plate or cake pan and then turn out onto a lightly floured countertop.

With a pastry scraper, cut the disk of dough into 8 wedges.  Transfer to a parchment-lined jelly roll pan, leaving space between each wedge.

Bake for 11-14 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are nicely golden brown and the middle looks set.

Cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before moving the scones with a spatula.