Whole-Wheat Pear and Hazelnut Scones

I told you after my last post that I had pear and hazelnuts on the brain. Please be warned that these scones are unlike any of my previous recipes. I have been on this whole grain, nutty, hearty baked goods kick lately. Not to product drop, but I used the Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour for these. It doesn't necessarily matter what brand you use, just make sure it is something hearty. These are almost the texture of cornmeal muffins. The bits of diced pear just melt in your mouth and then you get the occasional crunch of hazelnut. Let's just say that I was home alone and ate the entire batch over three days. I liked them, yes I did. 
The dough is much more wet than previous recipes, it needs to be to offset the whole-wheat flour. I used Red Pears, but you could use any kind. I was thinking these would be perfect for Christmas morning if you used both red and green pears. They still feel kind of festive even if you don't. Hope you like them as much as I did.

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Whole-Wheat Pear and Hazelnut Scones Recipe
adapted from The Craft of Baking

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for cutting board
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 medium pear, diced
1/3 cup hazelnut, toasted and chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.
In a large bowl combine whole-wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the small pieces of butter, use the tips of your fingers to incorporate the butter into small pieces, flatten the butter into large flakes as you blend to create a flaky scones.
Add pear and hazelnuts, stir to combine. Stir milk into the mixture, use hands to thoroughly incorporate dry ingredients, but be careful not to overwork the dough. Turn dough out onto a floured cutting board. Pat dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into eight equal size wedges, transfer to cookie sheet keeping about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Place on cooling rack, and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Best served slightly warm.