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Einkorn Cream Scones, made with freshly milled flour, are a delightful treat the whole family will enjoy. The unique, natural flavor of einkorn pairs beautifully with a hint of sweetness from the sugar and the crisp, buttery texture of the scones—creating a picture-perfect breakfast or afternoon tea snack.

Einkorn is renowned for its impressive nutritional benefits. What many don’t realize is that freshly milled einkorn also provides an ideal structure for quick baked goods. If you want to serve nutritious treats without compromise, I highly recommend trying this recipe!

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Why Bake with Fresh-Milled Einkorn Flour?

What Makes Einkorn Different from Modern Wheat

Einkorn has simpler genetics than modern wheat. While modern wheats contain 42 chromosomes, einkorn has just 14.

Einkorn is a difficult wheat to grow due to several factors. First, its berries are encased in a husk that must be removed before milling, which reduces the usable yield after harvest.

This ancient grain grows much taller than modern wheat varieties, making it more susceptible to being blown down by strong winds. Additionally, einkorn produces smaller heads with fewer kernels per stem, which makes harvesting more challenging.

Modern wheat has undergone hybridization—the process of combining different wheat varieties with desirable traits to form new varieties. As a result, modern wheat generally produces larger grain heads, higher yields, shorter plants, and clusters its grains at the top of the plant’s stem.

Health Benefits of Einkorn Flour

What Is an Ancient Grain?

Einkorn is considered an ancient grain. What exactly is that, you ask? Ancient grains are particular varieties of grains that can be dated back to the beginning of wheat cultivation. These grains include einkorn, spelt, emmer, and khorasan.

If you’re new to fresh-milled baking, my Wheat Berry 101 post walks through what wheat berries are and what type of wheat is best for various baking applications.

Nutritional Advantages of Einkorn

Einkorn is vastly more nutritious than your average modern wheat. Einkorn contains around 30% more protein and antioxidants. It also has a larger amount of B vitamins and essential dietary and trace minerals. Amazingly enough, einkorn also contains 200% more lutein (the same antioxidant found in egg yolks) than modern wheat.

Comparing einkorn to durum wheat (which is traditionally used to make pasta), einkorn has 50% more manganese, riboflavin, and zinc, and 20% more magnesium, thiamin, niacin, iron, and vitamin B6.

Check out my blog post here for a more thorough breakdown of the benefits of all fresh-milled flours.

Why This 100% Einkorn Scone Recipe Works

This recipe celebrates the natural qualities of einkorn—its rich flavor and internal structure perfectly suited for quick-baked goods.

You’ll find this recipe incredibly easy to prepare, with minimal cleanup required. Simply mix all the ingredients in one bowl, then shape the dough directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet—no rolling pin needed.

While most fresh-milled recipes recommend resting your flour and liquid to soften the bran and germ, I find it’s unnecessary for these cream scones. This makes them a quick, low-mess treat everyone will love!

For more detailed information about baking with einkorn and understanding its unique gluten structure, I highly recommend Einkorn: Recipes for Nature’s Original Wheat by Carla Bartolucci.

Tools You’ll Need

Grain mill
Kitchen scale (highly recommended) or measuring utensils
Large mixing bowl
Dough whisk or wooden spoon
Pastry cutter (my favorite option), or two forks, or kitchen box grater
Baking sheet
Parchment paper

Are you interested in more fresh-milled baking tools that I find helpful? Then check out this post!

Ingredients for 100% Einkorn Cream Scones

Freshly milled einkorn
Sugar
Baking powder
Salt
Cold, unsalted butter
Cold heavy cream
Coarse sugar (an optional topping)

Step-by-Step: How to Make Fresh-Milled Einkorn Cream Scones

Step 1: Mill Grains and Mix Dry Ingredients

Mill your einkorn grains on a fine setting. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together well.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Cut In Your Cold Butter

It is important to work fairly quickly now. I prefer to remove the butter once step 1 is completed. There are several ways to cut butter into flour. My favorite is to cut the butter in half lengthwise twice, then cut those pieces in half again. Sprinkle the butter over the flour, then use a pastry cutter to work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse sand with some larger bits remaining.

You can also use two forks to accomplish this. I have also used frozen butter and grated it with a box grater into the flour with success. Do what you find to be the easiest method.

Step 3: Pour In Cream and Shape

Pour in your cream. It may seem like it is not enough, but work with it using your hands until it clumps together. Continue bringing the dough together until you can form a disc and little dry flour remains.

Place the dough on the parchment paper and shape it into a thick, round disc that is about 1 inch thick. The width of my disc is a little under 6 inches.

Step 4: Brush On Cream and Bake

Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to brush cream onto the top of each scone. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar, use regular sugar, or omit the sugar entirely.

Cut into 6 equal wedges.

Separate the scones, leaving about 1 inch between each scone.

For best shape retention, place your shaped scones in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. I find this helps them stay tall, but they still hold a fine shape if you can’t do this step.

Bake the scones at 400°F for 15-18 minutes, or until slightly golden. 17 minutes is the perfect timing in my oven.

Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Fresh-Milled Einkorn Cream Scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15–18 minutes
Yield: 6 large scones
Oven Temperature: 400°F

Important: Use a kitchen scale for best results with fresh-milled flour. Gram measurements are the most accurate. Volume measurements are provided only as a convenience and may vary.

Ingredients

300 g fresh-milled einkorn flour (about 2½ cups)
60 g granulated sugar (about ¼ cup + 1 tbsp)
4 g salt (about ¾ tsp)
12 g baking powder (about 1 tbsp)
113 g cold unsalted butter, cubed (1 stick)
120 g cold heavy cream (about ½ cup), plus more for topping
Optional coarse sugar for topping

Step 1 – Mill and Mix

Mill einkorn berries on a fine setting. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2 – Cut in the Butter

Add the cold cubed butter and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, forks, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger butter pieces remaining.

Step 3 – Add Cream and Shape

Pour in the cold cream and gently mix until the dough clumps together. Press into a round disc about 1 inch thick, bringing together any dry flour as needed. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Cut into 6 equal wedges.

Step 4 – Bake

Separate the scones slightly on the baking sheet. Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until lightly golden. In my oven, 17 minutes is perfect.

Recipe Notes

Optional: For the best shape retention, place the cut scones in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. This helps keep the butter cold and encourages taller scones.

These fresh-milled einkorn scones are intentionally tender and delicate. Avoid overmixing the dough for the best texture.

Tips For Success

Mill your einkorn on a fine setting.
Cut your cold butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse sand with larger bits.
Pour the cream into your dough until it just forms some clumps; then, slowly work it together.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Einkorn cream scones store well on the counter for up to 3 days. I use this bread bag for storage, but a bread box like this one would work well, too.

This would be an excellent opportunity to fill your freezer for a busy morning! Double or even triple this batch. Bake your scones, let them cool completely, put them in a freezer-safe bag, and remove as much air as possible. Don’t forget to label them along with the date. It is best to eat them within 3 months.

FAQ

What makes einkorn different from modern wheat in scones?

Einkorn contains the highest protein content of any grain, yet it is not in a balanced enough form to create strong gluten. With breads, it can be difficult to work with, but with scones, it is a great advantage. You will find einkorn scones to have superior flavor and texture to modern wheat.

Can I use all-purpose einkorn flour instead of freshly milled einkorn flour in this recipe?

Yes, but I would omit 10-15 grams of liquid for the first try. You want a fairly dry dough for successful scones.

Why is my einkorn scone dough sticky?

This recipe should yield a dry, almost sandy dough at first. If your dough is sticky, you have added too much cream. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to get your best results. If you do not have one, pour the cream into your flour until you can get some clumping. After that, stop pouring the cream and work with the dough until you can squeeze it all into a disc.