Rhubarb, White Chocolate, & Buckwheat Scones

A quick, tangy bake to celebrate the brightness of early summer.

Recently, two Southern Californian friends of mine asked, “What is the deal with rhubarb?” It’s kind of bland and tangy, but that’s about it, they said. As a Midwesterner, I get the appeal. After a long, cold, gray winter (and spring), rhubarb wakes up our mouths. The puckery stalks provide the first bite of locally grown brightness after the dreary season. Nowadays, we get midwinter citrus shipped in, but back in the day, I bet the sourness of rhubarb livened up everyone’s springtime. It’s the tail end of rhubarb season in the southern part of the Midwest, but we still have plenty of sour stalks around these parts.

Most of rhubarb’s flavor comes from the tang of malic acid. Although it can be a bit one-dimensional, the tartness makes an excellent foil for creamy, soft, sweet things—like custard or white chocolate. Rhubarb is botanically related to buckwheat, so the nerd in me wants to pair them together. (As if I needed an excuse to bake with buckwheat.)

These hearty, not-too-sweet scones need a sprinkling of coarse sugar and a drizzle of melted chocolate—don’t skip that part. Try to use actual white chocolate, not “white chips” or other fake-outs—they’re not real chocolate. True white chocolate melts into the dough, adding a rich, layered sweetness to this simple bake.

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Rhubarb, White Chocolate, & Buckwheat Scones

These scones are not very sweet. They're the opposite: super tangy. For rhubarb lovers only.

Makes 8 scones.

Ingredients

Scone Dough

• 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour

• 120 g (1 cup) buckwheat flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 85 g (6 tablespoons) butter, cold and cubed

• 200 g rhubarb, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

• 80 g white chocolate, chopped

• 120 g (1/2 cup) buttermilk (preferred) or whole milk, cold

• 1 large egg, cold

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

• 1 tablespoon coarse turbinado sugar

• 1 tablespoon hulled buckwheat groats (optional)

Drizzle

• 60 g white chocolate, melted

Instructions

Prepare. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat to 400°F (204°C). Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter and toss to coat, then flatten each cube between your fingertips. Continue rubbing the butter in until the pieces are about the size of lentils. Add the white chocolate and rhubarb; toss to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. Knead a few times to bring it together. (Because half the flour is gluten-free buckwheat, you don’t need to worry much about overmixing.)

Shape the scones. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and dust the top lightly with flour. Pat into a 7-inch disc. Cut into 8 wedges using a bench scraper or chef’s knife, and transfer to the prepared sheet pan.

[Optional step:] For the best rise, chill the shaped scones in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Before baking, brush the tops with milk or cream, then sprinkle generously with coarse turbinado sugar and buckwheat groats, if using.

Bake. Bake at 400°F until puffed, golden, and slightly darkened at the edges—about 18–22 minutes.

Finish. Drizzle with melted white chocolate for a touch of extra sweetness. To help the drizzle set quickly, you can refrigerate the scones briefly, but let them come back to room temperature before serving.

These are best the day they’re made.

Happy Baking,
Martin