RECIPE REVEAL Whole Wheat Cranberry

PUTTING HERITAGE BACK INTO BAKING With grains stone milled from Barton Springs Mill, Abby Jane Love reimagines “heritage.”

BY ALLIE JUSTIS

Louisiana native Abby Jane Love came to Austin back in 2013, and after being in the restaurant community for a few years, she wanted to branch out and get back to her bakery roots. In 2016, Love was brought onto the Barton Springs Mill team to oversee their in-house bakery, and from there she never looked back.

“I was really immersed in the world of local food in a way that I had never been before,” says Love. “It’s a hard life, but I feel like I have a pretty specific set of skills that enable me to be a link in the chain between what the farmers are doing, what the millers are doing and what the public is wanting.”

Barton Springs Mill specializes in stone-milled heirloom and landrace grains, which aren’t commercially or strategically bred. The mill sources their grains from a handful of farmers. After the grains are put through a stone milling process to create their unique flour, Love uses the final products in her baked goods.

“It’s a living product,” says Love. “It’s nutritionally superior, and they all taste different. When you use the stone milling process, you just get more flavor. So as a baker…I got to do what chefs everywhere get to do when they get to choose the healthy ingredients to make my products.”

Love strives to always make a good impact on the community by using local ingredients in her baking and supporting sustainable agriculture.

“My goal has always been to be a beloved neighborhood bakery,” says Love. “I’m not trying for a James Beard Award, I’m not trying to hit the top 10. I just want our customers to love us and to keep coming.”

Love chose to reveal her favorite cranberry scone recipe, as well as the secret to getting the best results.

“I think the best way to get the most bang-foryour-flour buck is by using whole wheat flour,” says Love. “Whole wheat flour helps make the scone more dense, which helps keep it together. A cream scone hydrates the flour nicely. Definitely use fresh flour and buy flour from Barton Springs Mill. It is 100% a game changer. Fresh flour will take your baking to a place you didn’t even know existed.”

WHOLE WHEAT CRANBERRY AND PISTACHIO SCONE WITH SATSUMA GLAZE

Ingredients Scones: 1 Satsuma or small orange, zested and juiced 1/3 cup sugar 2 3/4 cup Marquis whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup pistachios, lightly toasted 1 2/3 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup prepared cranberry jam 1 egg, beaten, or 1 tablespoon of heavy cream for brushing on top Glaze: 1/4 cup Satsuma or orange juice 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375°, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, combine zest of Satsuma and sugar. Rub between your fingers until the sugar becomes fragrant and resembles wet sand. 3. Add flour, baking powder, salt and pistachios to the sugar mixture. 4. Separately, whisk together cream, honey and 2 tablespoons of Satsuma juice. 5. Pour the whisked liquids into the dry mixture all at once and mix just until the dough comes together. 6. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and flatten each into an 8-inch circle. 7. Spread jam in a donut pattern over the top of one circle, leaving a 1/2 inch of border and about an inch diameter in the center uncovered. Top with the second circle and lightly press to connect. 8. Cut the circle into 8 wedges. 9. Transfer wedges to the prepared baking sheet and brush with egg wash or cream. 10. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill 15 minutes before baking. (At this point, scones may rest up to 18 hours in the refrigerator.) 11. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through. 12. To make the glaze, stir together juice and powdered sugar. For best results, spoon over the top of scones while still slightly warm to get a melty, drip effect. (Optionally, add additional chopped pistachio for garnish before the glaze sets.) 13. The prepared scone dough can also be flash frozen. Place scone wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover in plastic wrap and set in the freezer for 30-45 minutes before baking. Bake straight from frozen and increase baking time by 5-7 minutes. Use frozen dough within a week.