Daring Bakers: Back to Basics – Scones

GINGER CREAM SCONES WITH CLOTTED CREAM AND JAM 

Gosh, is it the 27th of the month already?

I made the ginger cream scones pictured (and I seemed to have chosen the dreariest day to photograph them) some time ago and was going to try some other flavours, including savoury ones (mmm, pizza) and ginger beer scones from Dan Lepard (mmm, mmm), but have completely lost track of time. There has been a string of holidays in Malaysia in the past few weeks – Christmas and New Year's, then Chinese New Year on Jan 23-24 – and with all that celebrating, the first month of the year has just come and gone so quickly!

As I type this out, it is already 7.24am on Jan 27 and I should be getting ready for work. But the Daring Bakers post on our monthly challenges on the 27th and I shall not be late!

Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (aka biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

Audax' precise instructions were invaluable, and the end result of 16 batches (!) of scones. What dedication. I have made scones, but I don't think that I have made them 16 times in my whole life! For a glimpse of the scones from other Daring Bakers, head to The Daring Kitchen.

To add to all the recipes already out there, here's another from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, with my own metric conversions and minor changes. (And now I really must get ready for work!)

Lovely for breakfast, teatime and any time in between

Simple Ginger Cream Scones

Based on the recipe in Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Makes 8

280g all-purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

90g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled

100g coarsely chopped crystallised ginger

200ml heavy cream, approximate

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225°C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in food processor to combine, about 3 pulses. Scatter butter evenly over top and continue to pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some slightly larger pieces of butter, about 12 more pulses. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in crystallised ginger. Stir in about two-thirds of the cream first until dough begins to form; add more cream if mixture is still dry. This should take only about 30 seconds.

Turn dough and any floury bits out onto floured counter and lightly knead until a rough, sticky ball forms, 5-10 seconds. Pat dough into a disk about 2cm thick. Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter. Gather the dough scraps and pat out again, a little thicker this time, and cut out more rounds.

Place rounds on prepared baking sheet. Brush top with cream. Bake until tops of scones are lightly golden brown, 12-15 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Homemade Clotted Cream

From Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Makes 2 cups

375ml pasteurised (not ultra-pasteurised) heavy cream

125ml buttermilk

Combine cream and buttermilk in jar or measuring cup. Stir, cover and let stand at room temperature until mixture has thickened to the consistency of soft whipped cream, 12-24 hours. Refrigerate; cream will continue to thicken as it chills. 

Clotted cream can be refrigerated for up to 10 days.