Ginger Cream Scones

I normally prefer cooking to baking, but with leftover heavy cream and buttermilk from last week's pancakes, I knew I needed to find some baked goods to make. I'm planning to make some buttermilk biscuits with the buttermilk (future post maybe?), and the heavy cream went towards these delicious ginger scones. This post is light on the photos, partly because flour-y things don't make for the most beautiful pictures, and partly because I felt that kneading a heap of wet dough and taking photos at the same time wouldn't turn out so well for my camera.

So let's get started!

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
• 4 1/2 ounces candied ginger, finely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces to equal 2/3 cup
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing the tops of the scones

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 F. 

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the lemon zest and butter, and pulse on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ginger. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. (This whole one hand bit is key--you'll want that other hand armed with a fork to scrape the dough off of your mixing hand!)

Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times to gather it into a ball. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Slice (like a pie) into 6-8 triangles. Place the scones 1 inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the surface cracks and they are slightly browned. 

Ok, so not the most beautiful presentation ever.....but they are without a doubt the most buttery, flaky scones I've ever made. Fit for a bakery!

Recipe adapted from here.