ginger pear scones

ingredients:

scones:

2 cups of all-purpose flour, more for hands and work surface

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

2-1/2 tsps of baking powder

1/2 tsp of ground ginger

1 stick of unsalted butter, frozen

1/2 cup of heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)

1 large egg

2 tbsps of fresh grated ginger

1-1/2 cups of chopped pears 

coarse sugar for topping, optional

Ginger icing:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp of ground ginger

2-3 tbsp of heavy cream 

supplies:

3 mixing bowls and whisks

box grater

Food processor

pastry cutter or 2 forks

large plate

large baking sheet and parchment paper

directions:

in a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and ground ginger together. using a box grater, grate the frozen butter and add it to the flour mixture. combine with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture comes together in small crumbs. optionally, you can do this in a food processor by pulsing the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and ground ginger with the frozen butter (cut up into pieces). place the flour/butter mix in the fridge while you mix the wet ingredients together.

in another bowl, mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream, the egg, and fresh ginger together. remove the flour/butter mix from the fridge and drizzle the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. add the pears in, and mix together until everything appears moistened.

to make the scones, pour the dough on to the counter and work the dough into a ball with your hands (flour your hands as the dough will be sticky). if the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. if it seems too dry, add 1-2 more tbsps of heavy cream. next, press the dough into an round disc (about 8 inches in diameter)and cut 8 wedges. place scones on a large plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to overnight. the colder the dough, the less they will spread in the oven, be sure to make time for this!

when ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 (do not remove the scones from the fridge until they are ready to go into the oven; they shouldn’t sit on the counter while the oven preheats). brush the scones with about 2 tbsps of heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange scones 2-3 inches apart baking sheet.

bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. while the scones are in the oven, make the lemon icing by simply mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. if the icing is too thick, add more liquid. if it’s too thin, add a little more powered sugar until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. you want the icing to easily pour off of a spoon for drizzling. once the scones are finished baking, let cool for about 5 minutes before drizzling with the lemon icing. enjoy! 

note: scones can be very hard to make. the key is keeping the dough cold. while making them, if you ever feel the dough is getting warm, pop it in the fridge. after forming my dough into a circle, I popped the dough in the fridge before cutting them. then again in the fridge after I cut them. also, if you think your dough isn’t coming together, it might be too wet (add more flour) or too dry (add a little more heavy cream).