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We don’t “do” white flour very often, but if you are going to make an exception, this is the way to do it! I highly recommend these melt in your mouth morsels! They are perfect for a special occasions, holidays, guests, or whenever you need to feel indulged and you have enough people around to help you eat them right out of the oven…

We got started on these because my husband picked up a cool old cast iron scone pan at the dump, of all places, and then made a project of cleaning it up to be good as new. Now after all that excitement, making scones seemed necessary, so the hunt for a recipe was on. Fortunately, I found these in my copy of the Flour Cookbook, which I bought on my visit to the fabulous Flour Bakery in Boston. I couldn’t find a link to this recipe, so I am reproducing it below; this recipe was worth the price of the cookbook!

This recipe makes 10 scones, and the effort to make them is totally worthwhile.

I relate the recipe as it is offered in the cookbook, since I assume you haven’t found such a nifty pan at the dump like we did, so your scone will be a different shape than our’s shown above, but just as delectable!

Lemon Ginger Scones

Preheat the oven to 350˚F, with rack in the center

2 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup plus two tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 8 to 10 pieces
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cold egg
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger (about a 2” knob)

For the lemon glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 to 1 1/2 lemons)

With mixer, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, ground ginger, crystalized ginger, and lemon zest on low speed until combined. Scatter the butter over the top and beat on low speed for 30 seconds until the butter in broken down into grape sized pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, cream, egg and grated ginger until thoroughly mixed. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and beat on low speed for 20 to 30 seconds, just until the dough comes together. There will still be a little loose flour at the bottom of the bowl.

Gather the dough in your hands and turn it over in the bowl so it picks up the loose flour at the bottom of the bowl. Do this several times if necessary until all the four is incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently roll it out about 1 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2 round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more circles. You should have ten circles.

(At this point, the unbaked scones can be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to a week. Proceed as directed, baking directly from the freezer and adding 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.)

Place them on a baking sheet, spacing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the scones are light brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To make the lemon glaze: while the scones are cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and enough of the lemon juice to make a smooth, thick pourable glaze. You should have about a 1/2 cup. (The glaze can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.)

When the scones are somewhat cool (the recipe author says all the way cool but we like ours still warm!) brush the tops evenly with the lemon glaze and serve.

The scones taste best on the day they are baked!

Wow. Enjoy!

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