This recipe was prepared by Chef Tammy Brawley on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program. 

 

Triple Ginger Scones

1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ʺ cubes
2 tablespoons chopped, candied ginger
ginger sugar for sprinkling (recipe follows)
ginger glaze for garnish (recipe follows)

Heat oven to 375˚, and place oven rack in the middle position. Spread oats evenly on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven until fragrant and lightly browned, 7-9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 450˚. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. When oats are cooled, measure out 2 tablespoons, and set aside.

Whisk together milk, cream and egg in a large measuring cup; remove 1 tablespoon to a small bowl, and reserve for glazing.

Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ground ginger in a food processor until combined, about four 1-second pulses. Scatter cold butter evenly over dry ingredients, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 12-14 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in cooled oats and chopped, candied ginger. Using a rubber spatula, fold in liquid ingredients until large clumps form. In a large bowl, mix the dough by hand until it forms a cohesive mass.

Dust a work surface with half of the reserved oats, turn the dough out onto the oats, and dust the top with the remaining oats. Gently pat the dough into a 7ʺ circle about 1ʺ thick. Using a bench scraper or chef’s knife, cut the dough into eight wedges, and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2ʺ apart. Brush the surfaces with the reserved egg mixture, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon ginger sugar*. Bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Cool the scones on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then place them on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.

• Technically this is a “quad” ginger recipe, but if you prefer not to use/find/make candied ginger, ginger syrup and ginger sugar, I recommend increasing the ground ginger to 2 teaspoons.
• You can buy candied ginger, or make your own.

Candied Ginger (recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz)

1 pound fresh ginger, peeled
4 cups sugar, plus additional sugar for coating the ginger slices, if desired
4 cups water
pinch of salt

Slice the ginger as thinly as possible. It can’t be too thin, so use a sharp knife. Put the ginger slices in a pot, adding enough water to cover the ginger, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and let the ginger simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, and repeat, simmering the ginger slices one more time.

Mix the sugar and 4 cups water in the pot, along with a pinch of salt and the ginger slices, and cook until the liquid is the consistency of thin honey.

Remove from the heat, and let stand for at least an hour or overnight. Or, if you want to coat the slices with sugar, drain very well while the ginger is hot, so the syrup will drain away better. Be sure to reserve the syrup.

Store ginger slices in the syrup, or toss the drained slices in granulated sugar. Shake off excess sugar, and spread the ginger slices on a cooling rack overnight, until they’re somewhat dry. The sugar can be used to sprinkle the scones.

Storage: The ginger, packed in its syrup, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a year. If tossed in sugar, the pieces can be stored at room temperature for a few months.

Ginger Syrup (for glazing scones)

Remove 2 tablespoons of syrup from the candied ginger, and mix with ½ cup powdered sugar. Whisk until well combined, and drizzle over cooled scones.

*Ginger Sugar (for sprinkling scones)

Use the reserved ginger sugar from the candied ginger recipe to sprinkle on the scones before baking.