Masala Chai Ginger Scones

Masala Chai Ginger Scones

with ginger glaze

Adapted from Joanne Chang by Blue Heron Kitchen

If you live in America, you’ve been battling a severe winter. It’s cold and it won’t stop snowing. 

Today, forget snow and sleet and ice and that you can’t remember the last time you went for a walk. Add these ingredients to your Fresh Direct delivery. Warm your kitchen and make your weary friends, fam and snow blower angels happy with masala (that means ‘spice’) chai (that means ‘tea’) scones.

Ahead of time note: You will have to infuse your cream and buttermilk with the chai (tea) by heating and then re-chilling the liquids. (Go out and shovel.)

Truc: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, to make it: Emeril Lagasse (!) published this on the Food Network. Easy, You’ll need milk and white vinegar or lemon juice.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-buttermilk-recipe.html

Chai: The chai that you use will flavor your scones. I'm a fan of UptonTeas. I buy my tea from these nice people online and their masala chai is lovely. I’ve had some masala chai teas that have a too much black pepper in them (ugh). If yours does, your scone will bite you. Fortnum and Mason’s masala chai is also gorgeous. But whatever chai you choose, DON’T use a sweetened chai.

It's important that the butter is cold and firm - that way when you mix it into your dry ingredients, some of the butter remains unmixed and is recognizable. This is the same technique when putting together a pate brisée (flakey pie crust). These unmixed little pieces of butter melt while baking, creating steam and air pockets! Result: (as long as you don't overdue it with mixing, which will also toughen your scones) light and flakey.

Adapted from Joanne Chang’s gorgeous book, Flour, I’m so happy to share this with you. (Pick up a copy of her book. It’s spectacular!)

The glaze for these scones can be refrigerated for about a week. If you want to freeze some of the unbaked scones (also, for about a week), you’ll have glaze on hand.

Let it snow rain in California!

peace and love,

jane

Masala Chai Ginger Scones

Ingredients for the scones:

2 ¾ cup (400 grams) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 Tbsp. Masala Chai tea  (Do not use sweetened tea!)
1/3 cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup (80 grams) finely chopped crystallized ginger
14 tablespoons (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter
½ cup (120 grams) buttermilk
½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream
1 egg, size large (cold)

  

Procedure:

Ahead of time note for Masala Chai Scones:

For masala chai scones: place ½ c. cream and ½ c. buttermilk in a small saucepan. Add 1 Tbsp. masala chai tea (Upton Tea), cover and bring to a simmer and turn to low. In the lowest heat, cook the chai for approx. 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a measuring cup, replacing any evaporated liquid to measure 1 cup with buttermilk or cream or a combination. Place in fridge and chill.

Preheat oven to 350º F. and position rack in center of the oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, briefly mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, sugar, and crystallized ginger until combined.

Cut the butter into 8-10 pieces and add to the flour mixture; paddle for about 30 seconds on medium low speed until the butter is somewhat broken down but there are still pieces that are obvious and visible (about ½”).

Whisk together the chilled buttermilk/heavy cream and egg until thoroughly combined.

With the mixer running on low speed, pour in the liquid and continue to paddle for another 20-30 seconds until the dough comes together. There may be a little loose flour mixture at the bottom of the bowl. This is good.

Remove the bowl from the mixer. Gather and lift the dough in your hands and turn it over in the bowl so that it starts to pick up the loose flour at the bottom. Turn the dough over in the bowl several times until all of the loose flour is mixed in.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently roll (pat) out the dough about an inch thick.

Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles of scone dough, rerolling the scraps as necessary until they are all used up. (Truc: If you like, you can shape the dough into a long rectangle and cut on the angle, forming triangular scone.)

Truc: At this point the scones can be frozen, wrapped well, unbaked for up to a week. Add 5-10 minutes to baking time and proceed as
directed.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the scones are a light golden brown.

Cool on a cooling rack and when slightly cooled, spoon warm ginger glaze over each scone. The ginger glaze will set.

Scones are (always) best served the day they are baked; you may store them tightly wrapped for one day.

Yield 6-8 large scones

Ginger glaze

 

Ingredients:

2 ½  oz. (5 Tbsp./ 75g) butter, salted or unsalted (if you use unsalted, sprinkle in ¾ tsp. salt)

2 Tbsp. Lyle’s Golden Syrup (If you’re in the U.S., available at most supermarkets, markets with “International” aisles (it’s British) or online at Amazon.com)

3/4 c. (90g) 10X (powdered) sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp. powdered dried ginger

Procedure:

In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, melt butter, Golden Syrup together.

Add powder sugar and ginger and whisk together until glaze is smooth and liquid.