Two years ago, I had the idea that I wanted to start baking and selling my own creations at the Newmarket Farmer's Market. Only after diving into the venture did I realize how much time it would actually take to have enough baking done for Saturday mornings, to make a go of it. Ellen was still just a baby at that time, and I figured I would start up again after she was a bit older. So far, I haven't gone back to selling at the market, but never say never!
The Friday night before my first day at the market, I was being driven insane wondering if I had enough cinnamon rolls, granola, cookies, etc. I decided, on a whim, to make two batches of scones. The maple-oatmeal scones and the cheddar-dill scones (find the recipes in July & June 2007 respectively). As fate would have it, they were the most popular items from day one. The second week, I added the triple ginger scones, and I sold out just as quick. In case you're wondering, they were priced at $2 each.
Personally, I love the chewy bits of candied ginger. If you are going out to buy candied ginger, try to find the soft, chewy chunks, which are fresher. If they are harder, little, dice-like pieces, it doesn't matter. Just watch your fingers when you are cutting them up! I buy mine at health food stores or you may find it at someplace like the "Bulk Barn".
As recent as this past Christmas, I had a faithful customer from the market, call and order two dozen scones (12 triple ginger, 12 cheddar-dill). Often she will have people over for dinner and serve a soup course. She loves to serve the scones in her bread basket, and she requests that I don't put sugar on top of the ginger scones, making them suitable for serving with a pumpkin soup, for example. What a great idea!
Triple Ginger Scones
4 c. plus 1 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. baking powder
2 T. sugar
2 t. ground ginger
2 t. kosher salt
3/4 lb. cold, unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly (4 x-large eggs equals 1 cup*)
1 c. cold heavy cream
1 T. grated fresh ginger
1 c. candied ginger, roughly chopped
1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk or water, for egg wash
Raw sugar (demerara sugar)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 4 c. of flour, baking powder, sugar, ground ginger, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the cold butter and fresh ginger and mix on low speed until the butter in pea-sized pieces.
2 Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until JUST blended. Toss together the candied ginger and 1 T. of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
3. Dump the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead it together until the little pieces of candied ginger are distributed throughout the dough and most of the flour has been incorporated. Do not over mix! Roll or pat the dough into a 1-inch thick square (about 8 inches square). Cut into 4 4-inch squares and then in half again. Now cut these into triangles, ending up with 16 triangular scones.
4. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar crystals. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 minutes, turning the pan around half way through the baking time. The scones should be a light, golden brown.
*Because I use Farmer Jones' eggs, they are never consistent in size. When I am mixing the eggs and cream, I use a 2-cup measuring cup and measure the eggs first. If I have less than 1-cup of eggs, I will add another egg to the mixture, and then pour in the whipping cream, for a total of 2 cups.
*If you have the time, put the unbaked scones in the fridge for an hour or so (up to 24 hours, if you like) and then bake them from cold. The scones will hold their shape better, and cold butter hitting a hot oven produces flakier baked goods.
*When you pull the scones out of the oven, there is usually a lot of melted butter on the pan. Just leave the scones on the pan and they will soak up any of the butter they they have released during baking. I once made a batch of scones and forgot to add the butter. When they came out of the oven, I knew what I had done right away because there was no butter on the pan, even though the scones looked (to my surprise) picture perfect! Incidentally, I took that butterless batch of cheddar-dill scones over to Farmer Jones and he served them to the chickens and Mr. Cogburn.
