As gingerbread is traditional at Christmas I have made some Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Scones. They really smell of Christmas as they come out of the oven, so sweet and spicy! Serve them hot with just butter, or how I like them – slightly warm with clotted cream and ginger preserve.
Use half wholemeal and half plain white flour
Note: Use buttermilk or sour milk for these scones as fresh milk will not cause the scones to rise.
I found that using all wholemeal flour makes very heavy scones and I got the best results using half wholemeal flour and half plain white flour. I also found that using bicarbonate of soda instead of baking powder gave lighter results. However, bicarbonate of soda must be combined with buttermilk or sour milk and not fresh milk. This is because it is the reaction of the soda with the lactic acid in the buttermilk or sour milk which causes the scones to rise.
Equipment you will need to make Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Scones
As with all of my scones these Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Scones require no special equipment. Along with the essential items make sure you have a baking tray, some parchment paper, a metal cutter, a mixing bowl and a wire rack. The items I have linked to here are of course only suggestions.
Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Scones
Use buttermilk or sour milk for these scones as fresh milk will not cause the scones to rise.
8
servings20
minutes20
minutesIngredients
8 ounces / 225 grams / 1 ½ cups wholemeal flour
8 ounces / 225 grams / 1 ½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup crystalised ginger/stem ginger cut into small pieces
4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup salted butter (softened)
4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup raisins
1 tablespoon of black treacle (warmed)
1 tablespoon of golden syrup (warmed)
½ to ¾ pint buttermilk
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.
- Sieve the flours, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and mixed spices into a large mixing bowl, tipping any bran remaining in the sieve into the bowl as well.
- Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the raisins, crystalised ginger/stem ginger.
- Stir the warmed treacle and golden syrup into ½ pint of buttermilk or sour milk until they dissolve.
- Mix to a soft dough using a little extra buttermilk if necessary.
- Turn out onto a floured working surface and knead lightly until smooth. Pat out to about 1 ½ inches thick.
- Cut out rounds with a metal scone cutter gathering the scraps and patting out again until all the dough is used. You should get around 8-10 scones with a 2 ½ inch (6.5 cm approx) cutter.
- Place on a well floured baking tray or one lined with baking parchment and brush the tops with milk.
- Bake in the pre heated oven for about 20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
- If you have used stem ginger you can drizzle a little syrup from the jar over them when they come out of the oven.
- Serve straight from the oven or allow to cool on a wire rack wrapped in a clean towel.
Christmas Preparations
After Halloween and Bonfire Night my thoughts turn to Christmas preparations. I like to make my mincemeat in November to give it time to mature before Christmas.
Stir up Sunday
Stir up Sunday is always the last Sunday before advent. If you are making a Christmas Pudding this is the traditional day to make it and to get all the family to stir it and make a wish. The Collect for this Sunday starts: ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people…’, and is an apt reminder that it is time for a different sort of stirring up if your pudding is going to have time to mature before Christmas.
Boiled Fruit Cake
I will be making a boiled fruit cake for Christmas this year with some changes to the dried and glacé fruit mix and a fruit and nut topping. I will be making mine closer to Christmas as it does not need to mature for as long a time as a classic Christmas cake.
I haven’t made a classic Christmas Cake for some years as I prefer either a Glacé Fruit Cake or an old fashioned boiled fruit cake. If you want to make one late, November or early December is a good time to do so as it will have time to mature before Christmas. Mary Berry has an excellent recipe for Classic Christmas Cake.
Christmas Chutney and Pickles
November is a good time to make chutney or pickles, they will be nicely matured for Christmas. I will be making by Bread and Butter Pickles as I do every year and my Christmas Chutney.
Christmas Preparations and Recipes
As Christmas approaches I am always busy around the last week of November making mincemeat for my mince pies and various Christmas chutneys. As we move into December the first week of this month is an ideal time to make a classic rich Christmas Cake so that it can mature before Christmas.
I no longer make this sort of Christmas Cake (Mary Berry makes a very good btw) and instead now make a Boiled Fruit Cake for Christmas – which I describe in the recipe as a jazzed up version of my Old Fashioned Boiled Fruit Cake.
I also make a Glacé Fruit Christmas Cake for my daughter and her family, which is ideal if you need a last minute Christmas cake. In fact both of my Christmas cakes can be made closer to Christmas as they only need a week or so to mature.
If you want something different try my Chocolate Ginger Cake instead of a fruit cake or of course this Tipsy Cake.
Favourite Christmas recipes
I checked the other day and was very pleased to see that I now have around 20 Christmas recipes – see my new Christmas page for some classic recipes and some alternative ideas – here is a selection of my favourites:
Favourite Christmas recipes
I checked the other day and was very pleased to see that I now have around 20 Christmas recipes – see my new Christmas page for some classic recipes and some alternative ideas – here is a selection of my favourites:
Serving Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Scones
As I mentioned at the top these sweet and spiced scones can be served hot with butter, but even better – serve with Rodda’s Classic Cornish Clotted Cream and Mackays Ginger Preserve!
If you use stem ginger drizzle a little syrup from the jar over them when they come out of the oven.
Make Sweet and Spicy Gingerbread Scones before Christmas and Freeze
I will be making some Gingerbread Scones and freezing them before Christmas so we can have them for afternoon tea on Boxing Day, after a walk on the Forest and in front of a roaring log fire!
Happy Baking!
Tanya
