Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup (110 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch / 1.3 cm pieces
- 1 cup / 240 ml heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup / 75 g golden raisins
To Finish
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
How to Make It
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add the butter and cut into smaller pieces with a pastry blender while working in some of the flour, or, my method of choice, use your fingers: Break up the butter by pinching the pieces between your fingers to flatten and work in some of the flour as you do this, until the entire mixture is made up of sandy crumbs with some larger butter pieces, roughly the size of peas, still remaining.
- Stir in the cream and raisins. This is where you’ll think I’ve gone wrong, as the mixture is quite a shaggy mess.
- Plop the whole lot onto a clean work surface (cover the surface with parchment paper for easy cleanup) and attempt to form the mass into a rectangle. Fold the right third into the middle, then fold the left side on top of that. Turn the dough 90 degrees. You’ve just completed your first “turn.” Press the dough, using the palms of your hands, to form a rough rectangle. Repeat this process 2 more times. After the final “turn,” form the dough into an 8-inch / 20.5 cm circle. Precision is not needed. Cut into 8 triangles.
- Again, if you don’t care about developing flaky layers, knead the dough a few times to bring it together, simply press it into a circle after you add the cream, then cut into 8 triangles and proceed onward.
- To finish, brush the tops of the scones with additional cream and sprinkle with sugar.
- Set the scones on a parchment-lined sheet pan in 2 rows of 4, leaving a good bit of space for expansion between each.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Set the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes while you wait for the oven to warm up.
- Bake the scones for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are deeply golden and the scones feel set in the middle when gently pressed.
- Enjoy while warm, although they do reheat beautifully. They are best enjoyed within 2 days of baking, but the dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
