Hairy Bikers Ginger and Treacle Scones

Nothing gets rubbed in for Hairy Bikers ginger and treacle scones. The butter, sugar and treacle are melted together in a pan instead, which is why these come out dark and sticky rather than pale. Brilliant Bakes makes 12 at about 280 calories each.

They call these hitting the jackpot in the book, dressed up with treacle, spices and stem ginger. Three balls of stem ginger go in finely chopped, and a teaspoon of the syrup from the jar goes into the glaze.

Work fast once the wet mixture meets the flour. The dough is still warm at that point, and a warm dough handled slowly turns sticky and stops cutting cleanly.

Hairy Bikers Ginger and Treacle Scones

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Baking

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 25 minutesCook time: 15 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:12 servingsCalories:280 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Melted butter, sugar and treacle go in as a single dark liquid, so there is no rubbing in at any stage. Three ground spices season the flour and stem ginger is chopped through the dough. These Hairy Bikers ginger and treacle scones bake in 12 to 15 minutes.

Ingredients

For the scones

• 450g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• pinch of salt
• 125g butter
• 50g light brown soft sugar
• 2 tbsp treacle
• 3 balls of stem ginger, very finely chopped
• 150ml whole milk
• 1 egg, beaten

For brushing

• 1 tsp milk
• 1 tsp ginger syrup from the jar

Instructions

1. Heat the oven: Preheat to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6, and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: Put the flour, baking powder and spices in a large bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Whisk briefly to remove any lumps.
3. Melt the butter mixture: Put the butter, sugar and treacle in a pan and heat gently until melted into a rich dark liquid. Stir in the chopped stem ginger, take it off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then add the milk and egg.
4. Bring it together: Make a well in the flour and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix as briefly as possible into a soft, still warm dough, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
5. Cut the scones: Pat the dough into a round about 3cm thick. Dip a 6cm cutter in flour and cut out rounds without twisting. Place them on the tray, then lightly knead the offcuts and cut again, for 12 in total.
6. Glaze and bake: Mix the milk and ginger syrup together and brush it over the tops. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until well risen. They will look quite craggy but the texture is very light.
7. Serve: Eat warm from the oven, or cool and store in an airtight container.

Keywords:hairy bikers ginger and treacle scones, hairy bikers treacle scones, hairy bikers ginger scones, ginger and treacle scones hairy bikers, treacle scones recipe

FAQs

Why melt the butter instead of rubbing it in?

Because treacle will not disperse through a rubbed-in mixture. Melting it with the butter and sugar gives you one dark liquid that carries the treacle evenly through the dough.

It is faster too, since there is no rubbing in at all. Their cheese and Marmite scones use the traditional method with chilled butter rubbed to breadcrumbs, which gives a completely different texture.

Do I need stem ginger, or will ground do?

Both go in, and they do different jobs. The teaspoon of ground ginger spreads warmth through the whole scone, while three balls of stem ginger give you soft sweet pieces you bite into.

The syrup from the jar is the third use, mixed with milk for the glaze. With only ground ginger, add another half teaspoon and brush with plain milk, though you lose the pieces.

Why do they look craggy?

Because the dough is warm and soft, so it never cuts as cleanly as a cold one. The book warns about this and says they will look quite craggy but have a very light texture.

Do not try to tidy them up. Craggy tops catch more of the ginger syrup glaze, which is where a lot of the flavour sits.

What are the three spices doing?

Ginger, cinnamon and allspice, in descending amounts, which is a classic British baking trio. The ginger leads, the cinnamon rounds it, and a quarter teaspoon of allspice sits behind both.

Treacle needs that support, because on its own it tastes flat and slightly bitter. Their eccles cakes pair mixed spice with muscovado for the same reason, since dark sugars always want warm spices alongside.

What do I serve them with?

The book suggests butter and jam, or lemon or lime curd. Curd is the better call, since the sharpness cuts through treacle in a way jam does not.

They also keep better than most scones, because treacle holds moisture. An airtight container gives you two or three days rather than one. Their bacon scones are the opposite, best eaten warm the day they come out of the oven.