Here at The Broad Place we’re rather obsessed with Alice Gao of Lingered Upon. We tweaked a few of the ingredients here to make her delightful Orange and Cardamom Scones, they’re dense, heavy and ideal with a cup of milky tea or a sharp black coffee, either in the morning for breakfast or as afternoon tea.
We served them here with vanilla cream and strawberry and lavender jam.
SCONES
2 cups spelt flour
3 tablespoons brown granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops ( you can try substitute another unrefined sugar, but I find it doesn’t work out so well!
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
zest of one orange, washed and rubbed prior to grating
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
VANILLA CREAM
A few tablespoons of thick, rich cream, clotted would be ideal, mixed through with a little vanilla bean powder.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives (I like to use a knife and fork), cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in orange zest and caradamom.
3. Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
4. Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.
The key is to not overmix or overknead — my batter always looks like it’s falling apart and I wonder how it will manage to form scones, but it always works out for the best.
Recipe from Lingered Upon