When I saw this recipe for Lavender Scones in Sunset, the first thought that crossed my mind was that I wanted to try it out with Chai Masala, instead of the lavender. I liked the idea of steeping it in milk to infuse its flavor and then using that in the dough. Instead of lemon zest, I used chopped crystalized ginger for compatibility.
The resulting scones were light and airy, with a mild scent of chai masala, and predominant notes of cardamom and ginger, but faint enough to make one wonder what exactly it is. I served these with a bit of jam, but that seemed unnecessary. They are wonderful on their own, with tea, coffee, or milk.
Here is the adapted recipe, with all the changes I made to it.
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon chai masala (*see note below)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (5-1/3 Tablespoons) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 Tablespoons fresh finely chopped crystallized ginger (candied ginger)
2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
Preparation
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk and chai masala to a simmer. Let it steep for 15 minutes, then cover and chill for about 45 minutes. Strain the milk and set aside; discard the chai masala.
2. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a food processor, whirl flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for a few seconds. Add butter and chopped crystallized ginger and pulse to form a coarse meal. Add masala-infused milk and pulse to form a shaggy dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead 3 to 5 times, just enough to form a ball.
3. Form dough into a 6-inch. circle. Cut into 6 wedges. Arrange wedges 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and sprinkle each lightly with turbinado sugar. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield: Makes 6 scones
Note: You could use your favorite homemade or store-bought chai masala. If you do not have access to it, you could subtitute with a mix of powdered ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of black pepper, a teaspoon in total.
I am sending this to WBB #12 : Spice it up
22 comments:
i adore scones and this is mighty creative of you. thanks for the recipe.
Chai masala is a great idea in Scones.I have scones too in my blog. great entry.Thanks:)
This looks like a good alternative to a really sweet dessert.
Such a great idea! All of us at home love scones...this is such a lovely variation. And no butter? Wow.
oops...read in a hurry. there is butter after all....but not too much.
Thanks so much for your entry!
How creative you are to add our Indian masalas in this...lovely.
trupti
:)
Very creative! I am quite interested in this.
I love the "idea" and look of scones, and have been reading about them in Enid Blyton books since I was five :D but never have tried making them at home! That is going to change soon, with this delicious recipe.
Neat idea! I can imagine the chai masala flavors blending so well in these scones. Thanks for the recipe!
hey, this is something I would term as Thinking while cooking......great way to go
And I came here being hooked on by the title. I was expecting to see some masala chai and some scones here, but viola!!!! Its two in one!! Very innovative I must say. :)
bee, asha, trupti, suganya, kitchenaromas, bhags, thank you all, and welcome.
Kelly, hi again. The scones are not definitely not too sweet, so they are very good alternative to muffins or other sweet breads.
cooker, I am glad you like this variation. And good thing you noticed the butter. :-)
nupur, Enid Blyton has done so much to introduce Indian kids to all those delicious sounding foods that we could only dream of in those days! Just so you know, this was the first time I made scones, and they turned out perfect. So I am sure your's will too.
coffee, interesting that you misread it, but that was a good reason to draw you in! Nice to meet you and welcome to my blog. I just saw your blog, and will be visiting again.
Interesting and tempting recipe. Great entry too. Viji
Yummmmmm. Those sound delicious, I'm going to try some when I get back. I am not a fan of chai-made-the-coffeeshop-way, but this sounds very interesting.
Scones I love and I really like what you did with this recipe. They look so good, I wish I could have one right now with a cup of tea.
Been lazing over the weekend, so, apologies for the delay in responding.
Viji, thanks, and welcome to my blog.
desiknitter, I know what you mean about the coffeeshop 'chai', but I recall the time when even seeing the word 'chai' in a regular cafe or the fact that we got 'milk mixed with the tea' was enough to make one feel happy. Even though it was followed by the words tea latte, heh.
Cynthia, thanks for your comments. I am curious about the availability of spices like, say, chai masala, in Barbados.
yumm wonderfull idea! chai masala and scones.
Thanks, Roopa.
luuvv scones and ginger. must give this a try!!
Welcome here Dhana, and let me know how they turn out.
Whether there are analogues?
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