Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 260 g whole wheat pastry flour
- 50 g cane sugar
- 12 g baking powder
- 2 g ground ginger
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 30 g unsweetened shredded coconut
Cold Fats & Mix-ins
- 85 g unsalted butter, very cold, cubed
- 40 g crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Wet Ingredients
- 120 ml coconut milk, cold, full-fat canned
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Topping
- 10 g turbinado sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 296 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 39 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 10 g
- Sodium
- 311 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 9 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 23 mg
- Potassium
- 175 mg
- Calcium
- 106 mg
- Iron
- 1.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 45 mg
- Phosphorus
- 156 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 73 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.10 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 1.9 mg
- Folate
- 12 mcg
- Water
- 16 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 205°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, cane sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, salt, and shredded coconut until well combined.
Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Toss the chopped crystallized ginger into the flour mixture ensuring the pieces are coated and not stuck together.
Make a well in the center. Pour in the cold coconut milk and vanilla extract. Stir gently with a spatula just until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a circle approximately 2.5cm (1 inch) thick. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the circle into 8 equal wedges.
Transfer wedges to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 5cm apart. Brush the tops with the reserved coconut milk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the edges look set.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Using whole wheat pastry flour is crucial here; regular whole wheat flour has a higher protein content that will result in a tough, heavy scone.
- Canned full-fat coconut milk provides the best tenderness due to its fat content. If using carton coconut beverage, the scones will be drier and less rich.
- Ensure your baking powder is fresh. Whole wheat flour is heavier than white flour and requires active leavening to achieve a good rise.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container; texture is best fresh.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unbaked wedges for best results, baking from frozen with added time.
Reheating: Warm in a 150°C/300°F oven for 5-8 minutes to restore crispness.
Troubleshooting
Scones are tough or dense
Cause: Overworking the dough developed too much gluten
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked; serve warm with plenty of butter or jam.
Prevention: Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together; it should look shaggy/rough before patting out.
Scones spread too much and are flat
Cause: Butter became too warm before baking
Fix: None
Prevention: Keep ingredients cold; chill shaped scones in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm.
Cultural Context
Scones originated in Scotland in the early 1500s as quick breads cooked on griddles. This variation incorporates modern health-conscious ingredients like whole grains and tropical influences via coconut, bridging traditional British tea time with global flavor profiles.
