Ginger And Pear Buttermilk Scones Recipe

What's buttery, crumbly, and perfect with a smear of jam? The classic scone! When you're short on time but you want a fresh baked good, quick breads like scones are the way to go. Biscuits, muffins, and even banana bread fall into the quick bread category, meaning they are a "bread" that does not require yeast. These scones can easily be mixed and baked the morning of a breakfast with friends or family.

These pear and ginger scones come together in about 10 minutes and can be ready to eat in under an hour. If you like to prep ahead, the scones can be made and kept in the fridge or freezer and baked right before serving. Pairing together ginger and pear gives these triangular treats a cozy fall vibe, but feel free to swap out anything you don't like. Be sure to check out our other flavor variation recommendations included here as well!

To make a batch of our ginger and pear buttermilk scones, you'll need three very important ingredients that are in the title: fresh ginger, pears, and buttermilk. It's best if the pears are medium-ripe instead of fully ripe, so they will hold their shape better and contribute a bit less moisture to the scone dough. The buttermilk will ensure a moist final product and also add a tangy note that counters the sweetness. 

From the pantry, you'll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. It's a great practice to measure out all of the ingredients before starting the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Peel the pears and remove the core. Dice into ¼-inch cubes and measure 1 cup. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the butter to the flour mixture and repeatedly pinch between two fingers until all of the butter is broken into pea-sized pieces or smaller.

Add the diced pears and toss into the flour mixture.

Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and fresh ginger to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until a soft dough forms.

Empty the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a 6-inch circle.

Press the brown sugar into the top of the dough and cut into 8 triangles.

Place scones on the cookie sheet. Bake 22-25 minutes, until golden brown and cracked on top. Serve warm.

Scones are the perfect item to prepare in advance. They can be frozen and baked later, or baked ahead of time and reheated. To freeze the pear and ginger scones for baking at a later time, simply wrap them up on a tray after cutting them into triangles. Next, freeze overnight (or up to 2 weeks). To bake, lower the temperature to 350 F and add 10 minutes of baking time. Make sure to rotate the pan once while baking to ensure even cooking for the scones.

If you don't want to freeze them, they can be baked a day ahead and refreshed in the oven at 350 F for 7-10 minutes — just until warmed through again. While they'll be best baked right before serving, scones are still nearly as good when reheated and served warm with a side of butter or jam.  

Since scones are so easy to make, once you get a grasp on the basic technique, you can really experiment with flavors, mix-ins, toppings, and drizzle glazes. When considering what to add or change in your scone flavors, think about how much moisture the extra ingredient is going to add to the dough.

For fruit scones, try mixing in whole blueberries, halved raspberries and blackberries, or diced strawberries. All fruit should be added after breaking the butter into the dry mixture — this helps avoid turning the entire batch of dough into a sticky berry-colored mess. Nuts and dried fruits work well in scones too. Any nut can be chopped and added to the dough at the same point you would add fruit. Dried coconut, apricots, or dates would be excellent. 

For cinnamon raisin scones, try swapping out the pear and ginger for 1/3 cup raisins and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. For coconut cherry scones, replace the pear and ginger with 1/2 cup shredded coconut and 1/2 cup frozen or fresh cherries, and replace buttermilk with coconut milk. For banana nut scones, add 1 cup of diced medium-ripe bananas and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. The possibilities are endless, which is what makes baking scones so fun!