Fig & Ginger Oatmeal Scones

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 chopped dried figs
• 1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• Milk for brushing the top

Raise an oven rack to its highest position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. (If available, stack two baking sheets together.)

In a large bowl combine the oats, unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cut the butter into small pieces and pop them into the dry mixture. Mix to coat the droplets of butter. Then, using your fingers, rub the butter into the mixture until coarse crumbs form.

Beat the egg in a small bowl. Beat in the buttermilk. Pour this into the flour mixture. Stir until evenly moist.  Fold in the figs and ginger.

Lightly flour your work surface. Place the dough onto it and knead it (about 4 times should do the trick).

Gather the dough into a ball. Pat it into a disk 3/4 inch thick. Transfer it onto the baking sheet.

Cut the disk into 8 wedges. Lightly brush the wedges with milk and then sprinkle on some oats to “finish” the scones.

Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. (I checked my scones at 20 minutes but found them ideal at 25 minutes.)

VERDICT:  I used this recipe to try to recreate the delicious fig-ginger scones at The Dancing Goat Coffeehouse.  The original recipe called for yogurt thinned with milk to replace buttermilk--I just used buttermilk.  I used dried figs, and chopped enough to make 1/3 cup.  The dough was incredibly wet--I had to use a ton of extra flour to get it in kneadable shape.  On the whole, though, they turned out pretty well.  Keep.  From Melissa Rapoport.