Warm from the oven and spread with butter, these fresh fig and honey scones make a blissful bite. They’re almost as good served at room temperature. Flavoured with fig and sweetened with honey they’re as good for breakfast as they are for afternoon tea. Or enjoy them anytime you need a healthy and reviving snack.
It’s got to that time of year again when Tandy hosts International Scone Week over at Lavender and Lime. I do make scones at other times of year, of course, but I always try and make some for this event.
Fresh Figs
Figs (Ficus carica) are redolent of the Mediterranean and hot summer days. I know not everyone likes them, but I’m a fan. They’re at their sweetest in late summer and early autumn. They’re sort of pear shaped, but plump and soft with either a purple or green skin and pink flesh.
Figs are some of the easiest fruit to prepare as you can eat them whole, just as they are. There’s no need to peel them or remove the seeds.
Packed as they are, with vitamins, minerals and fibre, they make for a healthy, low calorie and delicious snack. However, figs are a natural laxative, so it’s best not to consume too many at any one time.
Despite their association with hot climates, figs grow surprisingly well in many parts of the UK.
We inherited a fig tree when we moved here. This year we’re actually getting a decent crop. We usually get one or two, but the birds and woodlice get most of them. This year has been a bumper year and we bagged several figs, which means I feel able to experiment with them.
I’d never heard of fresh fig scones before, but I was keen to try some out. I know honey makes a good pairing with figs, so here you have it, fresh fig scones with honey.
Fresh Fig Scones
For these fresh fig and honey scones, I use my basic scone recipe. It’s the one I grew up with and it uses the classic scone proportions. That is to say eight ounces of flour, two ounces of butter and a quarter pint of liquid.
This produces a slightly crunchy exterior and a soft and crumbly interior.
Having said that, because of the addition of honey and fresh fruit, you need less liquid than a quarter of a pint. Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with ounces and pints, in the recipe card I’ve given the amounts in grams and millilitres too.
I usually use wholemeal spelt flour for scones. It’s my favourite all purpose baking flour.
For the liquid, I use kefir as we usually have some knocking about. However, buttermilk or sour milk will work too. All of these react with the raising agent to produce a good rise. Wholemeal flours never rise as much as refined ones, so they need all the help they can get.
To make sour milk, just add a squeeze of lemon juice to the required amount of milk and leave for a couple of minutes before using.
The most important thing you need to remember with scones is to handle the dough as little as possible. You don’t want to end up with heavy scones, no indeed. Light and soft is what we’re after.
All these fresh fig scones need is some butter and you’re good to go. Best eaten warm from the oven, but almost as good later in the day served with afternoon tea.
Vegan Fresh Fig Scones
To make these scones vegan, simply swap the butter for olive oil. Olive oil is a good match for the Mediterranean fresh fig scone profile. Don’t try rubbing the oil into the flour, just add it at the same time as the liquid.
For the liquid use your chosen plant milk, but sour it first with a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Almond milk fits well with the Mediterranean theme.
Instead of honey, use vegan honey, date syrup or even maple syrup.
Fig Scones: Step-By-Step
One of the things I love about scones is that you don’t need much in the way of ingredients or equipment. Indeed, they are ever so easy to make. You just need to rub the butter into the flour then add the liquid and bring it all together to make a dough.
Step 1. Rub Butter Into Flour
Measure the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar and tip into a large mixing bowl. Take the butter out of the fridge, cut into cubes and add to the bowl.
With your hands as chilled as possible, rub the cold butter into the flour until you have a mixture resembling breadcrumbs and no large lumps remain.
Top Tip
If you don’t have cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda, use 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder instead.
Step 2. Add Figs
Chop the figs into small pieces and stir into the scone crumb. This helps to keep the figs evenly distributed.
Step 3. Add Liquid
Make a well in the centre of the crumb mix and add the honey and most, but not all of the kefir / buttermilk. It’s not a good idea to get the mixture too wet, so reserve the liquid and add later if needed.
With a flat bladed knife, stir from the inside out until the mixture comes together and forms a soft, but not wet dough. It’s best to handle the dough as little as possible to avoid tough scones. Forming it initially with a knife helps.
If the dough is too dry, add the remaining liquid.
Step 4. Stamp Out Scone Rounds
Bring the dough together with your hands and form into a ball. Place on a floured surface and pat into a deep flat round with your hands. You can use a rolling pin if you prefer, but you really don’t need one for scones.
Stamp out circles with a floured cutter. Gather the offcuts together and form into another flat disc. Continue stamping and reforming the dough until no dough remains. You should get eight even sized scone rounds.
Step 5. Bake Scones
Place the scones on a non-stick baking tray or one lined with baking paper. Brush the tops with a little milk.
Pop onto the middle shelf of a hot oven and bake until the tops are golden and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped underneath.
Top Tip
Scones don’t keep very well, so unless you’re going to eat them all on the day you’ve baked them, they’re best frozen for later consumption. Just wait until the scones have thoroughly cooled before freezing.
Other Fresh Fig Recipes You Might Like
- Fig, apple & pomegranate jam
- Fig tarts with white chocolate & mascarpone filling
- Honeyed fig and goat’s cheese tart with walnuts
- Upside-down fig cake
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this green vegetable galette, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more scone recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Fresh Fig & Honey Scones. PIN IT.
Fresh Fig Scones – The Recipe
Fresh Fig Scones With Honey
Ingredients
- 8 oz wholemeal spelt flour (225g)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 oz salted butter (60g) fridge cold and cubed
- 2 fresh figs (weighing approx 4 oz (120g))
- 4 fl oz kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt (115 ml)
- 2 tbsp honey I used set honey, but runny is fine
- a little milk for brushing
Instructions
- Set oven to 200℃/400℉/Gas6.
- Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.8 oz wholemeal spelt flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 2 tsp cream of tartar, 2 oz salted butter
- Chop the figs into small pieces, then stir into the crumbed flour to coat. This helps to prevent them sinking.2 fresh figs
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the kefir and honey. Stir with a round bladed knife from the inside to the outside until the ingredients are just combined and form a dough.4 fl oz kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt, 2 tbsp honey
- Roll out on a floured surface to about ¾” (2cm) thick, then cut into rounds with a 2 ½” (6cm) cutter. Combine the leftover bits, re-roll and cut again until the dough has all been used.
- Place onto a greased baking tray and brush with milk. Bake for 15 minutes or until the scones are golden and the bases sound hollow when tapped.a little milk for brushing
- Place onto a cooling rack. Enjoy at least one whilst they are still warm.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sending this recipe for fresh fig and honey scones off to Lavender and Lime for this year’s #ISW2022. International Scone Week runs from the 8th to 14th of August.
I’m also sharing it with The Rare Welsh Bit for #CookBlogShare.
Kacie Morgan says
I’ve never had fig scones before – only plain, or cheese scones – but I absolutely LOVE the sound of these!
Choclette says
Plain and cheese scones are fabulous, but it’s really nice to try something different from time to time. These fig scones are rather good.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
Absolutely love these Choclette. What a fabulous idea adding figs to scones. Definitely a must-try recipe! Thanks for sharing xx
Choclette says
Thanks Kate.They are rather scrummy and somehow made me feel as though I was on holiday in France.
sherry says
i’m not really a fig fan but i think they would probably be okay here even for me:-) A freshly baked scone is a thing of beauty.
Choclette says
Figs are one of those things people seem to really like or really dislike. Probably not the scones for you.
johanna @ www.gggiraffe.blogspot.com says
Those scones sound fantastic – and this sounds like a lovely way to eat fresh figs! It’s almost like the jam is on the inside instead of on top!
Choclette says
Hahaha yes, good way of putting it Johanna. We’re currently going through a heat wave, but if there are any figs left by the time the weather turns, I shall be making more of these scones.
Andrea says
these scones turned out absolutely incredible! loved them for breakfast and to snack on later 🙂
Choclette says
Good to hear you made them Andrea and liked them too. Scones are just brilliant for quick bakes.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Wow, these sound like something I would love. Thank you for taking part. And hopefully my adaptation of your recipe works as I have the most divine dried figs I want to try them with 🙂
Choclette says
Oh yes, dried figs will work for sure. You are the scone queen, so I don’t think you’ll have any problem adapting the recipe.
angiesrecipes says
They must have tasted particularly fresh and delicious with figs and buttermilk.