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| Spiced Pumpkin Scones & English Tea |
Okay, I can dig it. I love spiced pastries and baked goods as much as the next person. I will admit to trotting out the Caramel Apple Cupcakes at a recent gathering on September 1st, the very first day that that such a fall treat might be acceptable.
I love fall. It is my favorite season. The brilliant blue skies, stark white clouds and changing leaves make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. When I was asked to make pumpkin scones for an upcoming wedding, I was a bit intimidated. I love making scones, but pumpkin? With all the Starbucks whooplah, that's a tough act to follow. What if they aren't good? Or aren't pretty? Or, worse, just taste awful? Anxiety...
Time for the test kitchen. Although I was given a "tried and true" recipe by the Mother of the Bride, I can't resist tweaking recipes to suit my fancy. So here it is: My Spiced Pumpkin Scone Fancy.
Spiced Pumpkin Scones
Scones:
1 3/4 c. AP (all-purpose) unbleached flour
1/4 c. milled flax seed
7 Tb. raw Turbinado sugar
1 Tb. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
6 Tb. frozen butter
1/2 c. chilled canned pumpkin
3 Tb. heavy cream
1 large egg, cold
Glaze:
1 c. powdered confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. heavy cream
Directions
One of the keys to making scones is making sure the butter is cold...really cold. You will need to work quickly to keep all the ingredients as cold as possible. Remember: cold is key.
1. Prepare the butter for freezing. First, unwrap the stick of butter. Slice the stick of butter into pats, cutting across the width of the butter.
After you've sliced the butter into pats, cut the stick in half lengthwise; then again lengthwise on each longitudinal half of the stick. Each pat should now be in quarters.
Flip the butter pieces into a bowl and put the bowl in the freezer until you are ready to mix the dough.
2. Measure out the dry ingredients: flour, milled flax seed, raw sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and sea salt.
Put dry ingredients into your food processor and process about 15 seconds or so to mix the ingredients and chop the raw sugar into smaller pieces.
3. Prepare the wet ingredients. We aren't ready to add them to the dry ingredients yet, but we want them ready and chilling, literally, until the proper time. You've already prepared the butter, and it should be in the freezer awaiting your pleasure. Measure out the chilled, canned pumpkin and put it back in the refrigerator.
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| egg & cream |
Crack the cold egg into a small bowl; add the cream and whisk until incorporated. Put the egg and cream mixture back in the refrigerator until you are ready to mix the dough.
4. Prepare your work area. Get everything ready while the cold ingredients are waiting in the fridge. Don't be lazy and leave them out; it matters. You will need a lightly floured surface upon which to roll out the dough, a rolling pin and a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Leave the flour out, as you'll need a little to sprinkle on the top of the scone dough to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.
5. Ready, Set, GO GET THE BUTTER! Put the frozen butter into your food processor with the dry ingredients.
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| dry ingredients and cut-in butter |
Affix the lid and process about 10 to 15 seconds. Check. If there are large chunks, process in short bursts until the mixture looks like course meal.
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| adding pumpkin, egg and cream |
Retrieve the pumpkin, egg and cream from the fridge and add them to the processor.
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| process just until dough clings together |
7. Process in short bursts, about 12 to 15 or so. Stop when dough seems to cling together in clumps. Do NOT over mix the dough! Less is better.
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| quickly shape the dough into a ball |
8. Squish the dough together using your hands as little as possible. They are warm and will heat up the dough. Use a spatula to remove all dough from processor. Shape into a ball on the floured surface.
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| 8 x 6 inch rectangle, 3/4 inch thick |
9. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle, about 8x6 and 3/4 inch thick. Try to even up the sides, but touch the dough as little as possible with your hot little hands. (Hot hands melt butter).
10. Use a dough scraper, knife or whatever your heart desires to cut the scones into the shape of your choosing. I prefer squares, as my triangles look like they were cut out by a drunken sailor. Biscuit cutters work well, too.
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| ready to bake |
Scones tend to spread out, so you'll want to give them some room. I've "sealed the edges" with flour on these, based on some internet advice I read about how to prevent scones from spreading out into an ugly heap. The jury is out on whether or not I think it actually works. Let me know how it works out in your kitchen.
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| pumpkin scones, fresh from the oven |
11. Bake the scones in a 425 degree oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or whatever works for you. All ovens are different, so make adjustments for your particular oven's quirkiness. Remember to lower the temp by 25 degrees if you are baking on a dark pan. Increase the bake time if you are using a baking stone or glass pan. Scones are done when they look set and are just starting to brown.
Allow scones to come to room temperature before icing. If you glaze them while they are warm, the icing will melt. This may not be a bad thing if you are going to eat them immediately, but they won't be as pretty if you plan to serve them later.
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| pure vanilla, ground cinnamon, cream, confectioner's sugar |
12. For the icing, you will need confectioner's sugar, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla and heavy cream. Add the cream to dry ingredients one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition.
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| whisk icing until smooth |
Once the glaze is a thick yet spreadable consistency, whisk until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and glaze scones.
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| cut off 1/2 inch tip of bag corner |
In lieu of a pastry bag, I prefer to use a Ziploc freezer bag, as they are disposable. To use a Ziploc as a pastry bag, cut 1/2 inch off of one corner of a quart sized freezer Ziploc bag.
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| insert coupler inside Ziploc |
Put a frosting tip coupler into the ziploc, pressing it into the inside of the cutout corner.
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| cap with metal tip; screw on band to secure |
Place a round tip over the outside of the bag and coupler tip; secure it by screwing the ring band over the top of the metal tip and onto the threads of the coupler, over the top of the Ziploc bag.
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| use cup to stabilize Ziploc for filling |
Once the pastry tip has been fitted, put the bag down in a larger cup to support the bag while you fill it with icing. Fold the bag over the edges of the cup to fill more easily.
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| poor man's pastry bag, ready to use |
After all of the icing has been scraped into the bag, remove the Ziploc from the cup and twist the bag top down to compress the icing toward the tip. Don't seal the bag, or you may have an icing explosion. :-)
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| iced scones |
Squeeze the bag to dispense the glaze, drizzling it over each scone. Allow to dry before touching or you may disturb the sweet, cinnamon-laced goodness.
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| afternoon tea or midmorning snack |
TAAAA DAAAA! Spiced Pumpkin Scones. And you didn't have to go to Starbucks to get one. Enjoy, and please let me know how they worked for you.
Blessings,
Wyndy
Linens: Longaberger
China: Johnson Bros Harvest Time
Ceramic pumpkin: Hobby Lobby
Food processor: Cuisinart
Baking sheet: Doughmakers
Herb nippers: Pampered Chef
Dough scraper: Dexter Russell
Parchment paper, vanilla, bulk spices: Costco
Pastry tip and coupler: Wilton
Excellent instructions, illustrations and write-up! You get an A!
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