Good Ol' Pumpkin Scones

 

 

 

 

 

I must have been about 8 years old when I was first let loose in the kitchen. Of course, I had "played" at baking before then. I had often been the recipient of Mum's pastry offcuts. Cutting them into unidentifiable shapes, smudging them with copious amounts of sweet jam and baking them along side my Mum's pies. My poor Dad eating my tough and messy "pies" as I had over-worked the dough to the nth degree and smeared jam from here to eternity. But as I gained confidence with Mum's patient guidance, I progressed to more "sophisticated" projects like pumpkin scones. I think they were one of the first things I ever baked on my own. They were to become a family favourite and my "specialty". You see, pumpkin scones are a very "Aussie" thing, and my parents aren't Australian, so my Mum left the baking of them to me. I'm pretty sure my early attempts were a bit like my "jam pies" - tough and rubbery. I think my baking skills have improved a bit since then.




Good Ol' Pumpkin Scones
Makes 12
adapted from here

400g butternut pumpkin, skin on and cut into 2cm wedges
2 cup self raising four
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup pure icing sugar
40g unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
Milk, if needed
1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash

Cook the Pumpkin:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Put the pumpkin wedges on the prepared pan and roast them for 30 - 40 minutes or until soft but not brown. Remove the flesh from the skins. Discard the skins and blitz the flesh in a food processor until smooth. Set aside to cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator until cold.

Make the Scones:
Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Add the cold pumpkin puree and beat until fully combined.

Stop the mixer, add the flour and bring the mixture together by hand until it forms a dough. If it's a little dry, add some buttermilk until it comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough out using your fingertips until it's about 2cm thick, fold the dough over and pat if down again. Do this two more times. The dough will be a little sticky.

Roll it out until it is 2cm thick and use a 5cm diameter cutter to cut rounds. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking tray. Space the well apart so that they have plenty of room between them. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until risen and golden.

Serve warm with lashings of best butter.