Fall is in full swing here in the high mountain valleys of Utah, and the first frost has kissed the pumpkins left in the fields from Halloween. This makes it the perfect time to indulge in warm, comforting pumpkin treats.
These Pumpkin Scones are a delightful blend of autumn flavors, featuring the rich taste of pumpkin puree and the cozy spices of Autumn. They are the ideal breakfast or afternoon snack with a crisp exterior and a tender, crumbly interior (in Britain, they would be a hit at Tea Time).
Whether you enjoy them plain or with a dollop of clotted cream and a drizzle of honey, these Pumpkin Scones will become a new fall favorite.
But First, What Are Scones?
As a person of British heritage, I should have known the answer to that question. However, it took a trip to the UK a couple of years ago when we had High Tea at Moma Doreens. We had traditional British scones there, simple, elegant, and oh-so-delicious. Typically made with flour, butter, baking powder, and a touch of sweetness, they’re often enjoyed with clotted cream and jam.
However, growing up in Utah, the only scones I knew were yeasted frybread stuffed with honey butter. My perception was skewed until I visited the UK and learned about the real deal.
After returning to the USA, I learned that sourdough starter or discard offers a unique flavor profile that elevates the classic British scone. The sourdough adds a subtle tanginess that complements the sweetness of the scone, creating quite a balanced flavor.
The fermentation process of sourdough develops complex flavors, contributing to the overall richness of the scone, with hints of nutty or bready notes. Additionally, the fermentation process breaks down gluten, resulting in a softer, more moist, and tender crumb. Overall, scones made with sourdough discard offer a more nuanced and flavorful experience than traditional scones.
This week, I’ve taken a classic scone recipe and given it a seasonal twist using pumpkin. The result is a warm, buttery treat perfect for a chilly autumn morning.
Pumpkin Sourdough Scone Recipe
Ingredients
This recipe makes 6-8 cones (a typical serving is 2 scones)
Preferment
- 1 cup [230 g] active sourdough starter or discard
- 1¾ cups [220g] all-purpose flour
- 1 cup [230g] pumpkin puree (click here to learn how to make pumpkin puree)
- 4 Tbsp [60 g] butter
Scone Dough
- ⅓ cup [75g] sugar (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 Tbsp [15g] baking powder
- ¾ tsp [5g] salt
- 1½ tsp [5g] pumpkin pie spice (click here to learn how to make your own)
- 1 egg
Directions
Mix the starter with the egg and pumpkin until smooth.
Mix the flour and room-temperature butter in a large bowl until crumbly, but it is okay if the butter is unevenly mixed.
Combine the flour and butter with the starter/egg/pumpkin mixture and knead until the flour is combined.
Cover and set aside for 8 hours to ferment.
Then, whisk the sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together.
(You can Make your own by combining ¾ teaspoons cinnamon and ¼ teaspoons each of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.)After the 8 hours, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
Scrape the dough onto your work surface, then sprinkle it with the sugar/baking powder/salt/ pumpkin pie spice mixture. Work this in by poking it into the dough with your fingers.
Then lightly knead a few times and shape into a 6-inch circle, about ¾–1 inch thick.
Place this into a well-buttered or parchment-lined Dutch oven or cast iron pan.
If you want a sugared top, brush each circle with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar and/or cinnamon sugar.
Using a wet bench knife, slice the dough circle into 6-8 wedges; separate the wedges just a bit.
Bake the scones for 22–25 minutes until golden brown. You may also use a “toothpick inserted into the center of a scone. It should come out clean, with no wet crumbs,” suggests King Arthur Flour. Also, continuing, they say, “If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy.” (Mine looked wet, so I had to bake the additional few minutes, but I’m at 4500’/1375m altitude).
“Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight and store them at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired,” they suggested.
Optionally, glaze the scones when cooled (see instructions below)
The Perfect Twin Glazes for These Scones
White Glaze
- 1¼ cup [160g] powdered sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp [45–60] heavy cream
- 1 tsp [5] vanilla extract
Pumpkin Glaze
- ¾ cup [95g] powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp [17g] pumpkin puree
- ½ tsp [1.5g] pumpkin pie spice
- 1-2 Tbsp [15–30g] heavy cream
Directions
Whisk together the 1¼ cup powdered sugar for the white glaze, 3-4 Tbs. heavy cream, and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a bowl. “You want a thicker glaze, not runny. Spread it on top of the scones, then allow it to dry completely,” Graham advises.
Once set, make the pumpkin glaze. Whisk together ¾ cups powdered sugar,1 cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup pumpkin pie spice, and 1-2 cups heavy cream until smooth. “Transfer to a ziplock baggie, and cut a small part of the corner off. Drizzle over the scones. Allow to set, then enjoy! I like to sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top for a finishing look,” Graham writes.
Making Pumpkin Puree at Home
Joe Carei, Senior Vice President at Bradenzo Restaurant in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, says, “Pumpkin puree is a healthy substitute for eggs in various baked goods.” He explains that it “can be used when eggs are incorporated for moisture in cookies, muffins, and quick breads,” but not when used as binders in baked breads like challah or chewy cookies. But, he continues, “Pumpkin puree can be effortlessly added to mixes for cakes, cookies, breads and brownies.”
“I prefer to clean the pumpkin of seeds and string and cut it in half, top to bottom. Then, I wrap each half with foil and put it in a 325-degree oven, cutting the side up. Cook for about an hour, then check if it is soft. Then, scrape flesh from the skin and puree in a blender or processor. Push through a strainer or sieve to remove excess stringiness, if desired. Other ways to cook pumpkin are to steam or boil and strain it, but I find both ways to make the puree too loose. To give a more roasted flavor, brush flesh with butter or oil and roast flesh side up; no foil. Remember that the larger pumpkins used for jack-o-lanterns are more stringy and watery and must be cooked down. You are better off using smaller pie pumpkins.
Carei gives a formula for substituting canned pumpkin for other liquid ingredients:
- “Add ¼ cup canned pumpkin for each egg called for in the recipe.
- “For oil, the ratio is one to one — one cup of oil is simply replaced with one cup of pumpkin puree.
- “To substitute pumpkin puree for butter, multiply the amount of butter by ¾. If a recipe calls for one cup, use ¾ cup of puree in its place. If you’re not ready to give up all the butter, and in some recipes, you cannot consider splitting the bill. For one cup of butter, use ½ cup of butter and ½ cup of pumpkin puree.
He concludes, “In recipes that call for butter and sugar to be creamed or fluffed up, definitely split the use of butter and pumpkin and fold in pumpkin after creaming. In [the case of] boxed cakes, you can substitute the oil, water, and the egg with pumpkin puree.”
After reading that, I wanted to see if it was true, so I sat down this morning early and looked at this recipe from King Arthur Baking for Harvest Pumpkin Scones. Now, I have to tell you this took some serious Baker’s Math, but in the end, these worked out great.
PJ Hamel at King Arthur also offers this tip:
“Wondering what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin? Scoop onto plastic wrap or into a small container, and freeze. It’ll be ready and waiting next time you want to make these scones. If you’re really serious about using your ingredients most effectively, use a scant 2/3 cup pumpkin (a scant 5 1/4 ounces), rather than the full 2/3 cup called for. You’ll find a typical 15 1/2-ounce can of pumpkin will then be enough for three batches of scones.”
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