Makes 12
Before you ask, no, I don’t recommend using all whole wheat pastry flour, or straight all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you’ll know I generally have an unfussy approach to creating recipes. That said, baking is an art, and there are just sometimes where the extra ingredients, or steps are vital to making the best-tasting pastry possible. After many years of making scones, I’ve decided that a blend of whole wheat pastry flour and all-purpose flour makes incredibly light scones, with a delicately textured crumb. If you swap in all whole wheat pastry flour, they become TOO delicate. If you use only all-purpose flour, the crumb is too structured, and well, not crumbly enough for my taste.
Music Pairing: Side A Landslide by Steve Nicks / Side B Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins
1/2 cup (117 grams) pumpkin puree
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (59 ml) buttermilk
1 cup (145 grams) whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup (150 grams) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (67 grams) natural cane sugar
1 tablespoons (15 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) fine sea salt
6 tablespoons (84 grams) cold butter, cut into bits
2 teaspoons (10 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Using a fork, lightly beat the pumpkin, egg and buttermilk together in a small bowl; set aside.
Add the flours, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt to a deep medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Scatter the butter on top and rub together quickly with your fingers, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces.
Pour in the buttermilk-pumpkin mixture, and use a wooden spoon to stir together until it forms a crumbly-looking dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Gently knead it a few times until the dough is a somewhat smooth ball.
Divide the dough in half, and shape it into two 1/2-inch thick circles. Use a sharp knife to cut each circle into 6 triangles (as if cutting a pizza). Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet.
In a small bowl, beat the cream and maple syrup until combined. Brush the tops of the scones with it. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and set the tray on a wire rack to cool a few minutes before serving. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container and heated in the toaster the next day.