Chef John’s Pumpkin Scones

     

Here’s an example of how I would convince the public that pumpkin is great for any time of the year. Ironically, I did this because I had leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving.

Original recipe makes 12 scones

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more as needed
1 egg
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon white sugar

  • PREP

    25 mins

  • COOK

    15 mins

  • READY IN

    1 hr 40 mins

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Mix butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture. Stir in pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and pine nuts until just combined.
  4. Sprinkle a work surface with 2 tablespoons flour. Turn out dough onto the floured work surface. Shape into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the rectangle in thirds, sprinkle with more flour as needed, and flatten to about 1 inch thick. Repeat 2 more times. Cut final rectangle into 6 equally-sized squares. Cut each square into triangles and transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl. Lightly brush the top of each scone with egg wash. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over scones.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 174 kcal
Carbohydrates: 21.5 g
Cholesterol: 33 mg
Fat: 8.4 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 3.9 g
Sodium: 236 mg