Pumpkin Scones

We attended a lovely wedding last Saturday that was held at a historic church in the East Bay. The church is small and symbolic of the Little House on the Prairie era. It was a cold and rainy day, which I hope did not put a damper (no pun intended) on the bride and grooms day. The weather seemed to cooperate with the day’s schedule. My husband and I arrived just in time to capture the last two seats in the main portion of the church. These seats gave a bird’s eye view of the aisle along with the bride entering the church with her father.

The bride is one of my dear employees. On this day she looked radiant in her stunning gown, hair perfectly tousled and make up done to perfection. Knowing this bride at work, she is much more casual with her hair pulled back and little make up; so I knew this was a special day for her and her betrothed groom. As she entered the church, I smiled at her and I noticed that she began to well up a bit. Later at the reception, she said to me that for whatever reason, I made her cry. I was touched. For the last several years we have worked closely together and I have seen her grow tremendously in her role and it has been so rewarding. I was honored to be invited to share in the joy of her special day.

We drove home through the treacherous rain storm – our first big storm of the season. It was extremely rainy along with cold temperatures and nice to arrive home to have a cozy fire and a glass of wine. Thought it would be tasty to have croissants in the morning. I had purchased frozen ones from Trader Joe’s. All you do is set them out the night before on a lightly greased pan and they rise overnight. Well, once I came downstairs in the morning, I noticed that they did not rise one centimeter. After pondering, I realized that it was way too cold in the house, so into the garbage they went.

Pumpkin scones have long been on my list of baked goodies to make. After perusing many recipes, I came across a wonderful recipe from Seven Spoons that I adapted to make them my own. Often the quantities that I make are too much for just the two of us. One of the greatest pleasures I know is to share with others, especially when I bake or make things. I completely enjoy the expression on the faces of the people I give things to. Sunday was such a day of giving.

I asked Charles to ring our next door neighbors to see if they wanted some oven fresh pumpkin scones and of course the answer was yes. I thought that just Kirk would be over to pick them up, but we were pleasantly surprized that his lovely wife Stephane joined him. We had an impromptu visit with coffee and scones. What a great treat on a Sunday morning during this beautiful fall season.  I shot a few photos of our backyard during this brilliant time of the year.

Pumpkin Scones

4 ½ C. flour
½ C. Dark brown sugar, packed
1 ½ T. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 ½ t. cinnamon
¾ t. ground ginger
½ t. Nutmeg
¼ t. ground clove
1 C. (2 sticks) chilled butter, diced
2 Eggs, beaten
1 C. canned pumpkin purée
2/3 C. Milk
1 egg beaten with 2 T. milk, for egg wash
Granulated or sanding sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Use parchment paper, silpat or lightly greased baking sheet and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. On the machine's lowest setting, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles course meal. The butter should be in small pieces.

Lightly whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée and milk. With the machine on low, pour the liquids slowly into the flour and butter mixture, stirring until just combined. Small bits of butter should still be visible, but almost all the flour should be incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Working quickly, gently knead the dough, folding and pressing gently until smooth. Divide the dough in half and flatten with your hands to about one inch thick. Use a round two inch cookie cutter and cut rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue to flatten and cut rounds until the dough is gone. You will need to flour the board to prevent sticking. Once finished, brush each scone with the egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the the tops are lightly golden and the cut sides look flaky and dry. Cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 24 medium scones.

Spicy Glaze

1 C. Powdered sugar
2 T. Milk
1 t. Cinnamon
½ t. Nutmeg
¼ t. All spice
½ t. Ground cloves

When the scones are cooling, mix the confectioners sugar, spices and milk together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the scones while they are still warm.