Pumpkin Seed Cream Scones

Cream-based scones are as quick and easy as scones can get. This recipe requires nothing more than cream and any combination of dried fruits and nuts of your choice. There is no waiting for butter to soften at room temperature. There are no eggshells to crack and fish out of your pyrex. It takes about 30 minutes from measuring the ingredients to pulling out trays of freshly-baked scones from the oven.

In addition to the short ingredient list, creams scones use the simplest and most well-known method for making quick breads. The muffin method calls for nothing more than adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, much like making pancake batter but with less liquid. Other mixing methods for scones are the finicky biscuit method, where cold fat is cut into flour until pea-sized, and the labor-intensive creaming method, where room temperature butter is fluffed with sugar through vigorous, uh, creaming.

There is no “creaming” in a cream scone. Go figure.

The muffin method produces scones with a moist interior and slightly crumbly crust, a welcome contrast to the nutty crunchiness of pumpkin seeds in each bite.

cream scone recipe adapted from Michel Suas’ Advanced Bread and Pastry

Pumpkin Seed Cream Scones

makes 8 scones (cut into triangles from an 8-inch circle)

For the Dry Ingredients:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
bread flour                   2 2/3 cups         12            340
baking powder                     1 tbsp           .5           14
salt                            1/2 tsp
hulled pumpkin seeds, toasted     1 cup           5.25         149

For the Wet Ingredients:

Ingredients                  Volume          Ounces          Grams
heavy cream (35% fat)         1 1/2 cups         12.625        359
honey                         1 1/2 tbsp          1.125         35
granulated sugar                1/3 cup           2.375         67

egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon of water)
hulled pumpkins seeds, toasted (optional topping)

Notes:

• Why bread flour? Using stronger bread flour will allow the scones to retain their triangular shape while baking. Feel free to substitute any type of flour, from pastry to all-purpose, regular to whole wheat. The scones may spread out a bit more, though.
• I used a lightly floured 8-inch cake pan to shape the scones into a circle before cutting into 8 wedges. 8 is a lucky number, you know.
• Replace the hulled pumpkin seeds with any combination of dried fruits or nuts. Using frozen fruits such as blueberries? Toss it in flour before mixing to reduce bleeding.

Cream Scone Instructions (The Muffin Method):

Preheat Oven    375°F/190ºC

Mix (Wet)       In a separate container, whisk together the honey,
                and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

Mix (Dry)       Sift the bread flour, baking powder, and salt into a
                large container. Add the pumpkins seeds and mix briefly.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix just until
incorporated, taking care to prevent over-mixing. The dough will be dry
and lumpy in some spots.

Shape           8-inch circle, using a cake pan, cake ring, or by hand

This cream scone dough could have used a bit more mixing. Better under-mixed and crumbly than over-mixed and brickly.

Divide          8 wedges

Pumpkin seed cream scone dough divided into 8 wedges. Master of the obvious.

Glaze           Brush with the egg wash and top with toasted pumpkin seeds
                (if you are using it)

Bake            Bake at 375°F/190ºC for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown

Best served immediately.

After cooling thoroughly, refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a week.

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