Pumpkin Scones

• scones

• Preparation time:

• Cooking time:

Ingredients

350g mixed pumpkin cut into cubes*
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup pure icing sugar sifted
40g butter at room temperature
1 egg
Milk (needed if the mix is a bit dry, plus extra for brushing over tops)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place the pumpkin in a steamer over boiling water, cover, and steam until tender (about 10-15 minutes).
3. Transfer the pumpkin to an oven tray lined with baking paper and dry out in the oven (about 10 minutes -watch out for steam).
4. Place the pumpkin in a bowl and mash until very smooth, then place in the fridge to chill. This step is very important - if the pumpkin isn’t properly chilled when it is beaten into the mix, then the dough will be loose and sloppy.
5. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and add salt.
6. In another bowl, beat the butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and continue beating until it’s well incorporated. Beat in the cold pumpkin.
7. Add the flour and mix by hand to form a rough dough. If it looks too dry, add some of the milk to bring it all together.
8. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface (beware of too much extra flour) and knead gently till smooth. The dough should be a little sticky but NOT wet.
9. Roll out to 2cm thickness and use a 5cm diameter cutter to cut rounds before transferring to a prepared oven tray. They should be well spaced on the tray. Brush tops with milk or cream and bake till golden (about 10-15 minutes).
10. Serve warm.

Notes