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Etsy posted an outstanding sounding recipe for Pumpkin Buttermilk Scones today. They had some things to say for canned pumpkin over fresh pumpkin, which leads me to believe that they’re doing it wrong. But they bring up the interesting point that most canned pumpkin puree is in part butternut squash puree. And if you don’t like butternut squash then, well, you’re doing it wrong. The thought of mixing fresh pumpkin and fresh butternut squash puree together for baking purposes sounds amazing.

Here’s the recipe:

Pumpkin Buttermilk Scones
Yield: 8 scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup pumpkin (or squash) puree (canned pumpkin can also be substituted)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
Coarse sugar + nutmeg for dusting

To roast fresh squash:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash or pumpkin in half and remove seeds. (Reserve the seeds for roasting.) Place squash on a lightly greased baking pan and roast for about 45 minutes to one hour, until the squash is fork tender. Remove skin. Puree using an upright or handheld blender. If you find that the squash still has a lot of water, you may want to strain it for an hour or more (using cheesecloth) to remove excess moisture.

**Allie’s side commentary: Put a little bit of water in the pan while roasting. It will steam the pumpkin at the same time and make it way easier to scoop away from the rind. You can also just steam it in a huge pot on the stove. PS-I learned this from Shayla.

For the scones:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together both flours, sugar, baking powder, sea salt and spices in a larger mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, blend the pumpkin puree, buttermilk and egg.

Add the cubes of cold butter to the dry mix and work with your fingers to create a grainy mixture. Be careful to not overwork the dough.

Slowly pour the wet mix over the dry, whisking with a spoon until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Shape into a ball. Using a rolling pin or your hands, flatten the ball into a disk that is about 1 inch high. Sprinkle a light dusting of nutmeg and coarse sugar over the dough and gently press into the surface with fingers. Slice the disk into quarters, and then repeat to form 8 wedges.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Transfer the wedges to the baking sheet and bake for about 22-25 minutes, until the scones are golden and crisp at the edges.

Best served warm, fresh from the oven, with a generous slather of butter.

Note: Scones will often dry out quickly. You can freeze half the dough for future use.

Ingredients

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

2-3 peaches, pitted and chopped

2-3 pears, pitted and chopped

3/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons dry chardonnay (can be substituted with white vinegar)

1 teaspoon salt

roughly 2 tablespoons cinnamon

roughly 1 tablespoon: ground clove, ground ginger, allspice

a few dashes: paprika, curry, black pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan, mix all ingredients and bring to boil. Then bring down to a simmer, stirring frequently, for roughly one hour or until fruits and veggies become soft. Strain excess liquid. Serve chilled.

(inspired by allrecipes, but heavily modified)