These scones are quick and easy to
make, contain no added sugar or salt and are high in vitamin
A and fibre. I have tested and improved the recipe over many
years and come up with the quickest, easiest and tastiest
scones possible. Even better with winter squash (eg
butternut).
A 2-stage process! - both stages are easy
- First cook the pumpkin/squash. Allow
to cool. You can cook the pumpkin in an oven, or
cut into chunks and microwave, steam or boil.
- Use 250g of cooled cooked pumpkin flesh
for a batch of scones. If you cooked a large pumpkin,
the cooked pumpkin flesh can be frozen in 250g portions.
half teaspoon baking powder
30 g cooking oil (eg sunflower oil)
100g sultanas
250g self raising flour
Preheat the oven to 200˚C (Mark 7)
Add the oil and baking powder to the pumpkin puree and mix with
a blender. Mix the sultanas in with the puree with a
spoon. Add the pumpkin puree sultana mix to the flour and
make it into a soft dough. It should not be too wet or sticky.
If it is too dry, add a little water or pumpkin juice. If it is
too wet, add more flour. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface
and kneed very lightly. Roll out lightly to approx 2cm thick.
Use a pastry cutter to cut out the scones and place on a baking
tray. Bake for 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool for
a few minutes.
Banana and pumpkin scones
As above, but puree a ripe banana with the pumpkin
The best Pumpkin Puree
For the best puree, choose a dense-fleshed winter storage
pumpkin, like Crown Prince. Place in a covered casserole dish
and bake whole in the oven at 160˚C until soft all the way
through. (Test with a wire cake tester). Allow to cool, then
scoop out the flesh with a spoon. This can be put in batches and
frozen until required. To puree this, use a hand blender until
smooth. Butternut squash is another good winter squash and works
well. If your pumpkin is too big to fit in the casserole, cut
into chunks.
© Russell Attwood 2006