These scones are both sweet and savory and need no adornment. They are best served warm with a pot of your favorite tea or a good, strong cup of joe. MAKES 8 TO 12 SCONES
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup 2 percent or whole milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh minced thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and stir to blend. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is in pea-sized pieces.
2. Combine the milk with the pumpkin puree and thyme and blend well. Stir the milk and pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients until the dough starts to come together. Add a little more milk if the dough seems too dry. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather it together, and knead lightly. Don’t overwork it.
3. Flatten the dough into a round about 1 inch thick. Cut it into eight to twelve pie-shaped wedges. Sprinkle them with the remaining teaspoon of sugar. Place the scones on a baking sheet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the scones are golden on top. Cool them on a baking rack for a few minutes and serve warm.
4. You may wrap any leftover scones in foil and reheat them at 300 degreesF for about 10 minutes.
Susan Belsinger writes regularly for The Herb Companion and is the author of many books, most recently Basil: An Herb Lover’s Guide, with Thomas DeBaggio. She lives in Brookeville, Maryland.
Click here for more great recipes from the original article, Cooking with Thyme.
