Harvest Pumpkin Scones Adapted From King Arthur Flour Recipe 435 Food

HARVEST PUMPKIN SCONES, ADAPTED FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Work in the butter** just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. **NOTE: Grating cold butter helps to incorporate it into the dry ingredients, much easier. Stir in the ginger and/or chips, if you're using them. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth. Add the pumpkin/egg to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together***. ***I found that my dough didn't turn out very moist. Don't panic, if it does. I simply pressed the dough together, and it worked out great. Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don't have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle (if you haven't incorporated any add-ins); or a 6" circle (if you've added 2 cups of fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4" thick.* *NOTE: I found that room was "tight" to place two circles onto one baking sheet. Even though I spaced them, they spread out and fused a bit together. I recommend using separate baking sheets. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.** NOTE: I froze my scones first, and then added the milk and coarse sugar. It worked out fine. Then I cut them. Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges. NOTE: Seriously, spread them apart! Mine fused together (see previous note). Use two baking sheets. Just sayin'! For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425F. NOTE: Don't skip this step! It helps the butter to product steam and you get tender scones. Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes (mine took 20 minutes), or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy. Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired.

KING ARTHUR FLOUR BAKER'S CROISSANTS RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• 1) For the dough: Make a sponge by cracking the eggs into a 2-cup liquid measure and adding enough warm water to equal 2 cups. Beat until blended, and pour into a large mixing bowl. You can also put the sponge into the bucket of your bread machine, set on the dough cycle. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar, 3 cups of the flour, and the yeast. Mix until well blended. Cover and set aside. 2) For the butter: While the yeast begins its work, set up the butter inlay. Mix the butter and 1/2 cup flour just until the mixture is smooth and well blended (no hard lumps). You can do this with a mixer, a food processor, or with a spoon, by hand. Be careful not to beat the mixture at high speed; you don't want to incorporate any air. Lightly flour a piece of plastic wrap, place the butter mixture on it, and use a dough scraper to pat it into an 8-inch square. Wrap the butter and put it in the refrigerator on a flat surface for at least 30 minutes. 3) Finish the dough: Stir the vanilla, if using, and the melted butter into the sponge. Whisk together the remaining 2 1/2 cups of the remaining flour, the rest of the sugar, the dry milk, and the salt. Add to the sponge and mix until you have a soft but kneadable dough, either by hand, in your mixer, or using the dough cycle of your bread machine. Check the dough after kneading for 4 to 5 minutes, adding more of the measured flour if the dough is still sticky. 4) Once the dough is smooth and elastic, pat it into a square shape, wrap it loosely and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. 5) Rolling in: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and put it on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll it into a square about 12 inches across. Unwrap the butter slab and place it in the center of the dough at a 45° angle, so it looks like a diamond in the square. 6) Fold the flaps of the dough over the edges of the butter until they meet in the middle. Pinch and seal the edges of the dough together; moisten your fingers with a little water, if necessary. 7) Dust the top with flour, then turn the dough over and tap it gently with the rolling pin into a rectangular shape. Pick up the dough to make sure it isn't sticking underneath, dusting under with more flour if necessary, then roll from the center out until you have a rectangle 20 inches long by 10 inches wide. 8) When you've reached the proper size, take a dry brush and lightly sweep off any excess flour, then fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center, and the top third over that (like a business letter). Line the edges up on top of each other, and even up the corners so they're directly on top of each other. Take a dab of water if you need to, to tack the corners together. You've now made your first "turn." 9) Turn the dough package 90° to the right, so it looks like a book ready to be opened. If the dough is still cool to the touch and relaxed, do another rolling and turning the same way. Make a note of how many folds you've completed and the time, and wrap the dough. Return it to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Repeat the above folding and turning process one more time, for a total of four turns. Once completed, wrap the dough well and refrigerate it for at least an hour, and preferably overnight before using. 10) Shaping the croissants: Using half the dough at a time, roll it to a 12" x 18" rectangle. Trim the edges of the dough on every edge using a ruler and pizza wheel. This cuts off the folded edges that would inhibit the "puff." Cut the dough in thirds lengthwise and in half through the middle. This will give you six 4" x 9" pieces. Cut each piece in half diagonally, and arrange them so the points of the triangles are facing away from you. It's okay to stretch them out gently to elongate them when you do this. Cut a 1/2" notch in the short edge of the triangle. 11) If you want to, this is the time to place a teaspoon of filling at the base of the triangle. Roll up the dough, starting with the notched edge and working toward the point. Make sure the point is tucked under the bottom of the croissant. If you have to stretch the dough a little to make that happen, it's okay. You can also use a drop of water on the tip to help it stay in place. Form the crescent by bending the ends toward the center where the tip is tucked underneath. Place the croissants on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. You could also freeze the unbaked pastries at this point. 12) To bake the croissants: Take the croissants out of the refrigerator, and preheat the oven to 425°F. While the oven is heating, brush the tops of the croissants with an egg well-beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. 13) When the oven is hot, bake the croissants for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven's temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. The croissants should be a deep golden brown, even where the dough overlaps; you don't want any raw dough in the center. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Tips from our bakers Adding flour to the butter inlay helps to stabilize it, so the butter won't flow out the seams of the dough as it's being rolled. Bubbles and leaks: It's not unusual to have air trapped inside your laminated dough. If this happens, simply pop the bubble with a toothpick and press the dough down to lie flat. If there's a bare spot where butter is coming through, dust the leak with flour, pressing down lightly so it sticks, and continue on with the fold. Refrigerate the dough as soon as the fold is done, to firm it up. As you work, keep the dough, work surface, and your rolling pin well dusted with flour. Turn over the dough from time to time. As you roll, you tend to expand the top layers more than the bottom. By flipping the dough over, you'll even that out. Before folding the dough over on itself, use your pastry brush to sweep off excess flour. This will help the dough stick to itself after folding, so the layers don't slide around. Have a little water on hand; don't be afraid to brush the corners of the dough with it, to tack the dough in place. You can make rectangular, filled croissants, too. See our blog for step by step instructions on how to do this. Fill croissants with ham and cheese, spinach, or use our pain au chocolate sticks for a special treat. When rolling the dough, especially for the first time, be sure the dough and butter are at the same consistency; this will make rolling much smoother and the layers will be more even. To make Danish from this dough, add 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves to the dough when mixing. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as shown until the dough is finished.

KING ARTHUR FLOUR SCONES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
• Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla or other flavor, and half and half or milk.
• Stir in the fruit, chips, and/or nuts, if you're using them.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don't have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.
• Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle (if you haven't incorporated any add-ins); or a 6" circle (if you've added fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4" thick.
• Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.
• Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.
• Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges.
• For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F
• Bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn't look wet or unbaked.
• Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they're completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.

CREAM TEA SCONES BY KING ARTHUR FLOUR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or not; it helps with cleanup, but isn't necessary to prevent sticking).
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
• Sprinkle the vanilla over the dry ingredients, then drizzle in the cream, tossing and stirring gently all the while and adding just enough to make a cohesive dough. There shouldn't be any dry flour in the bottom of the bowl, but the dough shouldn't be particularly sticky, either.
• Lightly flour a clean work surface. Divide the dough in half, and gently pat each half into a 5 1/2" circle about 3/4" thick.
• Brush each circle with heavy cream, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.
• Place the two circles of dough on the baking sheet, and cut each into 6 wedges. Pull the wedges apart a bit, leaving them in a circular pattern with about 1" space between each wedge.
• For best rising, place the pan of scones into the freezer for 15 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 425°F.
• Bake the chilled scones for 14 to 15 minutes, until they're starting to brown, and they're baked all the way through, without any wet dough in the center.
• Remove the scones from the oven. Serve warm, split and spread with a bit of sweet butter and jam or preserves.
• Store cooled scones airtight at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage. To refresh, microwave individual scones very briefly; or place scones on a baking sheet, tent with aluminum foil, and reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through.