squash scones

Scones (or tea biscuits as we Canadians call them) are a perfect partner for soup, stew or chilli. Earlier this week it seemed like it was time for making leek and potato soup; it's such a reassuring, warm bowl of food for the windy, dark nights we have been having recently. And I had been reading The Urban Spork, a new-to-me food blog, when this recipe for sweet potato biscuits caught my imagination.


I had some leftover boiled squash cubes from dinner the night before. While the soup was bubbling away I pureed the squash with a fork. Like all good tea biscuits, there are not very many ingredients or steps. Just mix them up, cut them out, and into the oven they go. When I make biscuits and no one is watching (or I am not taking photos) I don't even bother with cutting out circles. I just press the dough onto the baking sheet and score it into rectangles with a knife. When they are cooked we just break them apart into scones. At the end of this meal, however, Ant declared that he liked them circular and that's how he would expect his scones from now on!

Squash Scones
makes 20 scones
adapted from The Urban Spork

1 c plain flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
6 T (85 g) butter, cut into small cubes + 1 T melted butter
3/4 c cooked squash, cooled and pureed
1/3 c milk
1 t lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 F/215 C.
Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Add the butter with two knives (or a pastry cutter) until crumbly.
In a small bowl, mix the squash puree, milk, and lemon juice.
Stir the squash mixture into the dry ingredients.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently just until a dough forms. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Reuse the scraps to make as many circles as possible.
Lay scones on a baking tray and brush the tops with melted butter.
Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm with butter.