Up until last week, my entire concept of Bobby Flay was “that guy who grills on TV.” So when his publisher contacted me to see if I wanted to try out his new cookbook, Brunch at Bobby’s, I was a little confused. I do pastries here, none of which involve grilled meats. I was assured that Bobby’s new brunch book had pastries, and since I love brunch more than any other meal, I said “Absolutely! Send me the book!”
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Bobby Flay has a brunch cookbook now, because I remember him being on Portlandia’s “Brunch Special” a few years ago making Blackberry Marionberry Pancakes. I rewatched that episode just to infuse myself with the spirit of a Bobby Flay brunch and also to see Bobby Flay playing hide & seek with Jonathan Krisel.
I had my best friends coming in from California this weekend, and they had requested that I make scones for them, so when I got Brunch at Bobby’s in the mail the day before they arrived, I immediately scoped out a scone recipe. Pumpkin scones with cranberries and candied ginger? Could it be any more perfect for the season? What good timing!
I had all the ingredients except for muscovado sugar, which my husband begged me to just substitute with brown sugar (you totally can), but I insisted on running out to buy muscovado sugar to ensure recipe testing accuracy. And because I like to have fancy ingredients.
I made this scone recipe twice. The first time I added too much buttermilk because I was worried the dough wasn’t coming together well enough. They turned out too soft for my liking, kind of like a muffin, and spread quite a bit, but they tasted amazing. The next time around I didn’t add any additional buttermilk and the scones came out looking beautiful. I absolutely love the strong ginger flavor, and soaking the dried cranberries ensured that they were nice and soft in the finished scone. I took a cue from the gorgeous photo in the book and sprinkled the tops with some turbinado sugar before baking them, too.
As we shoved scones in our faces with varying levels of decorum, my friends and I flipped through the rest of the book, drooling over various dishes like Blackberry Hazelnut Sticky Buns, Moroccan Eggs, and really every single waffle (my husband is a total waffle junkie).
The fine folks at Clarkson Potter are giving you a chance to win not only a copy of the book Brunch at Bobby’s, but also a $100 Visa gift card so you can get lots of ingredients for the perfect brunch (don’t forget the muscovado sugar!).
Some info on Bobby Flay, in case you aren’t familiar: Bobby Flay, New York Times bestselling author, is the chef-owner of five fine-dining restaurants, including Gato, Bar Americain, Mesa Grill, and Bobby Flay Steak, and an expanding roster of Bobby’s Burger Palaces. He is the host of numerous popular cooking shows on Food Network—from the Emmy-winning Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction to Iron Chef America, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star—as well as Brunch @ Bobby’s on Cooking Channel. His website is www.bobbyflay.com.
Bobby Flay’s Pumpkin Cranberry Scones | Such a great fall brunch recipe! These scones are really soft and full of ginger flavor.
PUMPKIN CRANBERRY SCONES
- ½ cup (60 grams) dried cranberries
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) packed dark muscovado sugar*
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) buttermilk, cold
- ½ cup (122 grams) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (35 grams) finely diced candied ginger
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl and cover with hot (not boiling water). Soak the cranberries for 30 minutes, then drain off the water and set the cranberries aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, muscovado sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter cubes until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest butter chunks are the size of peas.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients along with the cranberries and candied ginger. Mix until just combined; it’s okay if there’s a little bit of dry ingredients that aren’t incorporated yet.
- Turn the scone dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead the dough about five times to combine. Pat the dough into an 8-inch round. Cut into 8 equal wedges with a bench scraper, then transfer each scone wedge to your prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of each scone with the cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake the scones until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the scones for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- *Light muscovado sugar, or light or dark brown sugar can be substituted.
