071 / 75 · Smaller Meals and Sweet Finishes
Cottage Cheese and Pumpkin Seed Scones
8 savory wedge scones;2 scones per stated serving · Active 25 min · Cook 25 min · Total 1 hr 5 min
Print recipe · PDFCottage cheese softens these savory scones, while pumpkin seeds bring a small, nutty crunch. A little whole-wheat flour gives the dough character without making it entirely whole grain. There is no egg in the base; the curds, measured milk and cold butter make the dough. Eight wedges divide into four portions of two, useful as a smaller meal or part of a meal chosen to suit the day.
Keep the curds and the flour in balance
Use plain 2%cottage cheese as purchased, with no draining step. Its small curds will partly disappear as the scones bake and leave a few pale flecks. A full-fat creamy spread or a very wet drinking yogurt is not an equivalent ingredient. Rub cold butter into the dry flour mixture before adding dairy. The butter pieces should remain small and visible, not melt into an oily paste. Weigh the flour and use parchment for shaping rather than adding a thick layer of bench flour when the dough feels slightly tacky.
Press a disc instead of kneading a loaf
Fold the cottage cheese, most of the measured milk, seeds and chives into the butter-flour mixture just until the dry pockets are gathered. Turn onto parchment, cover with a second sheet and press gently into a round. Long kneading makes a tougher scone and does not improve the curds. Cut eight wedges with a clean downward motion, then move them apart on the tray. Clear space lets heat reach the cut sides, making the wedges easier to separate and giving each its own lightly crisp edge.
Cool before wrapping a pair
A few minutes on the tray lets the scones settle before they move to a rack. Split a center wedge if uncertain: the crumb should be set and tender without sticky raw flour streaks. Let saved pairs cool promptly before wrapping, since a warm sealed bag softens every crisp surface with trapped steam. The nutrition estimate covers two of the eight scones, including all the seeds and butter. One scone is half that stated portion. Freeze pairs intended for later rather than leaving the full batch in the refrigerator all week.
Ingredients
- 8 3/4 oz all-purpose flour (250 g)
- 1 3/4 oz whole-wheat flour (50 g)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (10 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced (50 g)
- 7 oz plain low-fat cottage cheese,2%milk fat (200 g), not drained
- 2 tablespoons 2%milk (30 ml; use 30 g for the estimate), divided
- 1 1/2 oz plain dried pumpkin seed kernels (40 g)
- A small handful fresh chives, finely snipped (8 g)
Set out
Kitchen scale, large mixing bowl and fork, Baking parchment, rimmed tray and sharp knife, Pastry brush and cooling rack
Allergens
Wheat, Milk, Tree nuts (walnut variation), Check seed and dairy packages for additional allergens or cross-contact.. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 400°F/200°C and line the tray with parchment. Mix both flours, baking powder and salt. Rub in the cold butter with fingertips or a pastry blender until most pieces are pea-sized or smaller, keeping the mixture cool.
- Add all cottage cheese,4 teaspoons/20 ml of the milk, all pumpkin seeds and chives. Fold with a fork and then press lightly until no loose dry flour remains. Do not knead for a long time or add extra bench flour. A slightly tacky dough is expected.
- Turn onto parchment, cover with another sheet and press into a round about 7 inches/18 cm across and 1 inch/2.5 cm thick. Remove the upper paper, cut into 8 equal wedges and move the wedges apart on the lined tray, leaving about 1 inch/2.5 cm between them. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons/10 ml milk.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until risen and golden, the sides feel set and a split central wedge has a cooked tender crumb without raw flour streaks. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve two scones per stated portion, counting the split test wedge as part of its portion.
Keep the serving visible
Wrapping the cooled scones in pairs gives four ready portions. A pair can be useful when a larger meal is later in the day, without needing to describe it as a required training snack or add an unmeasured spread to make the recipe work.
A useful detail
Cottage cheese is weighed undrained. All 40 g seeds are mixed into the dough; no extra seed topping is implied. Milk 30 ml is split 20 ml dough and 10 ml brushing. The estimate is one quarter of the whole batch, usually two of eight wedges.
Another way
- Replace 40 g pumpkin seed kernels with 40 g chopped walnuts; this introduces tree nuts and changes the estimate.
- Replace 8 g chives with 8 g finely chopped fresh dill.
Keep it well
Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep covered at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 2 days, within any shorter cottage-cheese opening instruction. Freeze pairs promptly for up to 2 months, thaw in the refrigerator and reheat the portion needed to 165°F/74°C. Carry chilled pairs with two cold sources rather than leaving the dairy scones warm for a long trip.