TIP OF THE DAY: Make Scuffins

September 22, 2014 at 7:37 am · Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

Surprise: a center of apricot conserve. The
black flecks are flaxseeds. Photo courtesy
Frog Hollow Farm.

Today’s tip comes from Frog Hollow Farm, a beloved grower of organic fruit in Brentwood, California, an hour east of San Francisco in the fertile Sacramento River Delta.

Before there was the cronut, there was the scuffin. Necessity was the mother of invention.

Some five years ago, Frog Hollow Farm began to make frozen purées from fruit that wasn’t cosmetically attractive enough to sell to consumers. They then set about creating products from the purées, and the winner was the scuffin.

What sounds like a cross between a scone and a muffin is actually a triple hybrid, which includes the center of a jelly donut— substituting conserve, jam or preserve for the jelly. (Here are the differences between jelly, jam, conserve, etc.)

A hearty, sconelike dough formed into a muffin shape, a scuffin is more dense than a muffin, with a texture that goes from a crisp exterior and crumbly scone interior to center of smooth fruit filling, made from the purée. It eliminates the need to choose between a scone and a muffin. They can be breakfast bread, snack or dessert.

Served at the Frog Hollow Café in San Fransicso’s Ferry Building, the scuffin was an instant hit. The whole grain flour and flaxseeds, add healthful elements and a nuttiness that pairs well with the jam.

Total prep and baking time is 1 hour.

RECIPE: SCUFFINS

Ingredients For 12 Scuffins

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces), plus 2 tablespoons for buttering muffin cups

1 cup whole-wheat flour (4 1/2 ounces)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (3 ounces)

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal or wheat germ (1 ounce)

3 tablespoons light brown or raw sugar (2 ounces), plus extra for sprinkling

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

1 egg

1/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup fruit jam, conserves, preserves or fruit butter (do not use jelly or marmalade)

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a microwave or over very gentle heat. Using a pastry brush, butter the cups of a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin (3-1/2-ounce-capacity). Let each coat of butter cool, then apply another coat; continue until the 2 tablespoons are all used.

2. COMBINE dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, add to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined.

3. WHISK together the egg, milk and cream in another bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and mix to combine (the dough will be quite sticky).

4. RESERVING about a quarter of the dough for topping, scoop 2 tablespoons dough into each cup. Using the back of a spoon, press the dough gently down into the cups. The dough will move up the sides, and there should be a shallow well in each dough cup. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t come all the way up to the top; there should be about 1/2 inch of space between the top of the dough and the rim of the cup.

Scuffins filled with blueberry preserves. Photo courtesy Frog Hollow Farm.

5. SPOON about 1 tablespoon of jam into each well. Using your fingers, pinch the remaining dough into small clumps and scatter evenly over the jam in each cup, making a bumpy topping. Sprinkle sugar over the tops.

6. BAKE 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned. Let cool in the pan on a rack; run a blade around the sides of each scuffin before turning out.

Variations

Try different flavors of jams and preserves.

Use different spices—nutmeg, ginger or allspice, for example, instead of cinnamon or cardamom.

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