Recipe for Famous Gluten-free Scones
Among my friends, family, and co-workers I am famous for my scones. I get frequent requests for the recipe. People are usually surprised to hear that it's wheat-free and gluten-free, it tastes so much like "regular." Well here it is!
The Best Gluten-free Scone Recipe
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together in a large bowl:
2 cups Gluten-free Pastry Flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder (make sure it's GF)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt plus a pinch
1/4 tsp xanthan gum (if it's not included in your GF flour mix)
Cut into pieces and drop in:
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives, coating the pieces with flour as you go, until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Keep this mixture cold, chilling it in the refrigerator if the butter starts to soften.
Stir in:
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) and/or
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
Whisk together in a separate bowl:
3/4 cup cream (substitute unsweetened coconut cream if you are lactose intolerant)
1 egg
1-2 tsp orange or lemon zest (optional)
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture starts to hold together, then gently knead the dough a few times with your hands. Depending on your flour mix, the dough may be very sticky. While this makes it difficult to handle, it is okay. If the dough seems dry and won't hold together easily, add 1-2 Tbsp more cream and knead it in.
Put the dough on a high-quality baking sheet. Gently push the dough into a flat disk about one inch high. Cut into eight equal pieces and arrange them on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Brush some cream onto the tops of the scones. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.
Enjoy your gluten-free scones!
Comments
I'm going to try this scones recipe when I get some cream.
Thanks!
Maybe :) So I did a wee search, & found your blog!
I used my Brown rice mix, (w potatoe starch & tapioca) plus 1/4 C coconut flour, coconut milk for the liquid (I dilute a can with 1/2 C water) & 3 T butter, 3 T coconut oil. I used Apricots, Almonds, lemon zest & a bit of freshly ground nutmeg - delish!
These were a bit sweet for my taste, I'd reduce the sweetening next time (prob use 1 Tbsp Agave nectar) - but lovely for a party scone!
Coconut flour, since it's so high in soluable fiber, requires more moisture - I soaked 1 T flax seeds in ~ 1/4 C water (adds more 'stickyness' too) & added the flax seeds with the nuts, whipped the water with the eggs n coconut milk - made it 'just right'
I've been using coconut oil, milk & flour since late this spring, & so enjoy it.
Dr Mary Newport's blog gives updates on her husband Steven's progress w his Altzheimers - he has learned to read again, & is volunteering at the Hosp. where Mary works. http://coconutketones.blogspot.com/
Colleen, who runs the tea room, was a bit surprised when she brot the dried fruit (her subsitute for the scone :( & saw one on my plate! I explained I'd brot my own, & indulged in her whipped cream/sour cream & champagne jelly (need I say YUM??!!) with the rest of the babes!
Stove top scones were often my 'fall back' bread when my kids were growing up - if we needed something for school lunch, quick, make scones! So what a treat to find your recipe first, & have it turn out so well :)
THANKS!
Glad you liked it! Milk is quite a bit wetter than cream. I've never done this recipe with milk - I wonder if you should reduce the quantity of liquid if using milk? Mine are never too gooey to handle. Of course, it could also be the baking mix. I've never used the Arrowhead Mills one but hear it's good. Drop scones are perfectly legit, though!
It spread out to the entire pan, which may be the flour or the milk, but it turned out perfectly tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
I've had bad luck with chickpea flour, especially making scones. Because of my prejudice against it, I'm wondering if it was the chickpea flour that made the scones spread (this happened to me once). However, you can probably use a little less liquid if you're using milk instead of cream. Milk is wetter than cream, so it might over-moisten the dough, but it shouldn't be enough of a difference to make it spread. Hmmm...
I'm making them again, this weekend. Fortune Cookie flavored! I have a feeling that this will be a go to recipe for years to come!
I used your recipe for the gluten-free scones for my daughter today. I have not done much gluten-free cooking before but these scones were amazing. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour and only used a 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthan gum. Worked like a charm. I used cranberries as the dried fruit and some chopped almonds. You would not know they were gluten-free. Excellent. Thanks so much.
Ian
I think what really works about this recipe is how moist the scones are. Often the problem with gluten-free baking is dryness, but these scones are good to eat just by themselves.
If you can do dairy, I like Pamela's pancake and baking mix.
They were great for my Red Hat event, & non GF friends have been surprised how great they taste!! Thanks again :)
I need help!
I've made these scones two times now. The first time, I used coconut milk. They turned out really crumbly. I figured more fat would help them out.
So the second time, I used regular heavy cream. They definitely tasted much better! However, they still came out crumbly. Any suggestions for me?
Christine - I'm glad it worked for you!
I tried it out and posted it on my blog.
http://celiacunderground.blogspot.com/2010/03/scones.html
Thanks again!
Lani in Samoa
The kids are sleeping in, but I imagine they will be downstairs shortly because the smell is amazing!!! Superb treat on a lazy Sunday morning :)
My baking mix of choice is Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix.
It's nice to find another fellow Portland blogger. :)
bb
I used Celimix - easy mix- Rice bread mix. And I added in the additional Xanthum Gum I used brown sugar, and i added cheese instead of fruit or nuts.. and I used almond silk.
I love them.... I might had more cheese next time, but I have to say I will remake this recipe!
You're right that incorporating the liquid slowly into the dry ingredients would help you regulate the ratio of wet to dry, but you could end up over-working the butter, which would make the texture cake-like instead of flaky. Instead, you should add the wet ingredients, preferably cold, all at once, and then quickly mix it together and knead a few short times. If it's too wet then add more flour, refrigerating the dough if necessary to not melt the butter before mixing it. Then make notes on your changes for the next time you make it.
Thanks for your feedback!
Thank you for sharing your talents!
I used an oat/millet/tapioca flour blend, and because of dairy allergies, I substituted the cream with 1/3 c. sunflower oil+2 tsp rice vinegar+soymilk to = 3/4 cup liquid. The soymilk thickened right up. The dough was shaggy and stiff enough to gently shape. Forgot the egg, and so now the scones are delicious, and vegan. Chopped hazelnuts and dried cranberries.
Really taste like gluten scones. Thank you!
If anyone cares, any oil that tastes good to you for cooking could work, but only soymilk, pea milk, and sometimes thick almond milk have enough protein to 'clabber' from the vinegar. If in doubt, I mix a couple of tablespoons of your milk with a few drops of vinegar to test for thickening.