Recipes

Gluten Free Scones that actually taste like scones!

by Sashee Chandran

Last Saturday was a good friend's baby shower. The theme was Mad Hatter Tea Party and we decided to make it pot luck style. The soon-to-be mommy is gluten intolerant and as I was thinking about what to contribute to the food mix, it dawned on me that traditional tea treats can be quite unfriendly to those who are gluten-free. However, I was also convinced that a tea party is not a tea party without scones!

And so, I decided to attempt gluten-free scones. I had attempted a recipe a few years ago and it did not turn out too favorably - very, very crumbly and dry - so I was unsure how this batch would turn out. But I took the simplest recipe I could find, and just exchanged the flour ingredients with gluten-free flour. This recipe was so simple and took me a total of 22 minutes to make from start to finish, with very simple ingredients.

The scones turned out to be a hit! What people loved about the scones (both those gluten tolerant and gluten intolerant) was that they were moist, light, sweet, and had a scone texture. The scones were extra yummy with a small teaspoon of creamed honey. As a garnish I added a dash of cinnamon and turbinado sugar on each scone before placing them in the oven which was a perfect balance.

Enjoy the recipe, and let us know what you think!

Gluten-Free Simple Sweet Scones [Modified Recipe from Food.com]

2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Arrowhead Mills)
1/4 teaspoon of Arrowroot powder (starch obtained by a tropical plant)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up
1/4 cup granulated sugar (use 1/3 for slightly sweeter scones)
2/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 425°F (220 Celsius)
Put flour, baking powder, arrowroot powder, and salt into a large bowl; stir mix well
Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture looks like fine granduals.
Add sugar; toss to mix.
Add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms.
Form dough into a ball and turn smooth side up.
Pat or roll into a 6 inch circle.
cut each circle into 6 or 8 wedges.
place wedges on an ungreased cookie sheet- slightly apart for crisp sides, touching for soft.
sprinkle desired amount of cinnamon and sugar on each scone.
Bake about 12 minutes, or until medium brown on top.