April 2023 Recipe of the Month

Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones

Shared by Gail G., these scones were a hit at the Winter White Tea.
This recipe is from  Mama Knows Gluten Free

Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones with a sweet and tangy lemon glaze. Made with only a few simple ingredients. The recipe also has a dairy-free option.

 

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, diced and really cold 
  • 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, leave out if your flour already has it
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons gluten-free baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon dried lemon peel (lemon zest)
  • ¾ cup buttermilk (make buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar to the milk and sit for 2 minutes) dairy-free add ¾ tablespoon white vinegar to almond, cashew or coconut milk
  • 2 large eggs whisked
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons milk, dairy-free use almond, cashew, or coconut milk

Glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the butter into small pieces and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. If you do not have buttermilk make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the cup of milk and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to keep cold. You can also make buttermilk out of dairy-free milk.

In a large bowl add flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour blend already has it), sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon peel, stir to combine the ingredients. 

Cut in the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until it looks like the size of small peas.

Add in the buttermilk and the whisked eggs and stir until a soft dough forms. (I whisk the egg right in the buttermilk) The key is to not over mix the dough because over-mixing will cause the dough to yield hard scones. The dough will be sticky. Carefully stir in the blueberries.

Add one tablespoon of flour to a large piece of parchment paper. Place the dough on top of the floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of flour and gently fold dough over on itself 2 times. You do this by folding the dough in half on top of itself and then doing it a second time.

With your hands form a dough round that is about 7″ in diameter and 2″ thick. If you make it any larger or flatter you will end up with flat scones.

Run a sharp knife under warm water and then cut the dough round in half. Then cut each half into 4 slices. Repeat on the second half. You will now have 8 dough triangles. Carefully place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough with the 2 tablespoons of milk. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. 

Add the glaze ingredients to a small bowl and stir together until smooth. Drizzle over warm scones. Enjoy! 

Store leftover scones in an air-tight container. Scones are best served warm.

Notes

  • I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
  • The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Please do not scoop the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup. 
  • For the dairy-free option, I used almond milk and Smart Balance butter.
  • Store-in an air-tight container. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving again.
  • The scones can be frozen before you bake them. Flash freeze the cut scone dough for 30 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet before placing them in a freezer bag and putting them back into the freezer. Bake the frozen scones for 15-20 minutes at 425°