Blueberry Scones - no wheat, no dairy, no eggs, no soy, no nuts

Eat them warm with safe butter and jam.  Don't forget your cup of tea!

It's getting warmer in our part of the country.  It's perfect weather for relaxing in the sunlight with a cup of something soothing and a warm scone. 

I wanted to try a gluten-free scone recipe and found a raspberry scones recipe by BabycakesNYC founder Erin McKenna.  While the original recipe calls for spelt flour and advice straight from the Babycakes website itself cautions against substituting another gluten-free flour blend, I subbed in a gluten-free flour blend anyway.  I was pleased with the results but I do wonder how much yummier the scones would be with spelt flour.  (Adding this to my obsessive scone-making list!)

Remember to double check all labels to ensure that your brand of ingredients are in fact allergy-free (gluten-free and soy-free can be especially tricky).

Blueberry Scones - wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free

2 cups gluten-free flour plus 1 tsp of xanthan gum
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar (I use raw or organic) (*UPDATE: I have been reducing the sugar to 1/3 cup -- still delicious!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus up to 1 Tbsp hot water
1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl.  Create a well in the middle of the flour for your wet ingredients.
3. Add melted coconut oil and quickly mix it by hand with the flour mixture.
4. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of hot water.  Mix until halfway combined. 
5. Add in half the blueberries.  Gently stir or cut blueberries into dough until just combined.  I switch from a spoon to my hands to gently knead in the blueberries a couple times.
6. Add in the remaining blueberries and knead a couple more times.  You may need to add another tablespoon of hot water if your dough is too crumbly.  Don't overmix or the scones will have a tough texture.
7. Shape dough into a flattened circle with a 1.5-inch thickness.  Cut the circle into 6-9 equal wedges.  Pull the wedges apart and space them out on a greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-17 minutes.  (If baking a double batch, bake for about 20 minutes.)

 

The trickiest part for me is to not overmix my dough.  I'll be truthful.  In one batch, everything was perfect, but in a subsequent batch, the texture was a little tougher, sure signs that I had mixed a little too much.  I think I kneaded the dough several times to get the blueberries to stick to the dough and, in doing so, toughened the dough.  In the instructions above, I suggested to add the blueberries in a little earlier when the dough is halfway combined.  I also think working with dried fruit such as cranberries would make it easier to avoid overmixing.

I found an informational piece about scones published by the Baking Industry Research Trust.  It's worth the read.  Not only does it go through the history of scones and details its common ingredients, it offers baking tips to ensure that you make a perfect batch.