Gluten-Free Afternoon Tea Scones

"Best scones ever! I couldn't believe they were gluten free!"

Well, that's according to a few of our guests for Afternoon G&Tea at the Shed. If you'd like to try what they're all raving about, and you can't get to the Shed, here's the recipe.

To begin,

The basic recipe is one I found from both Mary Berry and Marguerite Patten. As far as I'm concerned if it's good enough for them, I'm not arguing! However, I tweaked to work as a gluten-free recipe.

As for the milk and butter, go ahead and use what you prefer. I like to bake with vegetable fat and gluten-free oat milk. That means my scones are gluten and dairy free. You can also follow the option to make it egg-free, too.

Ingredients

• 450g GF Self Raising Flour
• 1 tsp Xanthum Gum
• 2 tsp Baking Powder*
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 100g Butter or Vegetable fat**
• 2 Eggs***
• Milk of your choice (I use Gluten Free Oat Milk Powder mixed with water)
• 2 rounded Tbsp Homemade Quince Jelly or other preserve (optional)****

Method

• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Add vegetable fat and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Don't overdo.
• Whisk eggs in a measuring jug, then add milk to make 300ml of liquid. Add the quince jelly or other preserve if using and whisk again.
• Pour into the dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix. Again, don't overdo.
• Flour your surface and lightly knead until your mixture has come together. Cut out your scones with a 5cm/2inch cutter.
• If your scones are 75g each, you'll get about 12 scones.
• Now, here's the important bit...Cover a baking sheet with parchment/greaseproof paper and place your scones on it. Cover with more baking parchment and freeze the unbaked scones for at least 30 minutes. Then, when ready to bake, heat your oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 6. Uncover your scones and bake for about 20 minutes.
• To check that they are ready, tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, you're good to go.
• Once baked I brush my special, juniper glaze over the tops. You can brush with more of the Homemade Quince Jelly, or one of your choice.
• Let them rest for a bit and serve warm. As part of our Afternoon G&Tea, I serve with cream and our Shed One Jelly Marmalade.

Optional

• Once your unbaked scones are frozen, you can store in a freezer bag for up to three months.
• *Is baking powder gluten free? Pure baking powder is, which most brands are. Just check the label to be sure.
• **My go-to fat is Stork. Vegan and made using sustainable palm oil.
• ***To make them Vegan (Dairy and Egg Free) follow my recipe but replace each egg with a quarter cup of carbonated water. This egg substitution works well for scones, for up to 2 eggs. Here for more info about egg substitutes.
• ****Our local Ford Park has a walled garden where the most beautiful quince tree grows. We take all their quince to make our Quince, Pear & Sage Botanical Vodka. I also use some of the quince fruit to make Quince Jelly.

The video shows a different flour mix. The one above is my most basic, and the ingredients are the easiest to get hold of.
In the video I've used 320g Self Raising, 100g Sorghum Flour and 30g Cornflour.
Sorghum is a lovely flour for scones and cakes. You will notice the colour is darker than your standard SR and Plain flours. Use the search bar to find more alternative scone mixes.

Per Scone (1 of 12)

Calories: ~185–190 kcal
Carbohydrates: ~25 g
Protein: ~3–3.5 g
Fat: ~8 g
Sugar: ~6–7 g