I have yet to perfect gluten free scones.
Scratch that. I had yet to perfect gluten free scones.
Previously I always had issues with texture. Or the flour combination. It’s hard to recreate that crumbly, yet rich and buttery texture without wheat. And I’ve tried. I’ve tried numerous recipes, and while they are ok…they’re just not really scones.
Whatever possessed me to try again, I don’t really know. It was probably the bag of dried apricots I had. After using 1/2 cup of them in a chicken dish, I had no idea how I was going to get rid of the rest of them. And I don’t like to waste food.
I searched the internet for regular apricot scone recipes and combined several ideas, made a few tweaks of my own, and gave it a gfree (and dairy free) makeover. This is what was born:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 c. equal parts sorghum & brown rice flour (3/4 c. of each)
- 1/2 c. tapioca flour
- 1 t. xanthan gum**
- 1/3 c. organic cane sugar (or a hefty pinch of stevia)
- 2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. sea sat
- 1 c. dried apricots, diced
- 1/4 c. shelled pistachios
- 6 T. of cold, unsalted organic butter cut into cubes (or organic shortening)
- 3/4 c. almond milk (I used 1/2 c. almond milk and 1/4 c. heavy cream)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- 1 T. almond milk
- 1 T. turbinado sugar
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place pistachios in a food processor. Grind until they are roughly chopped.
- Add diced apricots, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum.**
- Pulse until flour is combined and apricots appear to be even throughout.
- Next, add cubed butter and pulse lightly, until mixture begins to look sandy (don’t over-do this…chunks of butter make it extra flaky).
- Finally, add the 3/4 c. milk and 2 egg yolks. Pulse for a few seconds to mix, but not until the entire mixture is wet.
- Remove the dough and mix it with your hand to incorporate any flour that is not yet mixed in.
- Scoop the mixture into a non-stick muffin tin (it makes about 11 scones). If you see little chunks of butter you did something right!
- In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg and 1 T. of milk. Brush over the tops of the scones and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for about 18 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and allow to cool. After 2 days, refrigerate or freeze.
