I have attempted scones before, and they were good, but not quite right. I sat down with 5 cookbooks and mulled over my options. I decided to forgo the buttermilk and yogurt, and up the fat in general. The results, I think, were worth the hemming and hawing.
Raisin Scones
1/4 cup sugar (plus 1 tbsp for dusting)
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 cup corn starch (plus a few tbsp for rolling)
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
8 tbsp (1 stick) of cold butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup half and half (plus 1 tbsp for tops)
1/2-3/4 cup raisins soaked in warm water, then drained
1. Combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
2. Cut in the butter. Mix until the butter is about pea-sized.
3. Combine the eggs and half and half, mix and then add to the flour/butter mix. Gently combine but don't over work. You want to keep the butter pieces whole, but make sure there are no lumps of flour.
4. Gently fold in the raisins.
The mixture is going to look too wet, its not, trust me.
5. Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes.
6. Dust a counter or board with a few tablespoons of corn starch. Roll out and shape the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick.
7. Cut the dough into strips and then into triangles.
8. Place them on a baking sheet, brush with remaining half and half and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Bake at 475F for 7-15 minutes (depending on the size of your scones) or until the tops are golden brown.
These were better than my last attempt. Moister, better flavor, better color. Overall a crushing blow to the first recipe. IMPROVEMENT!
Have you tried using heavy cream? I don't know how it would work with the GF ingredients, but it's what James Beard used.
ReplyDeleteIt should be cream... I was just out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you suggest for a celiac who also can't do dairy?
ReplyDeleteSusan - in general, I added a "dairy-free" label on the right side, so you can search those products and recipes. For scones... you could use a nut, rice or soymilk in place of the cream/half & half. The butter is a bit trickier, most margarine is too soft (has a lower melting point) so maybe crisco would work, or crisco with some margarine cut in. I tend to avoid most soy, so I cannot say for certain... but there are several vegan scone recipes that call for margarine, so maybe if you freeze it or make sure the dough is VERY cold, you will still get the same lift when they bake.
ReplyDelete