Sunday, July 15, 2012

Raspberry Scones (GF)


I promise that this post will be short and will not bore you for too long :) My only purpose is to tell you that you must make these scones now.

For me, raspberry scones are kind of nostalgic. In the summertime my family would buy them at a little hole in the wall bakery. They were served warm out of the oven, buttery and crumbly. The raspberries were a sweet suprise, bright and bursting with flavor.


I believe that this gluten free version could actually be better than the "real thing". They are very light, unlike most gluten free scones I have tried, which are dense and sometimes even have a gritty texture due to the brown rice flour. I know sometimes gluten free baking can be unreasonably expensive, but if you can afford to spend a little extra on superfine brown rice flour, it really works much better. I have yet to find it in a local store, so I have been buying it online. The brand I like best is Authentic Foods.


I know that these scones are not perfectly shaped, but I personally believe their imperfection makes them look all the more delicious. As you can see I prefer to make them jumbo- sized and full of fruit :) but you can really adjust the recipe to your liking.




Raspberry Scones
makes 6-12

3 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon Artisan GF Flour blend (recipe below)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 tablespoons GF baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold salted butter
1 cup heavy cream plus a little for brushing on scones
1 egg
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup frozen raspberries
coarse sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbles (use a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands).
4. Mix together 1 cup of the cream, egg, vanilla, and salt in a seperate bowl. Add to the flour mixture and work together until a dough forms (using your hands is the best way to combine the ingredients).
5. In a small bowl toss 1 tablespoon of flour with the raspberries to coat them well.
6. Very gently fold the raspberries into the dough.
7. Form the dough into a rectangle or circle that is about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into triangles to form 6 to 12 scones depending on your desired size.
8. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. With a pastry brush, brush a little cream on top of each scone and dust with coarse sugar.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on size and number of scones), or until light golden brown.
10. Allow the scones to cool on the cookie sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!

The original recipe recommends storing the scones in an airtight container for up to 1 week, as they keep very well, but I usually freeze them right away, and find that they when they thaw they are just the same as the day they came out of the oven.


Artisan GF flour blend (slightly altered)
This makes roughly 6 cups, store the remaining in an airtight container in the refrigerator:
         2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
         1 1/2 cup sorghum flour
         1 1/3 cup cornstarch
         1/2 cup potato starch
         2 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon potato flour
         2 teaspoon xanthan gum
         1 cup sweet rice flour (mochiko)
Wisk all ingredients together thoroughly


Recipe slightly adapted from Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking by Kelli and Peter Bronski


         





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