Using gluten-free flour is very different from baking with ‘ordinary’ flour which is often  wheat-based.  Gluten is the doughy part of the dough, the stretchy part of the pizza base; it helps dough rise and it is the structural protein so cooking ‘gluten-free’ can often lead to crumbly results.

I am still very new to using gluten-free flour but early on learned that you cannot just substitute it for plain or self-raising flour in most recipes.  It works in some, but not in the majority.   Another important fact is that the end result WILL BE a little different from what you are used to, but many of the recipes are so delicious that this fact doesn’t matter one little bit.

I used a flour from Doves Farm to make these scones which is made from a mix of rice, potato, tabioca, maize and buckwheat flour.  Having just bought a book on gluten-free cooking, it suggests a number of flour blends which I will probably try in the future.

The dough in these scones is very soft and to overwork it will cause very heavy end results.  I made mini scones (about 18) and they were delicious served with fresh Strawberry and Chia Jam.

INGREDIENTS:

350g gluten-free SR flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it is GF)
85g butter
2 tablespoons sugar (I used a little less as I rarely use refined sugar)
150ml coconut milk + 25ml coconut cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Squeeze lemon juice
Beaten egg to glaze

METHOD:

Turn the oven on at 220°C and put the baking sheet in to heat up.

Mix the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl.

Add the chopped butter and rub in with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar.

Heat the milk in a glass jug in the microwave for 30 seconds until warm. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, stir in the cream.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk in one go.

Combine the ingredients quickly until just coming together and you can tip them out onto a floured surface.

Gently fold the dough over two or three times until a little smoother but don’t overwork the mix otherwise the scones will be heavy.

Quickly bring the dough to a round shape approximately 4cm deep. Using a straight sided cutter, cut out your scones and leave to one side until you have used up all the dough. Try not to overwork the dough as you bring it together to keep cutting out.

Brush gently with the egg wash and pop onto the hot baking sheet and return immediately to the oven.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown and cooked.

Serve warm with some fresh jam.

Gluten-free mini scones and fresh strawberry and chia jam

Recipe adapted from Free from Fairy

NB:  All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.