GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER SCENTED SCONES: GLUTEN FREE TEA PARTY RECIPES PART VI

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

GF Lavender Scented Scones

     These scones have a wonderful flavor and texture.  I found the idea for a Lavender scone while wandering around cyberspace perusing recipes and ideas for my afternoon Tea. 

     I made one recipe (it was a regular wheat flour recipe that I converted by using GF flours) that turned out like a fluffy biscuit with whole lavender flowers.  The texture was not what I imagined when I thought of scones. The lavender flavor was uneven and, at random, a bite of whole flowers would have a very overpowering and almost bitter taste.

     Next I decided to look up a scone recipe from Martha Stewart.  In the past I have found that her recipes taste just like I remember from my childhood and are always very good.  On her website there is a scone recipe from the Savoy Hotel in London.  I went to their website; they have been serving an elegant Afternoon Tea since 1903. If you have about a minute to spare there is a video about their Tea; if only it were gluten free. 

     The Savoy Hotel is famous for their scones, so I decided to convert this recipe.  I added lavender flowers, finely chopped into a powder, to the dry ingredients before mixing in the milk.  This recipe came out perfectly.  The texture was just like I expected and wanted from a scone; it was moist, flavorful and tender.  With finely chopped flowers the lavender flavor was delicately and evenly distributed throughout the entire scone. 

    It is surprisingly fast and easy to make these scones and they only take about 12-15 minutes to bake. Make these just before Tea time so they can be served warm. To save time and fuss on the day of the Tea, mix the dry ingredients a day or more ahead and store the mix in a plastic baggie until ready to use.

GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER SCENTED SCONES

Ingredients    

1 ¼ cup	Sorghum Flour
¼ cup	Tapioca Flour
¼ cup	Chickpea or Chickpea/Fava Flours
½ tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
4 tsp.	Baking Powder
1 Tbs.	Lavender Flowers (dried) chopped finely into a powder
5 Tbs.	Sugar
5 Tbs.	Butter – Cold; cut into 1 Tbs. sized pieces
Pinch	Salt
2/3 cups	Milk
1	Egg, mixed with a fork, for brushing onto the scones before baking

Directions

     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

     In a large bowl place all the flours; xanthan or guar gum; baking powder; lavender; sugar; and salt.

Lavender chopped into a fine powder.

     Stir all the dry ingredients together well so that they are evenly distributed and well mixed.

     If you have a food processor, add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of the processor and pulse a few times to mix well. Next add the pieces of cold butter to the flour and pulse until all the flour is coated with the butter and no pieces of butter are detectable. 

     If you do not have a food processor, add the butter to the flour mixture in a bowl and with a pastry cutter or two knives cut the cold butter and flour mixture together until no pieces of butter are visible to the eye and all the flour is coated. 

     The mixture should resemble wet sand when done. 

     If you used a food processor pour the flour mixture into a mixing bowl before the next step.

     Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.  

     Add all of the milk at one time to the center of the well.

     With a fork stir the milk into the flour mixture until just moistened.  Do not mix too much or the scones will be heavy like a rock.

     Place a piece of plastic wrap about 18” long on a board or on the counter top.

     Scrape out the dough onto the plastic wrap.

     With wet hands shape the dough into a circle, to make triangles; or into a rectangle if using round biscuit cutters or to make large or small triangles. Dough should be 1-1 ½ inches thick.

Cut circle into eight wedges to make large scones.

For large scones cut rectangle into quarters and then each quarter in half at a diagonal.

For smaller scones, first cut the rectangle in half lengthwise.  Then cut  the rectangle into thirds width wise.  Cut each sixth in half at a diagonal.

For round scones use a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter that has been dipped into GF flour and cut into
about eight to ten scones.

     Cut desired shapes and place 2” apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

     Let rest uncovered for 15 minutes.

     Brush with egg.  If desired, sprinkle with a few lavender flowers or with sugar ( I did not use the sugar or lavender on top of the scones).

     Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Large and small scones.

Large scone (orange chocolate chip) in back and small scone in front.

     Cool on rack.
     Serve warm with clotted cream and jam.

     They were good at room temperature the day I made them, but the next day they were better heated before serving.

     I bought a jar of ready made Devonshire Clotted Cream at Whole Foods Market. If you are really ambitious, there are many recipes on-line that tell you how to make real clotted cream.  It does take 8-12 hours, at least, to form the clotted cream.

     If you cannot find some in a store and do not feel like making it yourself, you can make Mock Clotted Cream easily with the following recipe. It is NOT the same as the real thing, but it will go very well with scones and jam.

MOCK CLOTTED CREAM

Ingredients

1 cup	Heavy or Whipping Cream
¼ cup	Sour Cream

Directions

     In a small mixer bowl beat cream and sour cream until soft peaks form. This makes 2 ¼ cups.

GLUTEN FREE LAVENDER SCENTED SCONES Ingredients 1 ¼ cup Sorghum Flour ¼ cup Tapioca Flour ¼ cup Chickpea or Chickpea/Fava Flours ½ tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum 4 tsp. Baking Powder 1 Tbs. Lavender Flowers (dried) chopped finely into a powder 5 Tbs. Sugar 5 Tbs. Butter – Cold; cut into 1 Tbs. sized pieces Pinch Salt 2/3 cups Milk 1 Egg, mixed with a fork, for brushing onto the scones before baking Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl place all the flours; xanthan or guar gum; baking powder; lavender; sugar; and salt. Stir all the dry ingredients together well so that they are evenly distributed and well mixed. If you have a food processor, add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of the processor and pulse a few times to mix well. Next add the pieces of cold butter to the flour and pulse until all the flour is coated with the butter and no pieces of butter are detectable. If you do not have a food processor, add the butter to the flour mixture in a bowl and with a pastry cutter or two knives cut the cold butter and flour mixture together until no pieces of butter are visible to the eye and all the flour is coated. The mixture should resemble wet sand when done. If you used a food processor pour the flour mixture into a mixing bowl before the next step. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add all of the milk at one time to the center of the well. With a fork stir the milk into the flour mixture until just moistened. Do not mix too much or the scones will be heavy like a rock. Place a piece of plastic wrap about 18” long on a board or on the counter top. Scrape out the dough onto the plastic wrap. With wet hands shape the dough into a circle to make triangles or into a rectangle if using round biscuit cutters or to make large or small triangles. Dough should be 1-1 ½ inches thick. Cut desired shapes and place 2” apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Let rest uncovered for 15 minutes. Brush with egg. If desired, sprinkle with a few lavender flowers or with sugar ( I did not use the sugar nor the lavender on top of the scones). Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on rack. Serve warm with clotted cream and jam. They were good at room temperature the day I made them, but the next day they were better heated before serving.

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