GLUTEN FREE BANANA SCONES with DAIRY-FREE and VEGAN instructions. With and without BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     Yay!  Another great way to use an over ripe banana.  A break in the unbearably hot and humid weather and I turned on the oven again.  I love to bake.  When I am in the kitchen thinking of what to make my creative juices are flowing and I am so happily focused in a semi-meditative state.   I’ve been planning for another Tea Party....this time a French one and have been thinking up the menu and looking for unique scone recipes.  I saw a recipe for Banana Scones and I had an over ripe banana.  (By the way, I will be making Strawberry Basil scones for the French Tea Party.)  I decided to take my recipe for Lavender Scones from my English Tea Party post and change it up into a banana scone.  The Banana Scones came out moist, delicious and are so easy and fast to make. 
     I mashed up the banana and then added cream to the measuring cup to equal the 2/3 cup total liquid that the recipe calls for.  I added some cinnamon too since I love it in banana bread.  I forgot how sweet ripe bananas are and the scones were a tad too sweet so I reduced the sugar by 1 Tbs. in the recipe.  I think these would taste great with chopped walnuts mixed in and/or with some chocolate chips.
     There was a photo of a brown butter glazed banana scone online.  I could not help myself, I had to try at least one scone with this glaze, so I made a small amount of glaze and had one.  I have a thing for brown butter so I think it improves everything and I loved it.  The banana scones really do not need a glaze as they are quite delectable unadorned.  However, if you also have an uncontrollable urge for Brown Butter Glaze see my recipe on a previous post and drizzle some over the scones.

     

GLUTEN FREE BANANA SCONES

Makes 8 large triangle shaped scones.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups	Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup	Tapioca Flour
1/4 cup	Chickpea Flour
1/2 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
4 tsp.	Baking Powder
1/4 cup	Sugar (I used evaporated cane juice crystals.) For Vegans be sure that the sugar is vegetarian**(see note).
1/2 tsp.	Cinnamon
1	Ripe Banana* (see note below) mashed
2 Tbs. (approx. -see directions)	Cream - For Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-dairy creamer such as Soy Delicious Coconut or Soy.
1/2 tsp.	Vanilla Extract - for Dairy-Free or Vegan you can use Lorann Butter Vanilla for a buttery taste if you like.
5 Tbs.	Cold Unsalted Butter or for Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-dairy/vegan Margarine such as Earthbalance Buttery Sticks.  Cut the butter/margarine into 1/2 tbs. sized pieces.

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.   Add the flours, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder to a large bowl or to the bowl of a food processor.  Mix well.

   

   Dry ingredients on left and wet ones on the right.

3.   Add the cold butter/margarine pieces to the flour mixture.  If using a food processor pulse the butter/margarine in until the mixture resembles wet sand then pour out the mixture into a large bowl.  If doing by hand cut the butter/margarine in to the flour mixture until they are the size of very tiny beads. 

   

   Flour mixture with cold pieces of butter in the food processor.

   

   Flour and butter after pulsing several times in the food processor.

4.   In a large (at least 2 cup) measuring cup mash the banana.  Add cream/non-dairy creamer until there is a total of 2/3 cups of banana/cream mixture.

   

   Mashing the banana in a measuring cup. 

5.   Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture in the large bowl and stir together with a fork until just mixed.  Do not over mix or the scones will be heavy and dense.

   

   Wet ingredients added to the dry ones in a large bowl.

   

   Dough just mixed together.
6.   Scoop out the dough onto the parchment paper.  With wet hands gather the dough into a circle and smooth the top.

   

   Dough scooped out an shaped into a circle.

7.   Cut the circle into 8 wedges with a sharp knife.

   

   Cut scones spread apart on the parchement lined baking sheet.

8.   Separate the wedges until they are about 2 inches apart.
9.   Let the scones rest for 15 minutes.  If you like, you may brush the tops with egg wash or oil for a shinny top.
10. Bake scones for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown.  Baking time will vary according to your oven and how thick you make the scones.

    

    Baked scones cooling on a rack.

11. Serve warm.  Warm up any left over scones if serving the next day or so.  You can freeze the fresh scones and reheat for later use.  

    

    A peek at the inside of the scone.

*About ripe bananas:  If the banana skin is black and the inside is soft and oozing a bit of liquid this is over ripe and great for baking.  If the skin in yellow, with or without spots, the banana may not be sweet and flavorful enough for really great tasting baked goods.  You can improve the flavor and taste of yellow skinned bananas by roasting them in their skins in a 375 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, turn them over and roast another 10-20 minutes (the riper the banana the less time it will need to roast).  Let them cool and use them in your recipes.  Green skinned bananas will never be sweet enough for baking until you let them ripen to at least the yellow stage and then you can roast them.

**About Vegetarian Sugar:  Many people ask what makes a sugar vegetarian. Sugar itself is vegetarian. Some of the refined white sugars (and even brown sugars) produced from sugar cane are put through a process that involves passing the sugar through charred animal bones in order to make the product very white.  After going through this process sugar is no longer suitable for vegetarians. Unrefined sugars, evaporated cane juice, sucanat, organic sugars and many others are vegetarian as they do not go through this process.  Not all white sugar is processed through animal bones, beet sugar is never processed this way. Whole Foods sells some white sugar labeled "Vegetarian".  To verify if your sugar is vegetarian, you may need to do an internet search or call the company and ask.

Unglazed scones ready to eat.  Yum!      

GLUTEN FREE BANANA SCONES Makes 8 large triangle shaped scones. Ingredients 1 1/4 cups Sorghum Flour 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour 1/4 cup Chickpea Flour 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum 4 tsp. Baking Powder 1/4 cup Sugar (I used evaporated cane juice crystals.) For Vegans be sure that the sugar is vegetarian**(see note). 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 1 Ripe Banana* (see note below) mashed 2 Tbs. (approx. -see directions) Cream - For Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-dairy creamer such as Soy Delicious Coconut or Soy. 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract- for Dairy-Free or Vegan you can use Lorann Butter Vanilla for a buttery taste if you like. 5 Tbs. Cold Unsalted Butter or for Dairy-Free or Vegan use non-dairy/vegan Margarine such as Earthbalance Buttery Sticks. Cut the butter/margarine into 1/2 tbs. sized pieces. Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the flours, xanthan gum, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder to a large bowl or to the bowl of a food processor. Mix well. Add the cold butter/margarine pieces to the flour mixture. If using a food processor pulse the butter/margarine in until the mixture resembles wet sand then pour out the mixture into a large bowl. If doing by hand cut the butter/margarine in to the flour mixture until they are the size of very tiny beads. In a large (at least 2 cup) measuring cup mash the banana. Add cream/non-dairy creamer until there is a total of 2/3 cups of banana/cream mixture. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture in the large bowl and stir together with a fork until just mixed. Do not over mix or the scones will be heavy and dense. Scoop out the dough onto the parchment paper. With wet hands gather the dough into a circle and smooth the top. Cut the circle into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Separate the wedges until they are about 2 inches apart. Let the scones rest for 15 minutes. If you like, you may brush the tops with egg wash or oil for a shinny top. Bake scones for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown. Baking time will vary according to your oven and how thick you make the scones. Serve warm. Warm up any left over scones if serving the next day or so. You can freeze the fresh scones and reheat for later use. *About ripe bananas: If the banana skin is black and the inside is soft and oozing a bit of liquid this is over ripe and great for baking. If the skin in yellow, with or without spots, the banana may not be sweet and flavorful enough for really great tasting baked goods. You can improve the flavor and taste of yellow skinned bananas by roasting them in their skins in a 375 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, turn them over and roast another 10-20 minutes (the riper the banana the less time it will need to roast). Let them cool and use them in your recipes. Green skinned bananas will never be sweet enough for baking until you let them ripen to at least the yellow stage and then you can roast them. **About Vegetarian Sugar: Many people ask what makes a sugar vegetarian. Sugar itself is vegetarian. Some of the refined white sugars (and even brown sugars) produced from sugar cane are put through a process that involves passing the sugar through charred animal bones in order to make the product very white.  After going through this process sugar is no longer suitable for vegetarians. Unrefined sugars, evaporated cane juice, sucanat, organic sugars and many others are vegetarian as they do not go through this process.  Not all white sugar is processed through animal bones, beet sugar is never processed this way. Whole Foods sells some white sugar labeled "Vegetarian".  To verify if your sugar is vegetarian, you may need to do an internet search or call the company and ask.

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