British Scones: Raisin and Chocolate

Our test kitchen has made yet another attempt at creating a new type of gluten free scone. Scones, which are so popular throughout the United Kingdom, have enjoyed an ever increasing popularity in many parts of the world. This has not been lost on those of us requiring a gluten free diet. It presents somewhat of a problem, if one does not wish to use an excess amount of starch in the recipe. We are still in the process of perfecting two new scone recipes we are currently working on. So far, we are happy with the taste and easy workability of the recipes, but would like to perfect and recreate the general softness of the traditional scones. One that can be sliced easily, but that does not require the use of potato starch.

In light of all the interest in anything British these days, i.e. the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, we thought it might be fun to invite all of you to participate in the perfection of these scones. So, how about it 🙂 Get your baking supplies out of the cupboard and follow the directions below. Send us your ideas and/or corrections to the original recipe. We, in turn, will go back to our ‘test kitchen’ and try out your suggestions. To enter, you must be subscribed to our blog (in case you are not, you can easily do so on the home pages of our blog — your e-mail will always be kept private and confidential and never shared with anyone!!!) The two best entries/suggestions – using your own gf flour alternatives, not a mix, , will be rewarded with a copy each of our first book “A Celebration of Gluten Free Baking’ and your name and/or blog/website will be featured here with the winning recipe.

Before you throw yourself into the midst of a baking frenzy, please feel free to look up our previously published scone recipes at this link as well as an earlier post here and our popular chai scones here. If you are interested in the general history of scones go to this link for more information.

The first recipe is a simple conversion of a basic British Raisin Scone recipe, using gluten free alternatives. You will need the following ingredients:

British Raisin Scones

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup chestnut flour
1 Tbsp. arrowroot starch
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of Himalaya salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted organic butter, or vegan alternative
1/8 cup of coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg beaten, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone pad, or parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour blend by working it in using your hands. It should just resemble a slightly crumbly mixture. Then add the milk, the lightly beaten egg and the raisins. Combine all the ingredients well; it should be a soft and flexible dough that you can shape with your hands.

Press or roll out the dough to a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a small diameter glass, or your favorite round cookie cutter, cut out the scones and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Brush each scone with the prepared egg wash.

Place the scones in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the scones are just developing a very light color. We should mention, that all our recipes are prepared at high altitude, and if you find yourself at sea level, your recipe may require an additional 5-10 minutes of baking time. By now, your kitchen will also be filled with the wonderful aroma of baked scones. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

For our second version of this recipe, we made Chocolate-Apricot Scones.

Chocolate-Apricot Scones:

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup chestnut flour
1 cup tapioca
1 Tbsp. arrowroot starch
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup raw chocolate powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
6 Tbsp. unsalted organic butter, or vegan alternative
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of Himalaya salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup finely chopped dried organic apricots
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Line baking sheet with either silicone pad (works best), or with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine all the dry ingredients. Cut butter into small pieces, and work it well into the flour, using your hands. Add the egg, milk and finely chopped apricots and combine well. Again, this will be a very soft but workable dough. Dust a baking board with a little chestnut flour and shape the dough into a round, 3/4-inch thick shape. Cut it into small pie shaped slices. Place onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack and let cool.

Now sit back, make yourself a cup of tea, watch any missed footage about the Royal Wedding at the official site here. If you are located in the Southwest of the United States, you might want to check out the local tearooms here.

While living in the Northwest of the U.S., we loved visiting The British Pantry, known for its great British food, fabulous restaurant and bakery, as well as many British gift items. Do check our their website here. Seattle’s Komo News has a great little video about them on their site.

On a slightly different note, we would also like to bring your attention to the many animals in need of adoption. Even the Queen’s favorite dog breed,

finds itself in need of help. Corgi’s truly are special, energetic, loyal, and extremely intelligent, as we discovered after adopting our very own royal canine “Suki” from our local shelter several months ago.

Perhaps you can find it in your heart to adopt, foster, support in any way that you can think of, some of the needy causes in your own town. If you care to sponsor, or find room in your heart to adopt, you can contact first and foremost your own local shelters, or a favorite of ours the Pembroke corgi rescue group.

We are looking forward to hearing from you. We would like to receive your recipe entries by May 15th, 2011. As mentioned, we will then review your entries, try them ourselves, pick a winner and contact you. Thank you for participating.