I don’t know if it was all that recent reminiscing about my British heritage that did it, but I have been craving scones for about a week now. I love them for their humility: such a simple, understated baked good. Not flashy. Not excessively decadent. But oh-so-delicious. A somewhat sophisticated comfort food, I guess you could say!

This week, Noah and I set about the task of creating a gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free version of a sweet scone that would work not just for me, but for all of us. Just because they are practically everything-free doesn’t mean they should be taste-free, right? In fact, the core ingredients are beautiful in their simplicity.

I chose to create a sweeter scone mostly because my dessert options are so limited that it’s nice to have something sweeter that I too can eat in the house every once in awhile. Also, Graham and Noah both have pretty wicked sweet teeth {the plural of “sweet tooth,” but it just sounds weird, doesn’t it?} so I wanted to please their palates as well as my {admittedly pregnant} current preferences.

Noah was a wonderful helper and even took some photos of me rolling the dough and cutting out the scones. I love putting a camera into his hands as he gets SO excited about trying out a different angle or composition on each shot. He has such a creative streak running through him!

{Rolling pin from Herriott Grace}

I had some last minute reservations when I pulled them out of the oven, but in the end, we were all quite delighted with the outcome. Slightly golden brown, salty-sweet and tender inside. Just what I’d been craving!

Makes 12-14 scones

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Cup 4 Cup flour
1 cup maple sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt {I used Maldon}
1 cup butter, cut into pea-sized bits and then frozen
1/2 cup milk {or milk substitute of your choice – I used almond milk}

METHOD:

As I noted in the ingredients list, I started by cutting the butter {straight from the fridge} into small, pea-sized bits and then popping it into the freezer for an hour or so. Another technique I’ve used is to freeze the chunk of butter whole and then use a cheese grater to grate it into small bits. This creates smaller pieces of butter, but it’s messier. For me, the end result is the same, so I like cutting it up first and then freezing it best.

Once the butter is completely frozen, preheat your oven to 400°F and then combine the flour, maple sugar, baking soda and salt thoroughly. Next, add the frozen bits of butter. You can either work them into the flour with your hands or use your stand mixer. Once it is combined well the flour/butter combo will look like grains of rice or powdered peas. {I took photos for you, but in a moment of brilliance I did so without the memory card in the camera! I blame pregnancy brain. Or post-concussion syndrome. You choose.}

At this point, you will slowly add the 1/2 cup of milk while the mixer is running on med-low speed. The dough should come together quickly and should not be sticky – scone dough is very simple and rather dry. You may have to use your hands at the end to work in the little dry bits at the bottom of the bowl that didn’t get incorporated, but try not to overwork the dough.

{As a side note, I have to say that Cup 4 Cup flour truly makes an incredible dough. I’ve used it for pie crusts and cakes and all kinds of baked things and it always shocks me with it’s perfection. Truly a one-for-one substitute that does not taste even remotely of the typical sawdust gluten-free experience. I absolutely love Lena for creating this product!}

Dust your rolling surface as well as your rolling pin with a bit of Cup 4 Cup flour and gently roll out the dough until it is about 1/2″ thick. Using a round pastry cutter, cut out your scones and place them on a cookie sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper.

{The edges of the un-cooked dough totally remind me of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!}

Other topping options include:

• Whipped cream and strawberries {turns it into a kissing-cousin of a strawberry shortcake!}
• Mascarpone with blackberries {Rich, lush, decadent flavours}
• Butter and jam {a classic}
• Devonshire cream and blueberry jam {Noah’s choice, pictured at the top of this post}
• I’d also love to experiment with taking them in a slightly savoury direction. Perhaps mascarpone, halved bing cherries and fresh rosemary roasted under the broiler {a derivation of an hors d’oeuvre that I used to make on crostini}. Perhaps I’ll have to make a savoury scone for that one? Hmmm…