April 06, 2012

Chocolate chip scones, GF and delicious | The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Bread part two

After perusing all the tempting recipes in The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Bread, and having a tough time deciding what to make, I finally decided that since I had tried a yeasted pizza dough that served as the base for a savory taco pizza, I should also try something in the sweet treat category. The English muffins I was eying would have to wait until I made chocolate chip scones. I remembered fondly my pre-GF scones, and wondered how these would stack up.

I was pretty excited since I was still stoked by the success of my first recipe from the cookbook, but I'm still at an early stage of GF baking, and never sure how something I'm making will turn out. Will they taste like scones? Will the batter be hard to handle? Will it be gritty, sandy, gluey?

The scones exceeded my highest expectations and tasted exactly like ... scones. The crumb was delicate and, dare I say, almost flaky. They were lightly sweetened, exactly the way I like. My husband felt that something was lacking in the flavor, but I disagreed. It's possible that the little mistake I made while preparing the scones had a subtle effect on the taste, however, I think when I make them again, I'll add vanilla extract for a little added depth. We cut the scones in half because they were a little big for us, but if you want eight pieces instead of four, I suggest waiting until the scones are baked before making the extra cut. They will be a lot easier to handle.

Scones cooling on the rack.
Because there are more ingredients involved with GF baking, and because I can be a bit scatterbrained, I've devised a method to make sure I add all the ingredients to a recipe. I place every ingredient in the recipe on the counter, and as I measure and add each one to the bowl, I place it back into the baking cupboard, which happens to be right next to my work surface. Thus I was busily employed at the point where the dry and wet ingredients combine were about to combine, when my husband rushed into the kitchen all excited about something. I got distracted, and tried to answer his questions until finally, I placed my attention back on the bowls. I combined. I patted out the dough into a round shape. I admired my work. But something wasn't right, and I had an aaarrrgggh moment as I realized  the chocolate chips still sat on the counter. A couple more aarrghs while I considered what to do, then I spread the chips over the top of the dough and gently but firmly pressed them in as best I could. I tried to keep the dough from flattening more but I'm sure my scones were patted down a bit more than required. Still, they came out great. I wonder though, if my husband would have liked the flavor better if the chocolate chips had been better integrated.

(Click on the recipe to see it larger. Recipe reprinted with permission.)

Notes: 1) Instead of using a pastry cutter or knives, I pulsed the fat into the grains with my food processor. 2) To make the buttermilk called for in the recipe, place two teaspoons of cider vinegar into a measuring cup and add five tablespoons of cold nut, seed or soy milk. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes. Use as little as you need to create a cohesive dough. I had to use it all. 3) You may want to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients. 4) The scones taste best after about five minutes of cooling. They aren't as good after they sit around for a while.

Thanks to Book Publishing Company for allowing me to publish the recipe.  
Full disclosure: The cookbook was provided free to me by Book Publishing Company. I was under no obligation to write a favorable review, or any review. I received no money nor promise of monetary gain. I am not an affiliate of this company. All opinions are my own.

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Bettah buttah

The recipe I printed above calls for vegan buttery spread, and I want to alert you to Bryanna Clark Grogan's new recipe for homemade buttah. It is both palm oil-and-coconut oil-free. She provides extensive information about not only how to make the butter substitute, but why she chose the specific ingredients she used, and why palm oil is having such a negative impact on orangutans. Buttah looks like a great alternative to the popular butter substitutes currently in use.

BTW, The photo is for illustration only. It is NOT buttah. I haven't made any yet but am intrigued.

20 comments:

  1. Hey, I think those scones look great! Now, your husband and I sound similar in that we like our chocolate chips. I might have added them to the batter as they should have been, and then done your "fix" and added more to the top. Nothing can taste bad that way! So, perhaps a humble tip on how to keep track of your ingredients: maybe you could premeasure everything out, and then all you have to do is dump them in. That way, if sweet hubs interrupts you, you can just look on your counter to double check that you have all the premeasured ingredients ready and waiting. Maybe?

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    1. I was thinking the same thing about adding extra chips on top. I like the way it looks. :) I like to pre-measure ingredients because it makes me feel like a TV chef, but there are so many flours and starches in gf baking that I just don't want to. And the starches and flours look so much alike, it's hard to tell what they are without the package. (I didn't tell you that I mistook the baking soda for tapioca and had to start over. Scones with 1/4 cup of baking soda would be a little hard to eat.)

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  2. Those look like some pretty yummy scones!

    I saw BCG's buttah recipe and was really excited to try it. Looks like it came out great! I've got to try it soon!

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    1. I didn't actually try it yet, myself, but Bryanna's sure looked great. I think you should try it and let me know how it worked. :)

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    2. I just may give it a go next week; we don't use Earth Balance a lot, but we do have it in the fridge and we use it occasionally, it would be great to do away with that and go homemade!

      Have a great weekend Andrea, the weather is finally smiling on us! :)

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    3. Same here with the Earth Balance. I'd like to try it, too but don't have all the necessary ingredients. I wonder if we can find fair trade cocoa butter locally. Should be able to find lecithin, but I hate the thought of having to buy a big jar just for two teaspoons.

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  3. Mmm, now those are good looking scones! Always a hit in this household, I'm dying to try this recipe next time around. I even have a bag of sorghum flour that's been waiting for the right project for quite a while now.

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    1. I thought the scones were great, as did my husband. But, if you have leftovers, freeze them to be reheated later.

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  4. That silly hubby of yours! I was just thinking wow that's a lot of chocolate chips in those scones not knowing they were just on top. Sure looks good though! :-) I'll have to check out that buttah recipe, it looks quite interesting.

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    1. I sort of pressed the chips into the scones, too, but maybe not as well as they should have been. I like the idea of putting extras on top since it looks so good.

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  5. I haven't had a scone in so long. Yours look great! Forgetting the chocolate chips and improvising by pressing them in the way you did is totally something I would have done. It sounds like they worked out quite well, though.

    I try to avoid palm oil when I can. It's so common, too, which is unfortunate.

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    1. I was really excited to find the gf recipe and have it turn out so well. I would serve these scones to anyone, gf or not.

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  6. yum these look so good! nicely done!

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    1. Thanks! They were really good — just like the wheat flour scones I remember.

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  7. I have a similar method of putting ingredients back in the pantry. Oooh I haven't had a scone in many moons. When Larry tries to talk to me during a new recipe, I say,"I'm measuring". Maybe I Should put him in the pantry ;)
    These look delish!!!

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    1. You should make yourself some scones — but you don't eat added fats, do you? If you don't eat them all, it won't be much fat. :)

      I've never met Larry, but I assume he would need a fairly large shelf. I barely have enough room for my 500 flours and starches.

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  8. Thanks for this review, as well!

    Laurie

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  9. I’m still super antsy when it comes to gluten-free baking, but I might have to pull myself out of my comfort zone and try these for our next brunch. Bryanna’s buttah recipe is on my “to-make” list, I’m really curious if it reacts the same way in baking as the EB buttery sticks, I just may have to do an experiment :)

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  10. I know what you mean. It's so weird. BUT, the scones were really good. The key is to time it so they will still be warm from the oven when you eat them.

    I've also had great success with the cookies I made that had beans in the batter. (Bake them a little extra so they are golden and crisp.)

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