Cranberry Orange Scones: Gluten Free
Old world style craggy & moist, bursting with flavor!
I surprised myself with how good these are.
For a quick solution to morning pastry, these gluten free scones are now one of my best kept secrets.
The truth is, anyone that has to avoid wheat knows a lot of gluten free versions of classics just don’t quite hit the mark.
Some recipes work fine just substituting wheat flour with a store bought gluten free flour mix,
but certain things need a little more technique to get great results.
I put my original scone recipe the test and in the end, the combination of flours was the biggest challenge.
I tried about 20 different variations, and it was the last flour I had a feeling about that gave me the perfect texture: Glutenous rice flour.
In the end, they came out incredible.
I added an extra scoop of psyllium husk powder and toasted oats for added structure and little chewy bits of dried cranberries to keep them interactive.
I also wanted a bit of WOW factor with hopes these may inspire you to bake at home more!
nudge nudge.
I prmise these are super easy to make.
Whip up a batch, freeze them and have fresh scones on demand all week that are actually delicious and come with zero risk for ruining your week.
I called in a friend
I asked Talia Tuktuk who runs Sixteen Mill, and incredible gluten free refined sugar-free bakery in Brooklyn, NY about her process to the perfect GF Scone.
She said it was a long process to develop her sourdough scones, and I can only imagine adding an extra live culture into the mix.
When I thought about it, although we have very different techniques, I’ve always looked at scones sorta like the baby of a good bread loaf and pie dough.
It’s all about nailing the layered textures of the crisp exterior and fluffy crumb.
So maybe that’s where the magic is..
Talia described that “Gluten-free, vegan scones were my nightmare for the longest time. Every single one I tried was either dry or painfully dense. Savory ones especially… and I do my research!!! I go places and I try them all! They were just not it. Sweet versions were a bit better, but no one really nailed a savory scone without eggs, dairy, or sugar.
I kept thinking back to our farmers market days in 2020 those gluten filled cheesy scones everyone loved so much. They were soft, flavorful, actually tasted of that high-quality cheese, and never dry. I knew that gf texture was possible… I just had to figure out how to get there without gluten, eggs, or dairy.
It took me almost two years, on and off. I was stubborn about making them nut-free at first, but honestly it just wasn’t working.
There’s no truly clean, delicious butter alternative without oats or cashews that gave me what I needed. So I let that go. The moment I added a bit of almond flour… everything changed. The texture finally started to come together.
Then I fermented it and the flavor elevated!! It actually tasted like it had cheese in it without any cheese. This recipe is essentially a rework of my original scones just rebuilt from the ground up so everyone can enjoy them.
It was a loooong process. Now they are everyone’s favorite. If anyone ever says they don’t like them I quietly, in my head, suggest to see a doctor cause something might be wrong with their taste buds 😂😂😂😂”
I’d say the same!
After mixing up a batch of my recipe, head over to her shop in Gowanus, Brooklyn to compare and tell her I sent you for a scone!
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Cranberry Orange Scone
Gluten free
Yield: 6ea
Tools: Stick blender or whisk | Large bowl | Spoon | 16 oz wide mouth jar | Rolling Pin | Bench Scraper
👉 For all my baking recipes I use THIS air fryer oven: Ninja Air Fryer XL
Dry
200g GF King Arthur flour measure for measure 1:1
20g Toasted oats
10g Psyllium Husk
100g Glutenous Rice Flour (link)
15g Baking Powder
5g Sea Salt
50g Raw Cane sugar fine ground
112g butter (1 stick, high quality)
Wet
225g heavy cream
1 egg whites
5g vanilla bean pulp
Add-ins
75g Dried Cranberry
1ea Orange for Zest
Method
Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Add softened butter and gently rub into the flour until it resembles thin sheets and tiny pebbles in sand (how else do you describe this?)
Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
In a jar (I use a wide mouth 16oz mason jar), whip cream, egg whites and vanilla using a stick blender on medium speed.
Do not go high—you’ll churn butter.
Blend until it holds a light, evenly aerated, cloud-like consistency.
Reserve 2 Tablespoons of this mixture for later.
Add remaining cream mixture to the flour, shake and toss until large clumps form.
Gently bring everything together into a shaggy dough with your hands.
If it feels dry, add a touch more cream.
If it feels sticky, flour your hands—don’t overwork it, don’t over think it.
Turn onto a floured surface - (use KA measure for measure to dust table).
Gently knead once, pressing and rolling dough over itself until dough comes together. Any excess shag, place on top and press into dough.
Form into a rectangle about 10 x 8 inches, 1/2” thick using rolling pin and bench scraper to shape evenly and tighten edges.
Spread enough reserved cream to lightly coat the top of dough + optional orange marmalade
Fold into thirds.
Pat with hands and roll gently into a tighter rectangle, about 8 x 4 inches
Cut into three squares, then into triangles.
Freeze 20 minutes (or 1 hour in fridge).
Bake
Preheat oven to 400°F
Place scones cut side down on parchment so they look like shark fins coming out of the water.
Brush lightly with cream + sprinkle sugar for crunch.
Bake 5 minutes at 400°F
Then reduce to 345°F and bake 17–20 minutes
Done when golden brown with darker edges.
Cool 10 minutes before eating.
Enjoy!
Top with orange marmalade Or jazz up a glaze with confection sugar (try monkfruit sweetener for sugar free!)- blend together with stick blender the juice of an orange, dried cranberries and confection sugar for a tart & sweet topping!
Next up is a savory version with cheddar and scallion with a crispy honey drizzle!
As always, don’t forget to share your bake!
Stay tuned!
Matthew