The BEST Gluten Free Scones Recipe makes scones which are soft, moist and fluffy AND stay fresh. Moistened with buttermilk, this recipe takes the gluten free scone to a better level…
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A Quest for the Best Gluten Free Scones Recipe
Finding a great gluten free scones recipe is not as easy as you’d think it should be. There are so many recipes on the internet to choose from. But deciding which ones will be soft and fluffy and which will be rock hard or crumble as soon as cut is tricky to decipher. As for stay-freshness? Another question to ponder! Whilst you wouldn’t expect the average scone to last for days and days, you would hope that it would last more than a couple of hours… even a gluten free one. Sadly however, this is often not the case.
Although I’ve made some great basic scones since going gluten free, the perfect plain gluten free scone recipe remained a little elusive… In my search, the question ‘what makes a great scone?’ has frequently been asked. And to answer, I have recalled my pre-gluten free days and some of the best Cream Teas in my history.
The Most Memorable Cream Tea
My most nostalgic Cream Tea memory dates back (way too many) years to when I was a mere slip of an adolescent. I took a holiday to Devon with my sister in the family ‘hand me down’ orange Mini. In those days, Minis were tiny and noisy, but so much fun. I still have the number plate indelibly etched on my brain, so memorable was that Mini… RUR 598M. How many of you remember that ordering of letters and numbers? I may be old, but I am proud to say that we owned a Mini in the 70’s…
But back to Cream Teas… That Mini took us down the empty motorways of the 70’s to Devon, where we stayed in the palm-littered town of Torquay. There, we did what any self-respecting young women do and sought out beaches to bask… And we found the best ice creams, fish and chips and cream teas we could. Being at an age when eating vast quantities of sugar, carbs and fats made little dent on our weight, we indulged to our limits…
It was at Badgers Holt that we found the best, softest, tallest, jammiest, clotted creamiest Cream Tea ever. The weather was scorching and sitting on a grassy bank, we scoffed until we were bursting… Compelled to lie on the grass for a good couple of hours, before we could subject our stuffed bodies to further movement… The scone memory was made!
What Makes a Scone Great?
But what made those scones so great? They were a perfect texture… Soft, but close of crumb and slightly dense… Tall in rise, with little crinkles and cracks around the edges, but still slightly warm… They were also mild in flavour, but with a hint of sweetness to complement the cream and jam which was generously delivered… Rich, decadent, smooth, creamy, slightly clumpy dollops of Clotted Cream spread in a thick layer across the top of each half, begging to be crowned with a spoonful of joyous, dark red, gooey strawberry jam… The Devon way.
So, there you have it. The perfect Devon Cream Tea… just needing to be recreated with a gluten free scone recipe.
The BEST Gluten Free Scones Recipe… Buttermilk Scones
Which brings us to the BEST gluten free scones recipe. Made with my rice free flour blend B which is still mild in flavour and appropriately pale, these scones are light and oh so soft to the touch (see recipe NOTES). The addition of buttermilk and a little ground almond moistens the bake. It takes them to a level which is more than comparable with their glutenous cousins. And whereas gluten free scones will often be stale and hard within hours, these gluten free buttermilk scones are still soft two to three days after they come out of the oven.
Of course the best way to enjoy them is with my delicious home-made Strawberry Jam and some gorgeous Roddas Clotted Cream. Or if you prefer butter, why not make your own?
Gluten Free Buttermilk Scones or Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits?
For those of you across the pond, this is an interesting question. I have no idea why, when or how the English Scone morphed into the American Biscuit or why there was a necessity to change the name. But then, I also have no idea why your cookies are our biscuits either. Given the suggestion that the Scone originated in 16th Century Scotland however, I am going to stick my neck out and lay claim to culinary ancestry on this one.
Made the Best Gluten Free Scones Recipe?
Why not create your own cream tea memory with this delicious gluten free scones recipe? I promise you won’t regret it…
And please let me know what you think of them. I’ve been contacted by a few people who already made and loved them. But it also helps other people to find them if they are star-rated and if you leave a comment below.
And if you haven’t yet followed me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest, I’d love you to join me… Why not subscribe to the Gluten Free Alchemist Newsletter too for the latest updates and news.
If you are looking for other Scone Inspiration, we have plenty of recipes at Gluten Free Alchemist. My favourite recipes include our Cherry Bakewell Scones, our Hot Cross Scones and of course, our Buttermilk Cheese Scones. But there is also lots of other inspiration on our dedicated Scones Index Page.
Best Gluten Free Scone Recipe with Buttermilk
Key equipment
- Oven
- flat-bladed knife
- round cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 320 g plain gluten free flour blend GFA Rice Free Blend B see NOTES
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- pinch fine sea salt
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp GF baking powder
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 90 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 30 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg beaten – UK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
- 284 ml buttermilk 1 pot UK
- a beaten egg mixed with a little milk for glazing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
- Weigh and mix together the flour, xanthan gum, salt, almonds, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda until well-blended (I weigh mine into an airtight container and shake vigorously).
- In a large bowl, rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar and stir through.
- Make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg and buttermilk.
- Using a flat-bladed knife, mix the wet ingredients into the dry, until it clumps together. Continue to mix until it comes together as a very sticky dough. If it looks like the dough is too dry, then add a little milk.
- Lay a large piece of baking paper on the work surface and sprinkle liberally with gluten free flour/tapioca starch.
- Flour your hands well and gently bring the dough together. It should be quite wet.
- Tip the dough out onto the floured baking paper, sprinkle a little more flour on the top and lay a further piece of baking paper over.
- Gently roll out the dough between the paper to a depth of about 4 cm.
- Use a round/fluted cookie cutter (I used a large one 3 inches/7 cm) to cut rounds from the dough and carefully transfer to the lined baking sheets.
- Bring any remaining dough gently together (trying not to over-work) and repeat the rolling and cutting process, until all the dough has been used and transferred to the baking sheets.
- Beat an additional egg with a little milk and brush the top of each scone with the egg-wash to glaze.
- Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until well-risen, firm and golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Eat warm or cold, with butter and/or jam and/or cream. Store the scones in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days if necessary. If it is very hot, store in the fridge after a day and 'refresh' in the microwave for a few seconds.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2022 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Best Gluten Free Scone Recipe shared with :
- Full Plate Thursday #484 with Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
- Happiness is Homemade #322 with A Labour of Life
- Creative Muster #384 with Fluster Buster
Hello
Your recipe looks lovely, can I ask will it still work with Doves Farm gf plain flour?
Thanks
Charlotte
Thank you Charlotte
Although Doves Fram should work and create a reasonable scone, the flour blend has been developed to provide a scone which is better than any others… In the sense that it will last for more than a couple of hours for texture.
Most gluten free scone recipes (even the ones that bake well and tall) need eating almost as soon as they come out of the oven or ‘refreshing’ in the microwave to stay soft.
I’ve tried my hardest to break that rule and create something that is more equivalent to ‘normal’ food. Doves Farm is quite a gritty and drying blend in comparison (although the addition of ground almonds in this recipe should counter that slightly).
So the short answer is yes… It should work with Doves Farm, but don’t expect the equal texture you would get with the recommended flour blend.
I hope that helps.
Tried these, added 100g of sultanas to the mix.
Absolutely delicious!
I love these as much as my missus does and she’s the coeliac!
Thank you!
Fabulous! You’re so welcome. And thank you so much for the feedback John. And good to hear the Coeliac liked them too 😂
Love your addition of the sultanas. I have tried added all sorts of things to the basic dough and it works a treat… I particularly love the Cherry Bakewell version! xx
Hi, greetings from the US. I just came across this recipe. Perfect timing because I owe my daughter a “tea party” as a reward. I am gluten free & would love to try this. A couple of questions though on ingredients and availability. Are ground almonds same as almond flour? And what is caster sugar? Is that different than granulated sugar? Thank you
Hi Natalie
I hope you had a good Christmas.
I love these Scones…. They are a favourite of mine.
Re ground almonds… they are the same as ‘almond meal’ (which I think is slightly coarser than almond flour?) If you head over to the Flours Page and scroll down to the ‘nut flours’ section, there is a photo of the ground almonds, which should give you a sense of what they look like… Sort of very coarse sand…
https://www.glutenfreealchemist.com/p-gluten-free-flours-and-flour-blends/
Caster sugar is I think what you call ‘superfine’ sugar (NOT the powdered confectioners sugar that you use for icing, but finer than the coarse white sugar that people put in tea and coffee.) I think your granulated sugar may be a little finer than ours though… so may be okay.
I found this article which may be helpful to you re sugar explanations and differences between UK and US.
http://tqb.fhn.mybluehost.me/differences-between-uk-us-baking-ingredients/
Fingers crossed that helps xxxx
Dear Kate,
I have been gluten free (due to intolerance) for over 20 years and, for most of them, have been trying to find a GF scone recipe to rival the real thing. I have always been left disappointed.
…until NOW!!!!
Made these scones this afternoon and they are absolutely delicious – like real scones and easy to make. My GF daughter completely agreed. We had a proper cream tea with Devonshire clotted cream and runny raspberry jam.
Many many thanks – I will definitely be looking up some more of your recipes.
Hooray!!
Thank you so much Kate. I’m really pleased you and your daughter enjoyed them. They are as close as I’ve managed to come to the ‘real deal’ and they stay fresh for more than 5 minutes which is a bonus! If a recipe isn’t as good or better than its glutenous counterpart, I generally don’t share these days xx
Loved this scone recipe. So pleased to have it. Can’t wait to try more. Thank you so much.
Fantastic! I’m so pleased. Thank you for letting me know. You are SO welcome x
I really wish this was in front of me for my afternoon tea! Hope you are having a great week. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you Helen. You’re so welcome x
Wow, put these in the faculty lounge and they were gone before I poured my cup of coffee. A new record and a new favorite scone!
Fantastic! Glad you all liked them x
Wow you've really gone to town with this recipe – the scones look fantastic and so does the cream and jam… drooling into my mug of tea over here!!! Thanks for joining in with Simple and in Season xxx
Thanks Katie. If you are drooling, then I will take that as a job well done! Thanks for hosting! x
A really popular recipe and such a fun story thank you so much for entering it in Inheritance Recipe
Aww thanks. You're so welcome x
These look amazing! Going to try them with my new pack of plain glutenfree flour. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you! Let me know how they went! What flour were you using? x
Gorgeous as always!! xxx
Awww… thank you Midge x
Yaaay! I've just made these and they are delicious! I have been meaning to since you published the recipe but holidays and then forgetfulness (repeatedly forgot to buy buttermilk!) got in the way. But today everything came together and I made lovely scones. The only thing I did differently was to cut the dough into squares with a knife because they stuck to the round cutter and I got in a right mess – but square scones are just as good as round ones it seems – and there was less re-rolling.
Thanks for a great recipe Kate. I love the rice free flour blend. Can't wait to see what you try it out on next.
Helen x
Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know Helen. I am so pleased you enjoyed them. I was really excited when it all came together at my end and I love that others can enjoy them too.
Pleased to hear you are enjoying the flour too. I am quite excited to see what it will do too! xx
My mouth is watering!I haven't come across gluten free scones yet. Love the jam on top!
Thanks Alida. They are mouth-wateringly good! x
One of my favourite things is a cream tea, one of life's simple pleasures I think. Your gluten free scones look simply amazing. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. 🙂
Thanks Julie.I have to agree…. Cream Tea is an absolute pleasure. Finding a great gluten free scone though, can be tricky. So many of them are huge, but quite dry. These ones were a definite match for a glutenous one! x
these look absolutely brilliant kate. and that jam! oh yum…i just made cumquat jam and it was delicious and so easy. so satisfying too to make your own. my scone recipe will be up on my blog tomorrow (aussie time). gorgeous photos too you have there.
Thanks Sherry. Kumquat Jam sounds amazing….. I will be over to check out your scones shortly! x
Your scones look gorgeous and I love your not so sweet jam! Can I ask are you using photo shop with your beautiful photography? It's just that I don't and my photos are different.
Thanks Monika. The jam was way better with less sugar….. so much more fruity!
Re the photos….. I use a combination of i-photo and photoshop depending on what I am trying to achieve, although mainly to brighten and sharpen where needed. xx
I see, well, you use it very skillfully, I really like all your photos:)
We had the best cream tea ever at Widecombe in the Moor – so close to Badgers Holt. It must be something in the air there. Thank you so much for taking part 🙂
You're welcome. Devon and Cornwall are definitely the best places to head for a Cream Tea…. although I think you may need to pick your destination based on jam or cream on the scone first! xx
I do love a good and well risen scone and indeed these look fabulous GF or not, I would def love to try one or maybe two.
Thanks Shaheen. Me too! I will definitely be making these again very soon xx
mmmmm how good do your scones look Kate? Lovely golden brown colour and again, you would never guess that they are GF going on their looks. I am sure they tasted just as delicious too. I do love a scone with ham and clotted cream, its funny that living in Devon I don't actually eat them very often!
thank you for linking up to #Bakeoftheweek x
Thank You Jenny. Your comment made me smile! I think there is a typo, but the idea of 'ham' and clotted cream somehow tickled me!
Either way, I do love a scone and I think if I was in Devon, I would have found all the best GF ones and be eating them way too often. xx
I'd love to have one of these because they look absolutely delicious! Happy Fiesta!
Thanks Sarah. x
well you certainly would know by looking at them they were gluten free! I have given them a special mention in tomorrows #CookBlogShare
Thank you so much Jacqueline. If they don't look gluten free, then I have done a good job! x
Another amazing GF creation! They look stunning too! Thanks for linking up with #TreatPetite
Ah thank you Kat. I was rather chuffed with them! x
PS, thankyou so much for joining in with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
Thanks Angela. You're welcome. Great to have a new linky to join xx
These look absolutely amazing Kate, and as Eb says you really wouldn't know they were GF – such a great bake and with the cream and jam the right way around 😉
Angela x
These look amazing! I want one now! And I agree that cream must go first because I'm in Devon 😀
Thanks Vicki. I think the jam looks prettier on the top! x
I am drooling over these!! These sound so delicious! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday party!
Awww thanks Jhuls. You're welcome x
Wow – these scones look awesome! You would never guess they were gluten free…I am a huge fan of scones, but I am afraid I still can't fathom why anyone would want to put the cream on first 😉 Sorry!! But then I did live in Cornwall for many years, which probably explains my preference. Thanks for linking them up to #CookBlogShare 😀 Eb x
Thanks Eb. I do love it when I manage to create something that gives gluten a beating!
The cream-jam/jam-cream thing is interesting. It does seem to get people fired up. I am not sure I honestly care which way round they end up….. either way they taste great! x
These look really wonderful – I have had some great scones out at cafes and tearooms but I think the best were my mothers and grandmothers. But I did visit torquay in the UK once and now wish I had know about those scones even if I could not have arrived in the great style that an orange mini brings 🙂
Thank you Johanna. I don't recall my mother making many scones…. she was more of a cake baker. Thank goodness for holidays in Devon and Cornwall, or I may have been seriously deprived!