Hot Cross Scones (gluten free)

Hot Cross Scones – a wonderful variant of the popular Easter bun. These gluten free scones more than rival the texture of their wheat-based cousins. Laced with seasonal spice and citrus and are stuffed full of plump, juicy sultanas and raisins. And of course, being Easter scones, they are topped with the cutest of piped crosses.   

First published on Gluten Free Alchemist on 14th March 2018. Post updated and republished with recipe card 6th March 2020.

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Gluten free Hot Cross Scones for a #FreeFromEaster

I introduce to you my gluten free Hot Cross Scones. Aren’t they fab? And I’m SO excited to share them. Special Easter scones… Full of all the fruit and spice of the annual egg-fest.

For those of you who have followed Gluten Free Alchemist for a while, you will know that back in 2017, I joined forces with an amazing group of free from bloggers. Between us, we cover pretty much all and every food intolerance and allergy. And every now and then, we pull together our collective wisdom and share seasonally-themed recipes.

These gluten free Hot Cross Scones were originally developed as part of one such collaboration. An Easter-Themed recipe collection which was called #FreeFromEaster. You’ll find the other blog-links below from my fellow bloggers, as well as lots more inspiration from Gluten Free Alchemist. Seriously… If you are struggling with how to make Easter goodies because there is something you can’t eat, we have you covered!

Gluten Free Easter Baking – Time for something different

Now…Think Easter baking, and usually chocolate and/or cake springs to mind. But to be honest, it’s easy at this time of year to get a bit ‘caked-out’. And Creme Eggs, Golden Eggs (which now seem to have morphed into ‘Enchanted Eggs’) and Mini Eggs? They already feature quite a lot on Gluten Free Alchemist. Search the archives and you’ll find all sorts of ‘eggy treats’… From decadent, showstopping Rich and Chocolatey Golden Egg Cake and Creme Egg Biscuit Cake; through to Creme Egg Cup Cakes, Creme Egg Mousse Cake and even a Rich Mocha Easter Cake totally topped with Mini Eggs.

Then of course, there’s the Hot Cross Bun option. But again, Gluten Free Alchemist already has a lovely recipe selection…. There’s my incredible, absolutely wouldn’t ever know they are gluten free – Traditional Fruit & Spice Hot Cross Buns. Then we also have  Almond, Cherry, Apricot and Marzipan or Apple, Cherry and Sultana – No Psyllium Hot Cross Buns. Or, if you want to stay with the Easter chocolate frenzy, we can even offer Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns and Chocolate Bread Pudding made with leftover Choc Cross Buns!

It was time for something different! What’s the point in churning out the same stuff over and over again? Just because you’re gluten free, doesn’t mean you should only have the usual expected recipes right?

Anyway, these Easter scones were born from a light bulb moment of inspiration. My overactive, sleepless, foodie brain combined a fancy for scones with the flavours of Easter and bingo! The gluten free Hot Cross Scone was born.

Hot Cross Scones –flavours of Easter fruit and spice in a gluten free scone

These gluten free scones speak for themselves. They taste just like the yummiest of seasonal Hot Cross Buns, but in Easter scone form… Stuffed with plump juicy Turkish sultanas and beautiful shiny golden raisins… Laced with seasonal cinnamon and mixed spice… Slightly sweetened with a hint of caramel-rich brown sugar… All topped with a traditional piped cross and brown sugar glaze.

To melt into heavenly delight, simply slice in half, slather with butter (why not make your own butter?) and enjoy. Gluten free Easter honestly doesn’t get better than this.

No Compromise! My gluten free scones are at least as good as their wheaty cousins

Anyone who knows me, knows that when it comes to gluten free recipes, there is no compromise. EVER! If a recipe doesn’t meet my exacting standards for ‘at least as good as, if not better than its wheat-based cousin’, it doesn’t make the cut. This philosophy covers everything from flavour, to crumb and texture.

Most definitely texture! Texture is SO important to a bake. If the texture is wrong, the bake is wrong. End of.  

So for those of you struggling to find a fail-safe gluten free scone recipe, look no further. These Hot Cross Scones are a straight adaptation from my hugely popular Best Ever Gluten Free Scones. Made with a blend of rice-free flours (home-blended Mix B), a little ground almond and moistened with buttermilk, they are not in the slightest bit dry or crumbly, and absolutely rival any glutenous version. This gluten free scone recipe has not let me down yet.

They are well-risen, of perfect crumb and are soft, moist and light. And best of all, they are really easy to make. As with their gluten counterparts, they are freshest eaten on the day they are made. However, unlike many gluten free scones (bought or recipes), these scones are also still soft and good to eat for a couple of days after. I am not one to blow my own trumpet too often, but these gluten free scones are seriously good.

Other #FreeFromEaster recipes from the amazing Free From Gang

Super Simple Easter Smoothie Pops – Carly at Faceprint & Flavour
Gluten Free Mini Egg Cookies – Sarah at Gluten Free Blogger
Easter Crispie Cakes – Nathalie at The Intolerant Gourmand

Other gluten free Easter recipes on Gluten Free Alchemist 

• Traditional Fruit & Spice Hot Cross Buns 
• Apple, Cherry and Sultana Hot Cross Buns
• Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns
• Marzipan Hot Cross Buns
• Chocolate Bread Pudding with leftover Choc Cross Buns
• Rich Mocha Easter Cake
• No Bake Creme Egg Biscuit Cake
• Easter Creme Egg Mousse Cake
• Egg Pops
• Rich and Chocolatey Golden Egg Cake
• Creme Egg Cup Cakes
• Gluten Free Easter Cupcakes
• Chocolate Bundt with Golden Eggs
• Blackcurrant Flower Biscuits
• Scotch Eggs 

Or check out our dedicated Gluten Free Easter Index.

What do you need to make these Hot Cross Scones?

Easter Scones are not difficult to make, but will require a couple of extra kitchen utensils. In addition to the usual oven and hob, you will need :

• A couple of baking trays
• Some good-quality baking paper (I always use Lakeland Baking Parchment, because it has never ever stuck!)
• Good quality kitchen scales
• Some mixing bowls
• A fine grater for zesting (I absolutely love the genius of a good microplane zester)
• A rolling pin (I’ve still not found anything that beats a classic wooden pin)
• A basic pastry brush
• Round cookie cutters (with a good height)
• A disposable piping bag or a squeezy decorating bottle

So what are you waiting for? Grab some ingredients, don your pinnie, get baking and let me know what you think of these yummy Hot Cross Scones… Ping me a comment below (don’t forget to star rate!), or catch me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter…

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5 from 8 votes

Hot Cross Scones (gluten free)

These Hot Cross Scones are a wonderful variant of the popular Easter bun. The scones more than rival the texture of their wheat-based cousins and are laced with seasonal spice, citrus and stuffed full of plump, juicy sultanas and raisins. And of course being Easter scones, they are topped with the cutest of piped crosses.   

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Final Glazing10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Easter, Snack, Sweet Treats

Cuisine: British, Gluten Free

Keyword: Hot Cross, scone

Servings: 12

Calories per serving: 246.7kcal

Author: Gluten Free Alchemist – Kate Dowse

Key equipment

• oven + hob
• baking trays
• baking paper
• Kitchen scales
• Mixing bowls
• zester/fine grater
• fork and spoon (for mixing)
• flat-bladed knife
• Rolling Pin
• round cookie cutter (medium-sized)
• pastry brush
• disposable piping bag/squeezy cooks bottle with fine round tip
• Small saucepan
• wood/silicone mixing spoon

Ingredients 

0.33x0.5x0.66x1x1.5x2x

MetricUS Customary

Scones

• 320 g plain gluten free, rice free flour blend I use GFA 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
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 90 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 35 g soft light brown sugar
• 1 orange zest finely grated
• 80 g golden raisins
• 80 g sultanas I used larger Turkish sultanas
• 1 large egg lightly beaten (UK large)
• 284 ml buttermilk = 1 pot in the UK

Egg Wash

• 1 egg beaten with a little milk

Piped Crosses

• 50 g plain gluten free flour See NOTES for best blend
• 1 tbsp icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 40 to 50 ml cold water

Sugar Glaze

• 1½ tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water

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 flours, xanthan gum, salt, almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and spice until well-blended (I weigh mine into an airtight container and shake vigorously). Transfer to a large bowl.
• Rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the sugar, orange zest, sultanas and raisins and stir through.
• Make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg and buttermilk.
• Use a flat-bladed knife to 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 flour.
• 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 gently roll out the dough to a depth of 3 to 4 cm.
• Use a medium-sized round/fluted cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough and carefully transfer them 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.
• Brush the top of each scone with egg-wash.
• Mix together the flour and icing sugar for the piped crosses and add the water, stirring through, a little at a time until you have a very thick, but not stiff paste.
• Use a disposable piping bag with a tiny snip off the end or a squeezy sauce bottle to pipe crosses onto the top of each scone.
• Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until well-risen, firm and golden.
• Remove from the oven and whilst still hot, mix together the brown sugar and water for the glaze, heat gently in a saucepan or microwave until the sugar has dissolved and brush the glaze over each scone.
• Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
• Eat warm or cold, with a spread of butter.
• Store the scones in an airtight container for 2 to 4 days if necessary (and if they become less soft, ‘refresh’ with a few seconds in the microwave).

Notes

* Note: nutritional information is an estimate & may vary according to portion size/ingredient variants.

Gluten Free Alchemist Rice Free Flour Blend B can be found on the GFA Flours & Flour Blending Page. If using an alternative flour (particularly one which is rice-based), the texture may be drier and the mix may require a little more liquid. 

For the Piped Crosses, I used 20g tapioca flour; 15g potato flour; 15g sorghum flour for best texture

Nutrition

Calories: 246.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 36.2g | Protein: 5.7g | Fat: 10.6g | Saturated Fat: 4.7g | Cholesterol: 49.9mg | Sodium: 265.9mg | Potassium: 247.9mg | Fiber: 4.1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 117.1mg | Iron: 1.5mg

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© 2019-2023 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

This post was originally published on 14th March 2018 and updated on 6th March 2020