"Buttery" Scones

Good grey, sir.

Lord Earl Meow Grey Cat III likes a proper scone.



Most of the scones on this blog are fruity.  This one is a basic, kind of fatty, proper scone.  I am disappointed to report that I did not eat a scone while in Scotland last fall, but I did eat VGF mince pies and little savoury pies.  As more of a pastry scone than a fruity biscuit, these scones benefit from a brief chill in the fridge to firm up the margarine and create a flaky texture in the finished product.  Some sconengineers out there believe in using frozen butter, but since vegan margarine doesn't freeze to a useful consistency, a refrigerated chill it is.



Cranberry Orange Scones

Modified from "Scones" at King Arthur Flour

• 1/2 cup warm water


• 1/4 cup finely ground flaxseed


• 1/2 cup nondairy milk


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 2 cups GF oat flour


• 3/4 cup sorghum flour


• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (for high altitude)


• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum


• 1 tablespoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt


• 1/3 cup sugar, blitzed to powder (I used a mix of organic cane and coconut)


• 1/2 cup vegan margarine, very cold


• Add-ins: 1 cup dried cranberries, zest of one orange

 

1. Don't preheat the oven!  Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.


2. In a large measuring cup, whisk together water, ground flaxseed, nondairy milk, and vanilla.


3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift then whisk together flours, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and sugar.


4. With the mixer running, add in margarine in chunks and mix until the flour-and-fat mixture forms pea-sized clumps.


5. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until combined.


6. Stir in the add-ins until evenly distributed.


7. Transfer dough to the parchment:
   
   
   
   1. The easy way: use a large cookie or ice cream scoop and make drop scones.
   
   
   2. The complicated way: divide the dough in half.  Shape each half into a flat disk on the sheets, about 3 inches high.  Cut the disks into eight pieces and pull apart the wedges so there's room for air to circulate.
   
   
   
   


8. Once you've shaped your scones, put them in the fridge, uncovered, for 30 minutes.


9. Halfway into chilling time, preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.


10. Put the chilled scones into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until scones spring back to the touch.


11. Cool on the pan for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

I grew up eating raisin scones with lemon glaze, and these are a pleasant update!

Now I am going to retype some writing, and numbered pages cannot be underestimated. I was able to find something I wrote almost a year ago in a minute because I had filled in the table of contents in the Leuchtturm 1917 I was using at the time!