I have a peach tree that produces the most delicious peaches. And even though I “knock off” the excess peaches as a farmer taught me, I still get a tremendous number of peaches. I freeze and can gallons of peaches, enjoy fresh peaches every day while they last, and give away buckets of peaches. And unless you’ve had one, you can’t imagine how good a tree-ripened peach is.
Of course, with so many peaches, I had to get to baking. So I did. And my friends appreciated it, as they gobbled down the various goodies. So after making a “few” things, it was time to make peach scones. The rest of this blog will be about peach scones, but please be sure to check into my other peach recipes: 1. Peach and Mascarpone Cheese Pie, 2. Peach Cheesecake with a Snickerdoodles Crust, Mascarpone Whipped Cream and Glazed Peaches, 3. Peach Cheesecake with a Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles Crust, Mascarpone Whipped Cream and Glazed Peaches, 4. Peach Cupcakes with Peaches and Cream Filling and Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting, 5. Vegan Peach Cupcakes with Peaches and Coconut Mousse Filling and Peach Frosting with Raspberry Jam Icing, 6. Gluten Free Peach Cupcakes with Peaches and Cream Filling and Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting, 7. Diabetic Friendly Peaches and Cream Filled Peach Cupcakes with a Peach and Yogurt Icing 8. Peach Scones with a Vegan Peach Scone Option
No matter how you like your peaches, I have a recipe for you!
The Inside Scoop
If you are using fresh peaches, you will need to remove the skins and pits. To remove the skins, place batches of fresh peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peaches and then place them in a large bowl or sink filled with enough ice water to completely cover all of the peaches. This will prevent the peaches from cooking. Once all of the peaches have been blanched and chilled, cut the peaches vertically in half and slip the skins off- the skins will fall off. Use a spoon to remove the pit and clean up the inside of the peach. Place in a resealable plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. If you are using a hard-shell food storage container, cover the peaches with plastic wrap to prevent exposure to air, put the cover on the container and then refrigerate until ready to use. Air will gradually turn the peaches brown. I have never found it necessary to use any chemicals or lemon juice to keep peaches from turning brown; I just clean them with water and keep them away from air.
When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.
At The Virginia Renaissance Faire, I have a small bakery stand. Every weekend during the Faire, I typically offer 4-6 different types of scones, along with many other baked goods. My peach scones and gluten free peach scones have always been popular, even though they were more cake than scone; the water in peaches makes for a very cake-like baked good. I knew that, in order to get a true scone, I needed to reduce the amount of water in the peaches. I didn’t want to use dried peaches, since I don’t care for the taste. My solution: Cook out some but not all of the water. I chopped some prepared peaches, placed them on a baking sheet, and baked them at 300 degrees, until the chopped peaches were about half the original size but still soft. This took about 30-40 minutes.
Be sure to chill the baked peaches completely before adding them to the scone batter.
Reducing the amount of water in the peaches enabled me to have more peaches in the scone.
Butter needs to be very cold when making scones. Part of the scone’s rise is due to the steam that is generated as the butter melts. Freeze the butter before using. Then grate the frozen butter before adding it to the flour mix. If the grated butter is not used immediately, return it to the freezer.
Make ahead: You can grate the butter and store it in the freezer in a covered container to use when needed.
I used My Gluten Free Flour Mix. Other gluten free flour mixes may not give the same result due to the unique characteristics of various gluten-free flours.
Combine the gluten free flour mix, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl; mix until all dry ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the gluten free flour; this helps to ensure an even rise.
When making scones, the butter is added to the dry flour mix. This can be done in the bowl of a food processor by pulsing 3-4 times for 2 seconds each time. Or the butter and flour can be mixed in a large bowl using only one’s fingertips. Never mix with your hand- your fingertips are cooler whereas your hand is warmer and will cause the butter to melt. The goal is to rub the butter into the gluten free flour mix so that the butter is the size of small peas. This ensures a uniform rise as the butter melts and turns to steam during baking.
Add the prepared peaches to the gluten free flour/butter mix; break up clumps of peaches and toss them with the flour to ensure that the peaches are distributed evenly throughout the batter.
Crack eggs into a small bowl and whisk before combining with the other liquids. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs. Whisk together the egg, heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Make a well in the flour mix and add the liquids. This ensures that the moisture is distributed evenly throughout the flour and that the flour on the bottom of the bowl becomes wet. Use a spatula to combine the dry and wet ingredients. If the dough is crumbly, use you fingertips to “mush” the ingredients together.
Gluten free flours need time to absorb moisture. Refrigerate your prepared scone batter for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. This will also chill the butter again and produce a better rise.
When putting scone dough on a baking sheet, line the sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper gives the bottom of the scone a nicer finish and prevents the scone from sticking to the baking sheet. Shape the scone batter into evenly sized balls; I make my scones 4 ounces each. Place on the prepared baking sheet, allowing at least 3″ between scones.
The “toothpick” test to check for doneness typically does not work with gluten free baked goods. An instant read thermometer is an essential part of gluten free baking. Gluten free baked goods should typically be baked to 215 degrees.
Once scones have finished baking, let them cool for 15 minutes, then remove them from the baking sheet and place them onto the cooling rack.
These scones are wonderful plain or with a pat of butter. After two days, the remaining water in the peaches will cause the scone to become very moist. To correct this, place the scones on a baking tray and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
An amazingly tender, moist scone packed with peaches. 2 Hours Before Mixing Scones: *Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Chop the peaches. Place the prepared peaches in a single layer on the parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the peaches are still soft but most of the peach juice has evaporated. The reduced peaches should weigh approximately 300 grams. Cool completely. One Day Before Baking Scones: In a large bowl combine the gluten-free flour mix, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl or the bowl of a food processor, grate the butter. Combine with the flour mix. Using your fingertips or short pulses on your food processor, cut the butter into the flour mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and the butter is the size of small peas. If you used a food processor, pour the butter/flour mix back into the large bowl. Add the peaches and toss until peaches are covered. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine the heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Pour into the well in the flour mix and fold until mixture is just combined. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. When You Are Ready to Bake the Scones: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Measure out 10 4-ounce balls of dough. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 3” between scones. Place the prepared scones in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 18-25 minutes or until golden brown and an instant read thermometer measures 215 degrees. If an instant read thermometer is not available, insert a metal cake tester in the center of the scone. When the metal cake tester comes out easily and cleanly, scones should be done. Remove the scones from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use a spatula to remove the scones from the baking sheet and place directly onto the cooling rack. Enjoy warm or cold. Note: These scones are best the same day they are baked. By day 3, the peach juice that still remains in the peaches will gradually begin to soak into the batter and cause the scone to become moist. To return the scones to their just baked wonderfulness, place the scones in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 5 minutes.Gluten Free Peach Scones with a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Peach Scone Option
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Instructions
My Gluten Free Flour Mix:
70 g./ 7 T. White Rice Flour
35 g./ 3 1/2 T. Brown Rice Flour
24 g./ 2 T. Potato Starch
15 g./ 2 T. Millet
11 g./ 1 1/2 T. Tapioca Flour
This equals 155 g. per 1 cup.
To make a large batch at once, I multiplied the above amounts by 8:
560 g./ 56 T. White Rice Flour
280 g./ 28 T. Brown Rice Flour
192 g./ 16 T. Potato Starch
120 g./ 16 T. Millet Flour
88 g./ 12 T. Tapioca
This makes 1240 g./ 8 cups of Gluten Free Flour Mix
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