At The Virginia Renaissance Faire, people who don’t need gluten free still love my gluten free pumpkin scones. And what’s not to love? Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves scones topped with white frosting and a spiced icing decorative glaze. And just like the rest of my gluten-free baked goods, if I didn’t label them gluten-free, no one would know.
The Inside Scoop
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.
I grow my own pumpkins and cook them; that way, I can control how much water is left in the pumpkin. If you are using commercially canned pumpkin, you will probably need to drain off the excess water. Too much water in the pumpkin will make the scone excessively cake-like, rather than like a scone. This is also true for pumpkin cookies, cheesecakes and pies.
To drain the excess water from the pumpkin, fill a jelly bag with the pumpkin and place the bag and bag holder over a bowl. Let the excess water drain off until the pumpkin is no longer watery and will hold a shape but is not dry. I often speed this along by gently squeezing the bag to remove the excess water.
If you do not have a jelly bag, line a sieve with several layers of cheesecloth. Place the pumpkin on the cheesecloth and let it drain until it is no longer watery and holds a shape without being dry.
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, using either the grating tool of a food processor or a hand grater. If the grated butter is not used immediately, return it to the freezer. The colder the butter, the better the rise.
Make ahead: You can grate the butter and store it in the freezer in a covered container to use when needed.
Combine My Gluten Free Flour Mix with the other dry ingredients 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 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.
Crack eggs into a small bowl and whisk before combining with other liquids. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or bloody eggs. Whisk together the eggs with the remaining wet ingredients. Then make a well in the flour mix and add the egg and milk mixture. This ensures that flour in the bottom of the bowl becomes wet and moisture is distributed evenly throughout the dough. Use a spatula to combine the dry and wet ingredients.
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. If using a scone pan, line the bottom of the scone sections with triangles of parchment paper and then spray the pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
Measure the dough into the prepared scone pan, or pat the dough into a 3/4″ – 1″ deep circle and place on the baking sheet. Cut the dough into 8 equal parts and gently move the wedges apart to allow approximately ½” space between each scone. Note: This is a very wet batter. It may be necessary to “push” the wedges apart and reshape them slightly into triangles. Separation enables heat to reach more surfaces of the scone, thus enabling a better rise.
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 210-215 degrees.
Once scones have finished baking, let them cool for 15 minutes, then remove them from the scone pan or baking sheet and place them onto a cooling rack. This prevents scones from sticking to the pan and prevents condensation within the pan. To remove the scones from a scone pan, run the flat edge of a knife around the scones to loosen them from the sides, if necessary, then flip the scone pan upside down. The scones will fall out. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the scones and place the scones right-side up on the cooling rack.
Scones are wonderful while warm, plain or with a pat of butter. However, the combined plain and spiced icings for this scone really makes for an amazing flavor enhancement. To ice, let the scones cool completely. Then place a sheet of waxed paper under the cooling tray to catch any icing that drips off the scones. Spread the plain icing on top and then pipe the spiced icing for an eye-catching and mouth-watering finish.
To pipe the spiced icing, make the spiced icing and put it into a piping bag with a #5 icing tip. Pipe the icing onto the scones, letting it drip off the sides.
You can also use a resealable storage bag. Snip 1/8″ off one corner to use it as a piping bag.
An incredibly moist, flavorful pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves scones topped with white frosting and a spiced icing decorative glaze. Your friends and family wont believe these scones are gluten free. The pumpkin for this recipe should be fairly thick. If you are using commercially canned pumpkin and it appears somewhat watery, line a sieve with several layers of cheesecloth. Place the pumpkin on the cheesecloth and let the excess water drip out. Do not attempt to remove all of the pumpkin water; the pumpkin should be firm but not appear dry. You can also use a jelly bag and quickly but gently squeeze out the excess water. Set aside. Place the 1st seven ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 2 seconds to mix thoroughly. Add the grated butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Pour the flour/butter mix into a large bowl. OR Place the 1st seven ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together. Add the grated butter and rub together with your fingertips until the butter is the size of small peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the drained pumpkin, buttermilk or ½ & ½ and eggs. Make a well in the middle of the butter/flour mix. Pour in the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or (preferably) overnight. Once you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a scone pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the scone sections with parchment paper triangles. Measure the batter into the scone pan, placing 4 oz. of batter into each section. OR: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the dough into a large circle that is ¾” - 1" deep. Cut the circle into 8 equal sections. Gently move the wedges apart to allow approximately ½” space between each scone. Note: This is a very wet batter. It may be necessary to “push” the wedges apart and reshape them slightly into triangles. Bake approximately 15 minutes until an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle of a scone reads 210 - 215 degrees. Remove the scone pan from the oven and let cool or a wire rack for 15 min. Run the flat side of a thin knife around the edge of each scone and then tip the scones out onto the cooling rack. Frost with Icing if desired. To Make the Frosting: Place the frosting ingredients together in a small bowl and stir together by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is the desired spreading consistency. Place a piece of waxed paper under the cooling rack to catch frosting drips. Spread approximately 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of frosting over the top of the scones, allowing the frosting to drip down the sides. To make the Spiced Icing: Place all Spiced Icing ingredients together in a small bowl and stir together by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is thick enough to hold a shape but thin enough to pipe. You can test for this by piping a small line of icing onto a piece of waxed paper. To pipe the spiced icing onto the scones, fit a pastry bag with a small round (#5) piping tip. Fill the pastry bag with the spiced icing and pipe onto the scones in a zigzag manner. OR Fill a small resealable storage bag (e.g., Glad or ZipLock) with the spiced icing. Snip off approximately 1/8” from one corner of the bag. Use the storage bag like a pastry bag: Squeeze the icing out of the small hole and onto the scones in a zigzag manner. Enjoy!Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones with a Spiced Icing
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