Scones are the centrepiece of the classic English cream tea. Crumbly and just a little sweet, they’re the perfect pairing to jam and even some clotted cream. While the cream is out of the picture for me, these scones are a delight. We last had these as a part of our anniversary celebration. While we couldn’t celebrate outside the house, we made it special by throwing our own afternoon tea. Including some delightful sandwiches, some of my vegan coffee and walnut cake, and starring these scones with jam, it made for wonderful high point to the day.
This recipe is so easy, a small child can make this with ease, so perfect for a summer in lockdown to help entertain the kids. But as with all simple recipes the trick to making your perfect scone is to pay attention to the details;
- Make sure your butter is cold
- Make sure the plant based milk you use here has a high fat content to produce tender scones. I like to use either coconut milk or a 50:50 blend of coconut milk and almond milk.
- Handle your dough as little as possible- you don’t even need a rolling pin, just push it into the shape you need.
- Make sure your dough is nice and thick when you go to cut out the scones. Because this is both gluten free and vegan, the dough needs a thick start to get a good rise.
These scones are also incredibly easy to adapt to what you’re craving right now. Want a savoury scone?Just drop the sugar content to about 25g and add in 150g of your favourite vegan cheese and a tablespoon of fresh chives. Want a fruity scone? Simple! Just add a handful of raisins or even frozen fruit, both work so well! I’ve covered additions like this in the recipe notes so you can do what suits you.
- Makes: 10-12 Scones
Ingredients
- 490g Gluten Free Flour (with extra for dusting)
- 2 tsp Xantham Gum*
- 70g Cornflour
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 80g Sugar
- 140g Vegan Butter, cold
- 360g Plant Based Milk** (with a touch extra for brushing)
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Directions
Mix the milk and lemon juice together and put to one side. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C), if you know your oven runs a little hot then make sure you adjust accordingly.
Mix together your dry ingredients, making sure everything is well combined with no lumps. Cut up the butter into small chunks and rub into the dry ingredients until it loosely resembles breadcrumbs. Now mix in the milk until just combined and you get a slightly sticky dough.
Lightly dust your kitchen counter with flour and place the dough on top. Handle your dough as little as possible here but you want to lightly press it down with your hands to about an inch thick. Cut out your scones and place on a tray, brush the tops with a little milk, and bake in the oven for about 20 mins or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Wasn’t that easy? Serve warm with jam and a pot of tea.
Notes
As mentioned above it’s really very easy to adapt these to suit your mood. If making any additions like fruit or cheese then these should be added just after the butter and lightly tossed through the mix. If you’re adding cheese then reduce the sugar to 25g, add 200g of your favourite, strong vegan cheese with a tablespoon of fresh, chopped chives. If you want to add fruit then add a few handfuls of raisins or frozen berries for something different. Don’t use fresh berries as the water content is too high but frozen berries work really very well as long as they’re still frozen when the scones go in the oven.
* Check your gluten free flour – if it automatically contains xantham gum then skip this.
** As mentioned above, you want a high fat plant based milk. If you have it, a 50:50 mix of coconut milk to almond milk works really very well.
Allergy Notes; This recipe is another one thats gluten free, vegan, nut free, and soy free (provided you use a soy free milk)!
