Sunday Morning Scones (with gluten-free modifications!)

Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times. I typically like to have busy Saturdays where I feel productive by planing things to do, going shopping or out with friends, as well as get a jumpstart on homework. Sundays, on the other hand, are the time for relaxing, pampering, exercising, and best of all cooking (and of course eating).

During my freshman year in high school, my dad took a sabbatical from his work, and we moved to Cambridge, England for a year. During the course of this year, my mom and I went to countless tea rooms for afternoon tea and scones, and let me tell you, having a cup of tea and warm, buttery scone is one of the most delectable pleasures in life. Being back in the US, there are many things that I miss about England, and the scones are certainly one of them.

This Sunday, I woke up on the earlier side at 7:20, and decided it was the perfect morning to make scones, and have a leisurely breakfast in for the cold, but sunny Spring day it was shaping up to be.

I must come clean, although I call these scones British, they are in fact an Australian recipe. When my mom was in her early twenties, she spent a couple months in Australia working on a lamb farm, and got this recipe from the man who owned the farm. I grew up eating these scones, and after having spent a year in England, I have an even higher appreciation for them, so I thought I would share the wonderful recipe...

 

Make yourself a cup of tea, put on some good music, grab an apron, and begin!

Sift together dry ingredients

With your fingers, mix in butter until combined, and in little clumps

Add in wet ingredients, and combine lightly using a fork

On counter top, roll out dough until about 2 inches thick, then create scones using a circular cookie cutter

After brushing with cream, and sprinkling sugar on scones, pop in the oven

Let scones rest a minute before eating (if you have the patience)

Enjoy your scones with clotted cream, jam, and good company!

Farmhouse Scones

Cook time: 12 minutes
Yield: 9 Scones

Ingredients

• 3 cups Flour
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 heaped teaspoon Tartar
• pinch Salt
• 1 teaspoon Lemon zest (optional)
• 4 ounces Butter
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 Teaspoons Cream (or milk)

Cooking Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 420˚F
2.  In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients
3.  With fingers, work in the butter to the dry ingredients, until crumbly and combined
4.  Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest and combine with a fork, working the dough as little as possible. The dough should be moistened enough to handle, but is not too firm
5.  Dump the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured counter top, and with your hands press it together (do not knead heavily)
6.  Flatten out the dough until it is around 2 inches thick, and using a circular cutter, shape your scones
7.  Arrange on a baking sheet, brush the scones with the cream, and sprinkle sugar on top
8.  Bake for about 12 minutes, or until they are just turning golden and look done.

*Although the original scone recipe uses regular flour, my mom has been gluten free for the past couple of years, and has developed great modifications for this recipe! The scones shown in the photos above are actually the gluten free version, and although they don't come out quite as light as the original recipe, they are still fantastic!!

For gluten free scones, make the recipe above as written with the following modifications:
  › Substitute the flour for any gluten free flour blend (the King Aurthur brand works well)
  › Add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum
  › Double the amounts of baking soda and tartar
  › Rather than using a full cup of buttermilk, crack an egg into the measuring cup first, and fill the rest with buttermilk
  › Once the wet mixture has been added to the dry, mix thoroughly, but be gentle with the dough

After having these scrumptious scone, I became sentimental for my days in England, so I thought I would share some photos from my year there.

This recipe is very simple, but makes an absolutely lovely breakfast for those lazy Sunday mornings when all you want to do it bake and enjoy being in the moment. I hope you love and enjoy these scones as much as I do!

xx

Erin