Cherry Pecan Scones, Method 2

As I promised, this is the second of three scone recipe/methods. This is the one I divised from my original, gluten-filled recipe. In some ways, it's my favorite. It's also a bit less fussy than the Lemon Scone recipe, easy to knock out quickly for breakfast or afternoon snack. I've made them with dried Michigan cherries and pecans, but they're fine just plain or with your favorite additions. Let me know how you like them!

Ingredients
2 C flour*
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp gum, guar or xanthan
1 tsp psyllium seed husk (optional but optimum)
1/4 C sugar, more if you like a sweet scone
1/2 tsp nutmeg, optional

One large egg
Approximately 3/4 cup whole milk

6 TB cold butter, cut into pieces

Break the egg into a measuring cup. Add whole milk to make one cup of milk combined with the egg. Whisk to break up the egg. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract.

1/2 C finely chopped pecans, toasted if you have time (This does make a difference in taste)
1/2 C dried Michigan cherries, chopped, or dried fruit of your choice

Method
Sift together the first seven ingredients.
With pastry cutter, two knives, or in a food processor, cut butter in to dry ingredients till size of small peas.

Stir nuts and cherries into dry ingredients.

Cutting in the butter

Pour milk/egg mixture into dry ingredients, mix with fork until combined. If there's flour that you can't incorporate, either splash a little milk into it or discard.

Pouring the milk/egg mixture into dry ingredients. We have access to wonderful farm eggs
from araucana chickens that have an orange yolk. 

Dough in bowl

Pull the dough together in the bowl and turn it out onto a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment. (If you don't have parchment, dust the counter top with a bit of flour and turn the dough out onto this.) Pat the dough into an approximately 6-inch square. Cut the square in quarters, then cut each quarter in half. I use a large, sharp, chef's knife.

cutting dough with sharp knife

Scones separated

Separate the pieces with a dough scraper. If you don't have a dough scraper, use the knife or a pancake turner. You just want to get some room between the scones. If you've cut your scones on the counter top, transfer them to a baking sheet. It's a plus if you can line the sheet with parchment or a silpat mat.

(To prevent the bottom of the scones from getting too dark, nestle one cookie sheet inside of a second sheet. I usually put the bottom sheet in the oven while I shape the scones to preheat. This is just my preference. Before baking, slide the second sheet with the scones into the first. It doesn't matter if it's not a perfect fit.)

With your finger tips, dab cream or milk onto each scone and sprinkle with sugar. This step is optional but gives the scones a little bit of crunch, which I like.

Sugar and cream for topping

Some of the cream and sugar will fall onto the cookie sheet and caramelize just a bit. This is wonderful!


Bake the scones in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 17 minutes. Check at 15 or earlier if they smell done. Mine took a bit longer; I'm still getting used to a new oven. This recipe and method yields eight good-size scones.



Cool on a wire rack, serve when nearly cooled but still slightly warm. To reheat, put the scones in a paper lunch sack, sprinkle the bag with water, and put in a 325 degree oven for about eight minutes. They will be just like freshly baked scones!

Ready to eat!

** I always use Anson Mills Carolina Gold Rice Flour for all of the flour called for in the formula for GF baking flour from America's Test Kitchen.

Here is their formula for the ATK flour blend:

24 ounces (4 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour

7 1/2 ounces (1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour

7 ounces (3/4 cup) potato starch

3/4 ounces (3 TB powdered milk

If you want to understand the science of why this works, please buy the ATK GF cookbook.

Blueberry Almond Loaf Cake

     
     Yes, it's blueberry season and time for another blueberry recipe. Inspired by a recipe posted in the New York Times by Yotam Ottolenghi, this one's quite different from my blueberry bundt cake. Made with more almond flour than regular flour, it adapts quite nicely to Gluten-free and has that distinct, almond flavor. Because of the almond flour, it has a dense, moist texture and stays fresh, stored covered at room temp, for several days. Though, of course, it may not last that long. The recipe calls for a lemon icing which dresses up this loaf quite nicely, but if you want a less-sweet cake, it would be perfectly fine without it. This is great for dessert or afternoon tea, and is a nice choice for breakfast. It comes together quickly.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. butter a 7 or 8 inch loaf pan, line the with parchment paper, then butter the parchment. You will bake the cake for a total of about 50-55 minutes.

Ingredients:

Prepping the pan

Sift together:
2/3 cup or 90 grams of GF flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp guar or xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
Stir in 1 cup or 110 grams almond flour

Adding the eggs

Cream together:
1 stick plus 3 TB softened butter
1 scant cup (190 grams) sugar
1 tsp to 1 TB lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add, one at a time:
3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (I think frozen would be just fine)

For the icing when cake is completely cooled:
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 TB lemon juice

Add half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Mix a generous cup of the blueberries into the dry ingredients, then fold that into the batter.

Folding in the berries

Reserve the rest of the berries.

Bake for 15 minutes, then scatter the remainder of the berries over the cake and continue baking. Check the cake after another 15 to 20 minutes and tent with foil if it's browning too quickly. (I am still not used to my new oven and it browns things very quickly, even when at correct temp.)

Cooling in pan

When done, cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes, then lift cake out of pan and let sit until completely cool.

Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar and ice the top of the cake, allowing some icing to drip down the sides of the cake. Enjoy!


* I always use Anson Mills Carolina Gold Rice Flour for all of the flour called for in the formula for GF baking flour from America's Test Kitchen.

Here is their formula for the ATK flour blend:

24 ounces (4 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour

7 1/2 ounces (1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour

7 ounces (3/4 cup) potato starch

3/4 ounces (3 TB powdered milk

If you want to understand the science of why this works, please buy the ATK GF cookbook.

Carrot Cake!

 It's no secret around here that I love cake. Cake and ice cream? Wow! Might be my favorite dessert. Time again for cake, and this time it's carrot cake, bursting with spicy deliciousness, moist, full of texture, and, of course, all the goodness of carrots! Health food.

 This cake is adapted from Joy of Cooking, or Joy-O as it's known around here. Today's cake is full of walnuts, pineapple, and coconut, and filled and frosted with cream cheese frosting. I always increase the spices and did so here by about 25%.

Unless eaten for breakfast, I always add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, preferably home made. But who's to say, adding dairy to breakfast pastry sounds about right, too! You really are covering all the food groups.

All your ingredients should be at room temp, that is if you keep your rooms at 68 to 70 degrees. If you're baking in a cold house in the winter, warm them up a bit in the oven. I measured out and prepared all the ingredients the night before except for the carrots. That way the cake goes together very quickly and the ingredients are at the right temp. It doesn't hurt them to sit out overnight, or all day if you plan to bake in the evening, though on a very warm day, you'd nee to rethink this.

Since a layer cake says celebration, I used two, 8-inch pans and a double batch of cream cheese frosting. And no, I don't indulge like this often! If you like things simple, no frosting is necessary for a delicious snack cake. A 9 x 13 pan is quick, too. Just make sure you get the middle completely baked.

Butter two 8-inch cake pans. Line them with circles of parchment and butter the parchment; dust with flour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Sift or stir together:
1 1/3 cup GF flour*
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Parchment paper lining.

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 to 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp guar or xanthan gum, or psyllium seed husk powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together, then add the following to the above, dry ingredients:
2/3 cup coconut oil (melted) or vegetable oil
3 large eggs, slightly beaten and
Beat on low in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer (or silicone spatula) until thoroughly combined but not over beaten.

To the batter you've just created, add:
1 1/2 cups of grated carrots
1 cup of finely chopped walnuts (optional)
3/4 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup of crushed pineapple, with most of the liquid poured off

Because a GF cake is more fragile than a wheat cake, if the nuts are not chopped finely the cake may break apart when you slice it.

Pour the batter into the pans, dividing evenly. If you have the time and inclination, you could use a kitchen scale. Smooth out the top with a silicone or offset spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes and then test for doneness by using the time proven method of a tooth pick to the middle and seeing if it springs back from the press of a finger. The cake should be pulling away from the sides of the pan. Bake five minutes more, if necessary.

When done, cool on a wire rack for ten minutes. To remove from pan, loosen the edges with a knife, turn the cake out onto your hand, quickly peel off the parchment, and then sit upright back on the wire rack. When completely cool, frost with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting! I would double this amount, or you could simply frost the top and between the layers. I often decorate the top and sides of the cake with shredded coconut. And lemon curd between layers is really delicious, too.

* I always use Anson Mills Carolina Gold Rice Flour for all of the flour called for in the formula for GF baking flour from America's Test Kitchen.
Here is their formula for the ATK flour blend:
24 ounces (4 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour
7 1/2 ounces (1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour
7 ounces (3/4 cup) potato starch
3/4 ounces (3 TB powdered milk
If you want to understand the science of why this works, please buy the ATK GF cookbook.