Gluten Free (but with dairy) Scone Trial (3)

Introduction:
Continuing the gluten free scone trials (these scones were made with dairy at the request of my friend whose birthday we were celebrating)

Other than using the dairy products, the recipe and procedure are the same as trial 2. The scones of trial 2 were not very sweet and not very raspberry-y. For this trial the sugar was increased to 1/2 C and the frozen raspberries to 1 & 1/4 C.

(red ingredients were modified in this trial)

Ingredients:

2 C gluten-free flour

1/2 C wht sugar

1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C butter cubed (chilled)

1 & 1/4 C frozen raspberries (error on the side of too much)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 C buttermilk

Results and Observations:

The scones of this trial had the desired sweetness and raspberry flavor. No glaze was needed.

Scone texture was good, and using gluten-free flour did not to affect this. The slight chewiness of the scones is consistent with previous fruit scone trials (regardless of the presence of gluten).

I would say we have a successful gluten-free scone recipe. Next goal will be to make it both gluten and dairy free.

Gluten/Dairy Free Trial 2: Raspberry scones

Introduction:

Today I continued the experiment with gluten and dairy free baking. Three frieds who have a combination of gluten and dairy alleries are the inspiration for this experiment. The normal challenge when baking gluten-free is finding replacement for the gluten molecules, but this is not an issue given the characteristic texture of scones. One of the purposes for adding buttermilk (non-dairy in this case) is to breakdown some of the gluten strands which form in the dough. The difficulty with this recipe is finding adequate replacement for the buttermilk and its role as a chemical leavening (the adic in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to form gas bubbles within the dough). For these scones I adapted my chocolate chip scone recipe

Procedure:

(red ingredients need modifying, see Results and Observations)

Ingredients:

2 C gluten-free flour

1/4 C wht sugar

1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C margarine cubed (chilled)

3/4 C frozen raspberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 C non-dairy buttermilk

Glaze:

approx 1/4 C frozen raspberries

1/2 to 1 C powdered sugar, enough to form a thin paste when mixed with the raspberries

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400^oF (200^oC), set oven rack to middle, line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (see fig 1.)
• Set raspberries in a bowl to defrost (fig 2.)
• Cut in margarine(using pastry knife)
• Mix 2 tablespoons lemon juice with enough coconut milk to create 2/3 C non-dairy buttermilk. Allow to sit at least 5 minutes (see fig 3.)
• Drain excess liquid from raspberries and stir in
• In separate bowl whisk buttermilk and vanilla, add to dry ingredients
• Stir just until dough comes together (don't overmix)
• On floured surface knead dough 4-5x
• Pat dough 1.5" thick and cut into 8 wedges.  Place on baking sheet (see fig 4.)
• Brush tops with coconut milk
• Bake 15-20 mins (until golden brown)
• Cool and enjoy!
• For glaze, allow scones to cool and then pipe glaze onto scones (see fig 5.)

Figure 1. Dry ingredients. Note the unique texture because of gluten-free flour

Figure 2. Allow frozen raspberries to defrost to remove excess liquid

Figure 3. Non-dairy buttermilk sitting for five minutes

Figure 4. Scones ready to bake

Results and Observations:

The scones were not bad, but not perfected. The texture was chewy, and perhaps this is from the use of margarine or a lack of adequate leavening. The non-dairy buttermilk may not have been strong enough to react properly or the bubbles may have been lost due to overmixing (human error).

The scones also lacked sufficent sweetness and raspberry flavor. Looking back on my notes from previous fruit scone trials I see a lack of sweetness has been a problem before. The 1/4 C sugar works in tandem with the sweetness of the chocolate chips in the original recipe, but needs supplementing for fruit scones. Also, the quantity of fruit used was too little. 3/4 C chocolate chips may suffice, but I should have increased the amount of raspberries to at least 1 cup.

I employed the raspberry glaze to make up for the lack of sweetness and raspberry flavor. The good news is my friends were more pleased with the results than I.

Changes to try next time:
use 1/2 C sugar
use 1+ C fruit (still allow to defrost and drain)

Figure 5. Glazed scones

Fruits Rouges (trial 2) and euro-adaptaions

 Figure 1. products of Fruits Rouges Scones Trial 2.

Today I conducted my second trial of the fruits rouges scones recipe. I also made a chocolate chip scone "control" batch to help demonstrate what variables are may be due to our European context (quality of ingredients, conversion error switching from Fahrenheit to Celsius) versus the intrinsic nature of fruits rouges.

Trial 1 of fruits rouges (red fruit) scones yielded blog-like scones. My hypothesis is that it is a byproduct of the fruits added water content. If so further testing and research will be needed to properly adjust the recipe.

Trial 2
Variables used:

• 1 cup, not the 1.5 cups of trial 1, fruits rouges was defrosted and drained before being added to scones
• Chocolate chip "control group" scones were also baked. See figure 2.

Observations:
Fruits rouges scones were less purple and "blob-like" than trial 1, though still somewhat "blob-ish". The reduction, defrosting, and draining all had positive effect upon the scone outcome. Using only 1 cup of fruits rouges made the scones less "tangy". 

The control group turned out as desired (see figure 2.), seeming to demonstrate that "blob-like-ness" is an effect of the fruits rouges and not our European setting.

Overall Trial 2 was an improvement upon Trial 1.

Note:
I have also provided a few conversions in my scones recipe for use in a European setting so you don't have to (really it's so I don't have to keep doing it every time)

1/2 C butter is 113 grams
400^oF is approx 204^oC (200^oC if your oven is as non-precise as mine)

Original recipe here

figure 2.  Chocolate chip "control group" scones 

Fruits Rouges Scones

 Today I made "fruits rouges" (red fruits) scones. Fruits rouges is a common French ensemble, whether as a frozen berry mix, ice cream flavor, or an infusion (the French term for herbal tea).

Experimental Procedure:
The recipe is yet another variation on my chocolate chip scone recipe: link here
Instead of using chocolate chips or a mixture of chocolate chips and fruit as I have with previous versions, I used a 1.5 cups of frozen fruits rouges.

Observations:

I am not sure why this batch came out rather "blob-like" in shape, possibly from extra moisture in the fruit, possibly from an improperly heated oven. The purple color makes it harder to determine when the scones are fully cooked, and although I baked these scones for 18 minutes perhaps I should have baked them longer.

The lack of chocolate and the tangy/tart flavor of  fruits rouges resulted in the scones not being sweet. Thankfully this can be remedied with a little powdered sugar. See figure 1.

figure 1.

Chocolate Chip Scones (using a food processor)

Today's experiment is testing the effects of using a food processor to cut in the butter for scones instead of a pastry knife.  Here is my standard recipe for chocolate chip scones.  The idea for this procedure modification comes from my friend Elizabeth who's blog is here.

Experimental procedure:
I cut the cold stick of butter into 16 cubes (see picture to left).  Followed standard recipe with exception of using food processor on the "pulse" setting to cut in butter.

Results and Observations:
The experiment results are in and I am happy to report my findings are positive.  The scones are have desired light and fluffy inside and slight crisp on the outside.  Elizabeth's results, that a food processor can be successfully used to cut in butter, have been experimentally verified.  Let it also be noted using the food processor was significantly faster than a pastry knife.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones

Yep, that's right.  Cherry chocolate chip scones.  This will be the third scone species tested.  The recipe is identical to that of blackberry chocolate chip scones, which is a simple modification of chocolate chip scones.  As you can tell the common ingredient in all my scones is chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

2 C flour

1/4 C wht sugar

1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C butter cubed (chilled)

1/2 C chocolate chips

1 C fresh pitted, halved/quartered cherries

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 C buttermilk

Directions:         

Preheat oven to 400^oF, set oven rack to middle, line baking sheet with parchment paper

Pit and halve/quarter 1 C fresh cherries

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

Cut in butter (using pastry knife)

Stir in chocolate chips and cherries

In separate bowl whisk buttermilk and vanilla, add to dry

Stir just until dough comes together (don't overmix)

On floured surface nead dough 4-5x

Pat dough 1.5" thick and cut into 8 wedges.  Place on baking sheet

Brush tops with milk

Bake 15-20 mins (until golden brown)

Cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin waffles are a Fall family classic.  Now that cooler weather has finally arrived, I have decided to welcome Autumn once again with pumpkin waffles.  Not only are they festive, but as someone who enjoys making and eating waffles I can say they are in many ways simpler to make than traditional waffles.  With the simplicity comes a wonderful hardiness to these waffles, making them even more appropriate for a chilly season.

Ingredients:
1 can(15 oz) pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C milk
1/3 C melted butter
4 eggs
2.25 C flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Directions:

• Mix pumpkin, sugar, milk, butter (melted), and eggs
• Add in dry ingredients
• Warm up waffle iron and spray with non-stick spray
• Cook waffles
• Serve with butter and maple syrup, and enjoy!

Mixing pumpkin, sugar, milk, butter, and eggs

Add in dry ingredients and mix

Enjoy this Autumn classic!

Blackberry Chocolate Chip Scones

 That's right, blackberry chocolate chip scones.  I have been meaning to test this idea for quite some time now.  The modification from the original chocolate chip recipe was simply reducing 3/4 C chocolate chips to 1/2 C chocolate chips and 1 C frozen blackberries.

The berries I used were still frozen when I added them to the dough, and some of them therefore did not fully dry out (potential spoilage issue if left too many days?).  Next time I will try using pre-thawed berries.

My original chocolate chip scone recipe: 

http://timsbaking.blogspot.com/2012/09/chocolate-chip-scones.html

modifications bolded

Ingredients:

2 C flour

1/4 C wht sugar

1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C butter cubed (chilled)

1/2 C chocolate chips

1 C frozen blackberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 C buttermilk

Directions:         

Preheat oven to 400^oF, set oven rack to middle, line baking sheet with parchment paper

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

Cut in butter (using pastry knife)

Stir in chocolate chips and blackberries

In separate bowl whisk buttermilk and vanilla, add to dry

Stir just until dough comes together (don't overmix)

On floured surface nead dough 4-5x

Pat dough 1.5" thick and cut into 8 wedges.  Place on baking sheet

Brush tops with milk

Bake 15-20 mins (until golden brown)

Cool and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Scones

I believe the original source of this recipe is joyofbaking.com

Chocolate chip scones are a breakfast (and anytime) favorite.  The dough can be a little temperamental to achieve optimal scone texture, but the resulting wedges of joy are more than worth the effort.  I have not yet begun experimenting with other variations, but hope to try blackberry chocolate chip scones soon.  I will keep you all posted.  Until then, enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 C flour

1/4 C wht sugar

1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C butter cubed (chilled)

3/4 C chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 C buttermilk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400^oF, set oven rack to middle, line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
• Cut in butter (using pastry knife)
• Stir in chocolate chips
• In separate bowl whisk buttermilk and vanilla, add to dry
• Stir just until dough comes together (don't overmix)
• On floured surface knead dough 4-5x
• Pat dough 1.5" thick and cut into 8 wedges.  Place on baking sheet
• Brush tops with milk
• Bake 15-20 mins (until golden brown)
• Cool and enjoy!

Mix dry ingredients

Cutting in butter

Cut into wedges

Brush tops with milk

Bake until golden brown

Enjoy!