Maple Syrup Oat Scones (Gluten-Free/Adaptable)

I saw this scone recipe a few weeks ago on the Smitten Kitchen website and pretty much rushed out and made them that day.  I have only made my gluten-free adaptation, but I imagine the original version as she posted was amazing as well.  The only downfall of the gluten-free version is that they don't rise as much, but anyone who eats gluten-free baked goods or bread knows this is the way it goes.  Also, I have this need to always cut some of the butter or oil from most of the baked goods I eat, so this also likely affected the fluff factor, as my version cut 1/3 of the fat.  Furthermore, I am constantly playing with different flours to increase the protein and nutrient value, so a simpler flour mix may also be lighter.  You choose!

We ate every last scone in an 18-hour period and I have just been too busy to make them again, or I would have made them a few more times since.  Mia loved them and not just because we had "scones for dinner" that night.  These will surely make a great addition to any Easter brunch or any regular breakfast (or dinner!) for that matter.

For the standard flour version, I will simply send you here for the original post that I adapted the following recipe from.

Gluten- free Maple Syrup Oat Scones (makes 8-10 scones)

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting surface (or see below for the combination I used)
• 1/2 cup oat flour (see this recipe for how to make this flour if you don’t have it on hand, or use a different flour to substitute if you like)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 very heaped tablespoon baking powder (very heaped)
• 1 very heaped tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 cup (unsalted butter, cut into pieces (I used 1/2c butter and 1/4c applesauce)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk (I used almond milk)
• 1 egg, beaten (for glaze) (I skipped this because I forgot- no big deal)

(Fawn’s GF flour combo: 1/3c buckwheat flour, 2.3c Tom Sawyer’s flour, 1/4c brown rice flour, 1/4c crushed pecans, 1/4c garbanzo flour)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Butter a baking tray or line one with unbuttered parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a small dish, combine the milk and syrup, then add these liquid ingredients to the butter-flour mixture. By hand or with a rubber spatula, bring everything together to form a dough. If it feels too dry, add a little more milk but not enough that the dough is too, too sticky.  Remember that gluten-free baked goods will not have the same consistency of their gluten-full counterparts, so the dough will be much stickier here.

3. On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough out until it is 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) tall. Using a 2-inch (5-cm) cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on the prepared tray so that they almost touch. Glaze the tops with beaten egg (or not)  and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly golden.

"heaping"!

Just use a glass to cut the scones if you don't have a biscuit cutter.  Delicious!