Monday, September 21, 2009

Gluten Free Cream Tea*



Coming from the south coast of England, the summer is just not the same without a few Cream Teas* on those hot days. So when you know you can't eat gluten anymore all you can do is wistfully remember what is was like. So this recipe was a great discovery..

Scones**
1/2 cup potato starch
3/4 cup white rice flour
1 3/4 tsp xanthum gum
1 tblsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tblsp sugar
1/3 cup cold butter cut into 1/2 cm cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk

Toppings
Devon clotted cream
Organic homemade strawberry jam

Heat oven to 375 F and grease a baking sheet. Mix dry ingredients and then add butter and process until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Add buttermilk and mix until it forms one clump and then carefully and quickly make into 8 scone** shapes and place on the baking sheet, ( it is very sticky and should be handled as little as possible). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Verdict
Soft, fluffy and delicious. They are very light and although they do taste different to regular wheat scones**, they are still really good, and even wheat eaters will enjoy them.

Dairy Free version
Dairy free cream: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/soy-free-vegan-whipped-cream.html#

To replace the butter use a vegan butter that has been frozen before hand.

To replace the buttermilk add 1 1/2 tblsp lemon juice into 3/4 cup of soya milk and and let it sit for 5 minutes. Or use 1/2 cup of vegan sour cream per cup of butter milk mixed with 1/2 cup per cup of butter milk of water.


* If you've never tried a Cream Tea, here is some info on the history and tradition which goes back 1000 years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea

** The North American version of a scone is called a biscuit.