Lemon and blackberry make a terrific pairing in this scone, which has a delicate and tender crumb thanks to the applesauce. As with all the scone recipes in this book, this recipe calls for a food processor; however, if you’re particularly good at improvising, you could get away with using a pastry blender or slicing the butter into the dough with a couple of flat-bladed knives. These scones should be served within the first couple days of making them, to fully appreciate their lovely texture.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy or coconut milk beverage
- ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo and fava flour
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup potato starch
- ¼ cup organic sugar
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 7 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, chilled
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
- 1½ teaspoons lemon extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
Glaze
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. The reaction of these two ingredients raises the acidity of the milk and causes it to thicken somewhat. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow the milk to become “buttermilk.”
- In a medium bowl, sift both flours with the potato starch, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter in tablespoon-size chunks and pulse until the mixture takes on a sandy consistency.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce, agave nectar, and lemon extract. Add to the dry ingredients in the food processor, along with the buttermilk. Pulse a few times until the dough comes together, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary. Transfer to a large bowl and gently fold in the blackberries.
- If you prefer triangular scones, turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface, patting it into a disc-like shape about 1¼ inches thick. Cut as you would a pie, into eight triangle shapes. Using a flat spatula, transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet.
- If you prefer round scones, measure the dough out into ⅓-cup portions and loosely hand-form into eight balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the scones develop the slightest hint of a tan on top and the bottoms are a light golden colour. Remove from the oven and transfer scones to a cooling rack.
- While the scones are cooling, prepare the glaze. For the glaze
- Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl, then whisk in the agave nectar, non-dairy milk, lemon extract, and lemon zest (if using) until smooth.
- Use a fork or spoon to decoratively drizzle the glaze in a zigzag pattern over each scone, or simply dip the top of each scone directly into the glaze. Let the glaze harden slightly before serving.