Gluten-Free Scones (without xanthan gum) (2024)

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These Gluten-Free Scones, made without xanthan gum, are tall and fluffy with a tender buttermilk crumb. Wonderful as part of your afternoon tea spread, especially filled with a fruity homemade jam and luscious clotted cream.

There is nothing more indulgent than going for a proper afternoon tea. The kind you have in a fancy hotel with a proper tea menu, huge fluffy white scones, delicate cucumber sandwiches and mile high slices of sponge cake.

It’s the proper presentation of the scones which is so alluring, perched atop the tier of sandwiches and patisserie, wrapped in clean white linen, waiting to be discovered. If it’s a first class establishment then these scones will be warm, fresh from the oven and that is when they are at their absolute best. They must then be layered high with thick golden Cornish clotted cream and a vibrant fruity jam.

Whether you slather your scone with the clotted cream or jam first will betray whether you are of the Cornish or Devonshire persuasion.

Joy of homemade scones

Yet scones are such a homely bake to make in your own kitchen. Definitely a comfort bake. You don’t need an expensive food mixer or a specific kind of cake tin. Just a cheap mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and a standard round cookie cutter. You can dive your hands in, rubbing the butter with the flour in your fingertips, feeling the texture of the dough in between your hands as you bring it all together. It’s so satisfying and they don’t take long at all from start to finish.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Made with buttermilk for a soft tender crumb.
• No xanthan gum, instead we use the right blend of gluten-free flours.
• Tall, golden, light and fluffy.
• Buttery flavour.
• Quick bake. Within 45 minutes you can go from a faint craving to taking your first bite out of your homemade scone without any fluster.

Ingredients needed

• Gluten-Free Flours. As listed above: sweet rice flour, oat flour, millet flour, potato starch, tapioca starch.
• Unsalted butter. Cold, straight from the fridge.
• Caster sugar. Very fine white sugar.
• Baking powder. We need a fair amount for a great lift.
• Salt. to balance out the flavour.
• Eggs. We use organic medium sized eggs, about 60g each. You need 1 extra egg for the egg wash.
• Buttermilk. If you can't get hold of buttermilk then you can use whole milk + 3 teaspoons vinegar stirred together and allowed to sit for 5 minutes. (apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar is fine)

Step-by-step instructions

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Whisk flours together, then add the butter, rubbing together to make breadcrumbs.
2. Add sugar, baking powder and salt and mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk and eggs.
4. Bring the dough together, turning out on a clean work surface, and patting together until no longer sticky, into a thick circle, about 1 inch thick.
5. Cut out 9 scones using a fluted cutter.
6. Place onto a baking tray and brush the surface with an egg wash.
7. Bake for 18 minutes.

Shop the recipe

• Biscuit/Pastry Cutters
• Large Baking Sheet
• Silicone Pastry Brush
• Gluten-Free Sweet Rice Flour
• Gluten-Free-Oat Flour
• Gluten-Free Millet Flour
• Gluten-Free Tapioca Flour

How to freeze

As soon as your scones have cooled to room temperature you can freeze in a ziplock bag. You can store for up to 2 months in the freezer. Allow to defrost thoroughly before re-heating for 5 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.

What to serve with your scones

Jam

A homemade jam or a really good quality shop bought version will take your scones to another level. If you need some lovely jam recipes then check these out:

• Gooseberry Thyme Jam
• Raspberry Coconut Jam
• Strawberry Redcurrant Jam
• Green Plum Jam
• Pear Cobnut Jam
• Damson Orange Cinnamon Jam

Clotted Cream

Clotted cream is a fabulous ingredient, I could easily eat it with a spoon but the golden hued crust that you have to break through to get there is the real chef’s delight. Clotted cream is the only choice for a proper afternoon tea. I remember being served the most delicious homemade scones once in Brighton, utterly ruined by the airy canned whipped cream served with them. It’s the clotted cream that really achieves the high end cream team that we all hope for whilst enjoying our fresh homemade scones warm from the oven.

More gluten-free scone recipes

• Gluten-Free Apple Scones
• Gluten-Free Cheese Scones

I urge you to give these Gluten-Free Scones a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.