Cranberry Quinoa Scones

Another winning breakfast pastry! I found the recipe on Cannelle et Vanille, which means that they happen to be gluten-free. They’re meant as holiday scones, because they combine cranberries and orange, but honestly, they’re good any time of the year. They did not rise like I expected, given the amount of baking powder in them, but they did spread a little (I see the fact that they didn’t rise as a good thing, because scones shouldn’t be fluffy). These were really good, soft and flavorful, with a great crumb. The Engineer even said they were some of the best scones he’s had! The recipe makes 10 to 12 scones.

1 ¼ sticks (10 Tbsp. or 140 g.) unsalted butter
½ cup cold unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup (100 g.) cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup (140 g.) superfine brown rice flour
1 cup (90 g.) quinoa flakes, plus more for topping
1/3 cup (45 g.) quinoa flour
1/3 cup (40 g.) tapioca starch
1/3 cup (70 g.) natural cane sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. demerara sugar, for topping

Place the butter in the freezer at least 30 minutes before beginning.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F.

Mix the coconut milk and lemon juice in a bowl and chill for 5 minutes.

Coarsely chop the cranberries in the food processor and set them aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the superfine brown rice flour, quinoa flakes, quinoa flour, tapioca starch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Take the butter out of the freezer and grate it using the large holes in a box grater. Gently toss the butter into the flour mixture, but try not to touch it too much, as the warmth from your hands can melt it.

Whisk 1 egg into the coconut milk mixture. Add this mixture to the flour-and-butter base and fold with a wooden spatula until it comes together. Fold in the chopped cranberries.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it a few times until it comes together. Form a disk, pat it down, and roll it out to a ¾-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter (I used a glass) dipped in superfine brown rice flour, cut out the scones and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Re-roll scraps once and cut again. (I shaped the last 2 scones by hand, to avoid any wasted dough.)

Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Sprinkle demerara sugar and quinoa flakes on top of each scone.

Bake the scones until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes and then cool them completely on a wire rack. They keep well at room temperature for 2 days, or they can be frozen for up to 1 month.