Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones
Gluten-free Chocolate Chips Sourdough Scones
Use your “discarded” sourdough starter in these delicious, flaky, and buttery scones. The slight sourdough tang will bring out the flavor of your gluten-free scones even more.
The bread of my childhood was a country sourdough rye, no seeds, made by hand in a small village bakeshop. It was the bread we made sandwiches from or toast with. It was the perfect accompaniment to soup or the base for a Nutella afternoon snack.
In my teens, I was fascinated with bread baking and all things healthy and whole. Baking with all types of flour, seeds, and herbs became a passion. It was fun to experiment with different flour and seed combinations, always aiming to bake bread equally as well as the bakeshop.
When I moved to the US I truly missed my European bread. On a second honeymoon trip to California, I was gifted local sourdough and I continued to bake like I did when living in Germany.
All my bread baking abruptly stopped in 2010 when I learned that I needed to become gluten-free. My focus shifted to learning how to make gluten-free cakes, cookies, and desserts based on the traditional recipes of my family.
When my son jumped on the bandwagon of sourdough bread baking in 2020, the longing inside me to bake bread again grew stronger and stronger. Eventually, I started to experiment with growing a gluten-free sourdough starter and began to create bread that closely resembles the crusty and flavorful loaves I missed so much.
But why am I talking so much about gluten-free sourdough bread when this post is all about scones?
Through the many rounds of feeding and discarding portions of the gluten-free sourdough starter, it was time to create recipes that can use the discard. (Discard is the extra portion of an active sourdough starter that is not needed to keep a sourdough starter alive.)
These gluten-free sourdough scones are a quick way of using the gluten-free sourdough discard to create a flaky and tender scone. The sourdough starter discard keeps the scones light and enhances the flavor of the scones.
Prep time: about 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes to freeze the cubed butter)
Cook time: about 15 minutes
Yield: 8 scones
INGREDIENTS:
115 g (1 cup) King Arthur Measure for Measure
55 g (½ cup) Millet flour
50 g (½ cup) Oat flour
50 g (¼ cup) Cane sugar
2 tsp Baking powder
¾ tsp Baking soda
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Cinnamon
113 g (½ cup) Unsalted butter, cut in ½ inch cubes, frozen
1 tsp (7g) Lemon juice + enough (113 g) almond milk to make ½ cup (120g)
1 tsp (5 g) Vanilla extract
300 g (1 cup) Active sourdough starter or discard (doesn’t need to be fed)
95 g (½ cup) mini chocolate chips
Raw sugar for sprinkling the scones
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pad.
In a food processor pulse the different flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
Add the frozen butter to the food processor and pulse until only pea-size pieces of the butter remain.
Add the sourdough starter and almond milk with lemon juice to the food processor. Pulse a few more times to form a soft yet coarse dough.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Gently spread it out with your floured hands into a rectangle and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
Fold the dough over a few times and knead 2 - 3 times to distribute the chocolate chips making sure not to work the dough too hard. You want the butter to remain visible and in separate pieces.
Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently shape the dough into a circle of about 12 “ diameter and about 1 ½ inch thick. You want the dough to stay fluffy and airy.
Using a large chef's knife, cut the dough into 8 triangles. Transfer the scones onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the raw sugar.
Place the baking sheet into the oven at the middle rack position and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let the scones cool on a wire rack and enjoy the same day!
The scones can be lightly toasted for the next two days to refresh the taste.
Flavor variations:
Lemon Blueberry Scones: Omit the cinnamon and chocolate chips. Add the zest of one lemon and ⅔ cup of small blueberries.
Lemon Raspberry Scones: Use fresh or frozen raspberries instead of blueberries. So good!
Need a Starter?
Creating a vibrant gluten-free sourdough starter can be intimidating and scary. However, it is easier than you think.
In my Starter Mini-course, I will show you how to make a strong and active gluten-free sourdough starter. You will find daily step-by-step instructions, videos and other valuable tips to create a strong and viable gluten-free starter. You even get a downloadable tools and ingredients list as well as a daily printable guide. And it comes with a delicious gluten-free sourdough pancake recipe and nightshade-free bread recipe.
Already have a starter, but want more support?
Working with gluten-free sourdough can be tricky. Not every sourdough starter is strong and active. Plus, elements like humidity, temperature, and ingredients can influence your baked good. It takes time to learn what to do and what to look out for. I am here to help you be successful. For personal 1:1 sourdough chat support, click here.
Some healthy facts about the ingredients used:
Millet flour is a nutritious flour high in magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, zinc, potassium, and other antioxidants as well as energy supporting B vitamins. Millet is high in fiber and has been shown to act as a prebiotic that supports the development of healthy gut flora. Millet is also pest resistant, which makes it an eco-friendly crop to grow.
Oat flour is lightly sweeter than most other flour and gives baked goods a crumbier and chewier texture. Oat flour has more protein and fiber than regular flour and fewer carbohydrates. Oats are considered heart-healthy, help with weight loss, and are beneficial to maintaining a healthy cholesterol level. It is high in minerals such as copper, selenium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. They are a great source of energy and help manage diabetes.
Cinnamon has been shown in studies to lower blood sugar, cholesterol and aid with intestinal issues such as irritable bowel syndrome. Studies also suggest it may be beneficial for heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other inflammatory illnesses.
Lemon zest contains calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta carotene, potassium, and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals are great for your immune system and bone health. Lemon zest, just like lemon juice, helps the body eliminate toxins and has great antioxidant properties.
Did you know that wild blueberries contain 33% more brain-healthy anthocyanins than regular blueberries? Their high antioxidant levels protect the body from free radicals which are linked to cell and DNA damage, cancer, and premature aging. They are low in calories and high in vitamins such as Vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese. Blueberries are also known for their cardiovascular health benefits by regulating cholesterol levels and blood pressure and may lower your risk of a heart attack. If this was not enough, blueberries help with brain health and memory function. They are a nutritional powerhouse!
Choosing a variety of healthy ingredients in your diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle (see disclaimer).