A proper cream tea is one of the great pleasures of a British summer — a warm scone, a generous spoonful of clotted cream, a dollop of jam and a pot of strong tea. If you are cooking gluten-free, or cutting back on sugar, the scone is usually the first thing to go. That is a shame, because with the right flour blend and a little patience, you can make scones that split cleanly, taste buttery and hold their shape under a heavy layer of cream.
Two things make this work. First, a gluten-free blend that includes a starch for tenderness and a binder for structure. Second, a sweetener that behaves in the oven rather than turning bitter or grainy. Get those right and nobody at the table will guess what is missing.
Gluten-free flour is thirsty, and a single bag of plain blend will not always give you a scone that rises. For the best results, build your own blend or use one that is described as a plain flour blend with added xanthan gum.
For 250g of flour, the proportions that work reliably are:
Whisk these together with 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder and ¼ tsp fine salt before you add any fat. Gluten-free baking powder matters: some cheaper brands are bulked with wheat starch, so check the label every time. Sifting the dry ingredients twice is not fussiness — it stops the starches clumping and gives a lighter crumb.
Sugar does more than sweeten in a scone. It holds moisture, helps browning and tenderises the crumb. Remove it entirely and you need to replace some of that function.
For eight scones, 3 tbsp of an erythritol and stevia blend works well. Erythritol alone can feel cool on the tongue and slightly gritty, which is why a blend with a little stevia tastes rounder. Allulose is another good option if you can find it: it browns like sugar and keeps the scones soft for longer, though it is less widely stocked in UK supermarkets. Avoid maltitol — it can have a laxative effect and leaves a strange aftertaste in baked goods.
A pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla extract do a lot of the work that sugar would normally do, lifting the flavour so the scones taste complete rather than flat. If you want fruit, remember that dried sultanas are high in natural sugars; a few sugar-free dark chocolate chips or a handful of fresh blueberries are better choices.
Makes 8 scones. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with parchment.
Rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir through the sweetener. Add the buttermilk all at once and bring the mixture together with a round-bladed knife, then finish with a light hand — the dough should be soft but not sticky.
Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes. This gives the rice flour time to hydrate and stops the scones spreading in the oven. Pat it out on a lightly floured surface to about 3cm thick, then cut with a 5cm straight-sided cutter. Press straight down and lift without twisting, or the layers will seal and the scones will lean.
Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake for 12–15 minutes, until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before splitting.
Serve them warm, split rather than sliced, with a thick layer of clotted cream and a spoonful of sugar-free jam. If you want to make your own jam without sugar, simmer 250g of berries with 2 tbsp of your sweetener and 1 tbsp chia seeds for 10 minutes, then cool — it sets to a soft, spoonable consistency that suits a scone perfectly.
Cream first or jam first is your business. Both are correct.
Once you have this base recipe, it takes well to a handful of chopped walnuts, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a little grated orange zest. Keep the quantities the same and the texture will hold.
Sugar-Free Design shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on sugar-free baking and low-sugar dessert recipes for uk homes for readers across the UK.
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