Orange, Pecan & Date Gluten-Free Scones

By the musician, who cooks • June 10, 2011 • 2 Comments

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Author Notes: I adapted this recipe using a favorite scone recipe from Annie Somerville's cookbook Field of Greens. The flour mix is a formula from the cookbook GEMS of Gluten-Free Baking by Wendy Turnbull. The GEMS formula can be customized using different gluten-free flours depending on what flavors you're going for in a recipe. I like this flour mix because it is entirely whole-grain and creates a really nice texture and flavor for the scones. - the musician, who cooks

Serves 8 scones

zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
3 cups GEMS flour mix (2-3/4 c. brown rice flour, 2/3 c. sweet white sorghum flour, 1/3 c. buckwheat flour, 3 Tbsp. millet flour)
1-1/2 teaspoon guar gum powder
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil
2/3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup additional unsweetened almond milk
2 large baking sheets, stacked together
1 sheet parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Mix chopped dates with orange juice in a small bowl, separating the dates in the juice; let soak.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Mix oil and honey in a separate bowl, add orange zest to almond milk, then add to oil/honey mix, and whisk to blend well.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir just until ingredients come together in a ball.
Lightly flour surface with a little GEMS flour, turn dough out of the bowl, and gently form into an 8-inch round.
Brush round with almond milk, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Cut round into 8 wedges, and brush cut sides with almond milk.
Place wedges about 1 inch apart on a parchment lined doubled baking sheet to prevent bottoms of scones from burning.
Bake until scones are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.