blueberries

Blueberry Sourdough Scones

Scones, tender, flakey, full of yumminess… something I used to make years ago. Kinda gave up on them, had made some but sort of heavy. So, I assumed all scones were generally pretty sad when made gluten free. Well, last summer I attempted them and made a batch with leftover sourdough starter which is generally called discard. I had created the starter last week using brown rice flour and had made a tasty loaf of seeded white sourdough bread in my 8.5 x 4.5 tall, sided loaf pan. So, I was looking for a way to use up the excess sourdough starter. I couldn’t find a recipe for blueberry sourdough gf scones, so I took a gluten-based recipe and reconfigured it to make with a one for one blend: specifically, Bob’s Redmill 1-1 Blend. I used a half cup of thick starter. I left out the recipe’s lemon ingredients as I just wanted blueberry and scone as the flavors. I also returned the dairy back to real dairy like actual butter and milk.

 I ate the first one when it was just to room temperature. It was like heaven in a scone shape. Crisp outside, tender inside. Bursts of blueberries rendered me speechless. It was somewhat of a religious experience for a baker like me. I have never eaten such a tender delicate gluten free baked item. The crumb was moist and as perfect as I could ask for. You have to try this! I don’t know what you can sub for the sourdough starter. Maybe Greek yogurt? Maybe you should just make starter so you can bake these scones. 

I used a gram scale to measure the dry ingredients and it gives very exacting measurements, so I highly recommend using one.

Frozen blueberries work so well; because they keep the dough chilly as you mix it with a wooden spoon and then kneading it with (clean) bare hands.  Trust me, it is easy to make and utterly decadent despite no icing or chocolate or nuts. I made it with some nuts and chocolate the next weekend. Fabulous! The recipe is somewhere on this site… You could try some other types of frozen berries. Let me know how it turns out!

Since then, I have made them a few times and I kind of like making a big square of the dough and cutting it into 12 small squares; smaller is more what I like in a serving. I do freeze them; generally best eaten in less than a month. Just bake them a couple of minutes less.

As I am about to mix it together.
Ready to bake scones.
Just baked scones still on sheet from oven

Angie’s Blueberry Sourdough Scones (GF of course)

Ingredients:

200 grams 1-1 Gluten free flour blend; I used Bob’s Redmill

50 grams almond flour

100 grams granulated sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

7.5 Tbsp of cold butter

1 heaping cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

½ cup sourdough starter (Use the discard if you are creating discard)

1 large egg

1/3 c cold whole milk

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut in cold butter with a butter cutter or 2 knives. Until it is tiny pebbles of dough and butter.

Add the egg, starter and ¼ c of the milk. Mix to break up egg and start the blending process. Add in the frozen berries (or fresh) and continue stirring. As it gets to be a thick dough dump it out on your breadboard with all the dry bits and hand knead it to coalesce it into a thick dough. Form it into a large disc; about 8-9 inches across. Cut into 8 wedges; cut in half, then quarters then again into eighths. Spread them out on a cookie sheet that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Put the sheet in a cold place to chill while you heat the oven. Heat to 355 degrees.

Put the sheet in to bake. If you have a convection cycle they will be done in about 25 minutes; the outside needs to be light brown, bottom browned and they look done. I tried 18-20 min but that wasn’t enough. I think my total was 26 minutes. If you don’t have convection they will likely take a few more minutes.  Let cool on pan for 5 minutes and move to a rack. I got distracted and just left the pan of scones on the rack! They cooled rapidly and I couldn’t resist eating one. Plain. Now I am not hungry for lunch. I just want more scones.

Enjoy! I think they will freeze nicely; vacuum sealing would be a good way to go about it.

Blueberry Rhubarb Sourdough Scones

Scones, tender, flakey, full of yumminess… something I used to make years ago. I had made some several years ago but they were sort of heavy. So, I assumed all gf scones were generally pretty sad until last spring when I attempted them with leftover sourdough starter, generally called discard. I had created the starter using brown rice flour and was looking for a way to use up the excess sourdough starter. I couldn’t find a recipe for blueberry sourdough gf scones, so I took a gluten-based recipe and reconfigured it to make with a one for one blend: specifically, Bob’s Redmill 1-1 Blend. I used a half cup of thick starter.

A week later I made the recipe again but added finely chopped rhubarb stalks (never the leaves; poisonous) and made them somewhat smaller and a different shape. Made with real dairy like actual butter and whole milk.  I ate the first one when it was still warm. It was heaven in a scone. Crisp outside, tender inside. Bursts of sweet blueberries and tangy rhubarb gave the perfect taste experience. It was just as good as the blueberry ones from this spring, maybe even better. I have never eaten such tender gluten free baked items as these sourdough scones. The crumb was moist and the texture perfect and they are red, white and blue, patriotic! A great breakfast or company treat that no one will believe are gluten free.

I cut them in more of a square shape, so I got 12 squarish scones, a bit smaller than the 8 wedges that are commonly done but I wanted smaller as those big wedges are just a bit too much for my afternoon snack! It is hard to make skinny long wedges plus I didn’t think they would freeze well; break up. These rectangular ones are quite sturdy considering how delicate the crumb is.

I don’t know what you can sub in for the sourdough starter. Perhaps some plain Greek yogurt? Maybe you should just make starter so you can bake these scones.  You could use vegan butter and I think it will be delicious!

I didn’t take any pictures except of the done cooling scones; wasn’t thinking about this blog, I guess. Next time I make them I will take a few.

I don’t know what flavor I will make next, but I do know there will be many next times. Frozen blueberries worked so well; keeping the dough chilly as I mixed it with a wooden spoon and then kneading it with my bare hands. So, other frozen fruits are in my freezer…. Trust me, it is easy to make and utterly decadent despite no icing beyond a couple teaspoons of sugar sprinkled on top. I may make it with some with cut up frozen strawberries next week!

Angie’s Rhubarb and Blueberry Sourdough Scones (GF of course)

Ingredients:

200 grams 1-1 Gluten free flour blend; I used Bob’s Redmill but King Arthur 1-1 blend works well too

50 grams almond flour

100 grams granulated sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

7.5 Tbsp of cold butter

1 cup of finely chopped rhubarb; 1/3 inch size is good

1 half cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

½ cup sourdough starter (Use the discard if you are creating discard)

1 large egg

1/3 c cold whole milk

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut in cold butter with a butter cutter or 2 knives. Until it is tiny pebbles of dough and butter.

Add the egg, starter and ¼ c of the milk. Mix to break up egg and start the blending process. Add in the chopped rhubarb and the frozen blueberries (or fresh) and continue stirring. As it gets to be a thick dough dump it out on your breadboard with all the dry bits and hand knead it to coalesce it into a thick dough. Form it into a large square about 9 inches across. Cut into 12 squares; cut in three strips; then across to make 12 squares or rectangles depending on how square your original rolled out dough was. Spread them out on a cookie sheet that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. of granulated sugar or chunky sugar if you have some. Put the sheet in a cold place to chill while you heat the oven. Heat to 355 degrees.

Put the sheet in to bake. If you have a convection cycle they will be done in about 20 minutes; the outside needs to be light brown, bottom browned and they look done. I tried 18 min but that wasn’t enough. If you don’t have convection they will likely take a few more minutes.  Let cool on pan for 5 minutes and move to a rack. They cooled rapidly and I couldn’t resist eating one while it was warm. So tasty and I loved how patriotic my scones look!

Enjoy! I they freeze nicely; vacuum sealing would be a good way to go about it if you are freezing for more than a week.

First posted in 2022.

Blueberry Rhubarb Custard Pie

Surprisingly blueberries and rhubarb really do go together so well. Blueberries are uncooked: with milk or cream or baked in a cobbler or a fruity crisp. Rhubarb is called the pie plant for good reason; it makes a lovely pie from a humble plant stem. But this, this is my current obsession, the two together in a custard pie. Not just any old custard but one made with Greek yogurt and eggs. Easy to throw together, creamy, never runny textured and a lusciously fruity flavor that may make you have to eat a second slice! The blueberries do tend to take over the rhubarb flavor of this pie. Of course, there are more than twice as many blueberries by volume and they are just a stronger flavor than rhubarb which gives a bit of a tart under taste to this pie. You could play with the proportions of the two fruits; this is the amounts which I used. This pie will be tasty to even the biggest rhubarb dissenter. Really!

WARNING: This pie goes soft in 2 humid days so plan to gobble it down within that time frame or face the soggy crust syndrome. Inevitable with gf crust and a custard filling in hot/humid weather.

I don’t recommend frozen or canned fruit for this pie, simply not good enough and you must use plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt in the filling, plain yogurt is too runny. And no, it can’t be made without the eggs it just wouldn’t work as a custard if there are no eggs. The version with peaches uses 3 yolks in there. I tried it with two whole eggs beaten up: success! And one last warning; applicable to 100 percent of my recipes: Please don’t try it with Measure for Measure gf flour; this is calibrated for using King Arthur’s Basic GF Blend.

I hope you give it a try; super easy and super delicious. Best pie of the summer hands down! Make one Saturday morning…we couldn’t wait for a slice still faintly warm……. I thought I took a picture of a slice; no luck there and it is all gone. Next time! It does look pretty much like the blueberry peach custard pie I posted last summer.

Naked pie! About to go in and bake for 25 minutes and then the crumbs go on top.
Just out of the oven….cooling…a molten mass of fruit and custard and sugary crumbs!

Angie’s Blueberry and Rhubarb Custard Crumb Pie

CRUST:

1 c plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour mix (at bottom of recipe)

2 tbsp sweet rice flour

1 Tbps granulated sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

6 Tbps cold butter cut into 6 chunks

1 large egg

2 tsp fresh orange or lemon juice

Spray 9 or 10 inch metal pie pan with cooking spray, dust with white rice flour.

Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand electric mixer.  Add butter and mix until crumbly and resembling coarse meal.  Add egg and juice.  Mix until it comes together into big chunks.  Shape into a ball with your hands. Put it on a crust sized piece of wax paper (14 x 14 inches more or less), flatten the crust ball some; put on top of it another piece of wax paper and chill it all in your fridge 15-20 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

2-3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb cut in half inch slices (2 cups if 9 inch pie, 3 cups for 10 inch pie)

4 cups blueberries; rinsed

2/3 cup sugar, sweeter if you like it that way or if peaches are not fully ripe

2 Tbsp. tapioca starch

Mix in a medium bowl the following ingredients:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt, I prefer whole milk, and let it warm up a bit

2 whole large eggs or 3 egg yolks, close to room temp.

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp. brown rice mixture flour (King Arthur Basic GF blend)

Crumb topping

¾ c brown rice flour mix (King Arthur Basic GF Blend)

½ c sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c cold butter cut into six chunks

Put all five ingredients in the same mixing bowl you made the bottom crust in and mix well with mixer paddle until crumbs form.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Directions: Turn oven on to 400 degrees. Put the oven rack on the closest to the bottom shelf position. Once the crust is chilled some but not hard, Roll it out and fit into the pie shell. Trim off excess crust. I like to chill those crumbs of crust and roll out to make a jam filled hand pie. Anyway, put the sliced rhubarb and blueberries in a bowl and add the sugar and tapioca. Let stand 5 minutes. Then pour into the pie shell in a fairly even layer, as the filling and crumbs will hide it there is no need for a pretty design. Then pour the filling that you just mixed up over it , tap the pie on the counter sharply 2-3 times to settle in the filling and bake for 25-30 minutes. I turned down my oven to 375 after 15 to 20 minutes. While it bakes those 25-30 minutes make the crumbs. When your timer goes off, carefully remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the top of the pie with crumb mix;  I used about 3/4 of it but you could use a bit less if you don’t want a thick crumb layer or all of it for a really heavy crumb. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until crumbs are lightly browned. Let stand at least 1 to 11/2 hours before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Blueberry Rhubarb Sourdough Scones

Scones, tender, flakey, full of yumminess… something I used to make years ago. I had made some several years ago but they were sort of heavy. So, I assumed all gf scones were generally pretty sad until a few months ago when I attempted them with leftover sourdough starter, generally called discard. I had created the starter the week before using brown rice flour and was looking for a way to use up the excess sourdough starter. I couldn’t find a recipe for blueberry sourdough gf scones, so I took a gluten-based recipe and reconfigured it to make with a one for one blend: specifically, Bob’s Redmill 1-1 Blend. I used a half cup of thick starter.

Last week I made the recipe again but added finely chopped rhubarb stalks (never the leaves; poisonous) and made them somewhat smaller and a different shape. Made with real dairy like actual butter and whole milk.  I ate the first one when it was still warm. It was heaven in a scone. Crisp outside, tender inside. Bursts of sweet blueberries and tangy rhubarb gave the perfect taste experience. It was just as good as the blueberry ones from this spring, maybe even better. I have never eaten such tender gluten free baked items as these sourdough scones. The crumb was moist and the texture perfect and they are red, white and blue, perfect for the holiday on Monday! A great breakfast or company treat that no one will believe are gluten free.

I cut them in more of a square shape, so I got 12 squarish scones, a bit smaller than the 8 wedges that are commonly done but I wanted smaller as those big wedges are just a bit too much for my afternoon snack! It is hard to make skinny long wedges plus I didn’t think they would freeze well; break up. These rectangular ones are quite sturdy considering how delicate the crumb is.

I don’t know what you can sub in for the sourdough starter. Perhaps some plain Greek yogurt? Maybe you should just make starter so you can bake these scones.  You could use vegan butter, but it will be better with the real deal!

I didn’t take any pictures except of the done cooling scones; wasn’t thinking about this blog, I guess. Next time I make them I will take a few.

I don’t know what flavor I will make next, but I do know there will be many next times. Frozen blueberries worked so well; keeping the dough chilly as I mixed it with a wooden spoon and then kneading it with my bare hands. So, other frozen fruits are in my freezer…. Trust me, it is easy to make and utterly decadent despite no icing beyond a couple teaspoons of sugar sprinkled on top. I may make it with some with cut up frozen strawberries next week!

Angie’s Rhubarb and Blueberry Sourdough Scones (GF of course)

Ingredients:

200 grams 1-1 Gluten free flour blend; I used Bob’s Redmill but King Arthur 1-1 blend works well too

50 grams almond flour

100 grams granulated sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

7.5 Tbsp of cold butter

1 cup of finely chopped rhubarb; 1/3 inch size is good

1 half cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

½ cup sourdough starter (Use the discard if you are creating discard)

1 large egg

1/3 c cold whole milk

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut in cold butter with a butter cutter or 2 knives. Until it is tiny pebbles of dough and butter.

Add the egg, starter and ¼ c of the milk. Mix to break up egg and start the blending process. Add in the chopped rhubarb and the frozen blueberries (or fresh) and continue stirring. As it gets to be a thick dough dump it out on your breadboard with all the dry bits and hand knead it to coalesce it into a thick dough. Form it into a large square about 9 inches across. Cut into 12 squares; cut in three strips; then across to make 12 squares or rectangles depending on how square your original rolled out dough was. Spread them out on a cookie sheet that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. of granulated sugar or chunky sugar if you have some. Put the sheet in a cold place to chill while you heat the oven. Heat to 355 degrees.

Put the sheet in to bake. If you have a convection cycle they will be done in about 20 minutes; the outside needs to be light brown, bottom browned and they look done. I tried 18 min but that wasn’t enough. If you don’t have convection they will likely take a few more minutes.  Let cool on pan for 5 minutes and move to a rack. They cooled rapidly and I couldn’t resist eating one while it was warm. So tasty and I loved how patriotic my scones look!

Enjoy! I think they will freeze nicely; vacuum sealing would be a good way to go about it if you are freezing for more than a week.

Mango Blueberry Muffins

unbaked mango and blueberry muffins.

I love muffins for their great flavor, texture and how easy they are to make.  Plus they are really portable and they freeze like a dream. Homemade snacks have the great feature of no chemical preservatives or additives like snack bars you buy which is a great attraction for me.  Plus, if you have never baked gluten free these muffins are a super easy starter recipe. I make them on the small size as when they are big they are too much of a snack; I just want a medium to small muffin to keep my blood sugar level.

This is a riff on my past version of a muffin recipe out of Annalise Robert’s cookbook; Gluten-Free Baking Classics.  It is very similar to her blueberry muffins but with some mango cubes and oat flour.  You can just use only the flour blend and no oat flour; tjey won’t be quite as tender. I left off the toppings as I wanted a more low calerie/healthyish muffin.

These muffins will not disappoint: delicate texture, a great blueberry flavor and bursts of mango too and they have just enough sugar for me.  I used about 1 cup of drained cubed canned mango flesh (you could use fresh mango cut into 1/3 inch cubes) and a heaping 1/2 cup of frozen  blueberries. Or the opposite proportions…use any proportion of fruit that you prefer. I used frozen blueberries and canned mango; so convenient, don’t defrost any frozen fruit before adding. Peaches could be subbed in for mango; be sure to cut in small cubes and drain them well. You could add a coarse sugar topping to insure that they look fancy if that is your desire.

I used coconut palm sugar so not much guilt in eating one of these treats! You can swap the coconut palm sugar for plain sugar if you want.  I liked coconut palm sugar which is very low as far as raising blood sugar.  Just increase the milk by 2 tbsp if you do the coconut palm sugar.

It is smart to freeze any you won’t eat in two days’ time; a zip lock freezer bag works great.

 Mango Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below)

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar or coconut palm sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. xanthan gum

¼ tsp. salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup drained mango cubes (canned ones are like 1/3 inch cubes; a good size)

heaping 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

2 large eggs

½ cup milk, 1 or 2 percent

½ cup canola oil

1-2 tbsp. coarse sugar if you want a sugar topping 

——-

Directions: Heat your oven to 425 degrees, placing the rack in middle of oven.  Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.  One batch makes 14-16 muffins.  I got 16 when I made them yesterday.

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer or big bowl. Combine milk and oil in measure cup and add. Beat in eggs, add vanilla.  Add fruits; stir just until fully blended.  It is a very thick batter. Let stand 10-15 minutes now or in the muffin pans.

Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.  I use a big serving spoon and fill it about half way to dump in each muffin space. Sprinkle the top with the coarse sugar if desired. Bake 5 minutes and lower heat to 350 degrees and bake 15-18 minutes more until golden brown. Do not over bake or they will taste dry.  Remove immediately from the pans and cool on a rack.  They freeze well for a few weeks, if they last that long.  Keeps in fridge (well wrapped) or an airtight cookie jar for 2-3 days.

Cut in half you can see they are more tan in color than most muffins. That is the coconut palm sugar’s doing. You can see the bits of fruit; every muffin is different in each bite; might be blueberry or you might get mango!

Brown Rice Flour Mix base mix 

(This mix is the same as King Arthur’s basic gf blend)2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

Alternate Streusel Topping: A tasty alternative. Mix the following in a bowl, make sure the butter is in tiny pebbles; use your fingertips to blend.

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. almond meal

1½ tbsp. butter

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Sprinkle on top; press in lightly to help it adhere.

Baked and cooling. These mango and blueberry muffins are ready to snack on!