Gluten-free Baking Course

MethodPrepare the butter and cream: Measure and cube the butter. Measure the cream and add the apple cider vinegar to curdle. Set butter and cream aside, preferably in the fridge to keep them cold.Blot the pumpkin. This will give you that delicious pumpkin flavour without the extra moisture. Line a bowl with a piece of paper towel or napkin. Scoop the pumpkin onto the paper towel and wrap it up. Set aside.Mix together all the dry ingredients until incorporated (rice flour, almond flour, cornstarch, potato starch, sugar, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice).Retrieve the butter and cream mixture from the fridge. (You'll use the butter in the next step.) Crack the egg into a medium bowl and whisk it. Then whisk in the blotted pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, and cream mixture until smooth.Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Keep cutting until the butter is in lentil-sized pieces. Pour in the liquid mixture gradually while mixing gently with a fork. Keep mixing the dough until all the liquid has been incorporated.Cover the bowl and let chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will make the dough easier to work with and also gives the flours time to absorb the liquid.Preheat oven to 425°F. Once chilled, dust the working surface (something you can cut on) with rice flour. Grease and line a 9" cake pan with a large piece of parchment. (Be sure to leave enough overhang so that you can lift the parchment out later.) Scrape the dough onto the working surface, and shape it into a round disc. Using a piece of wax paper and a rolling pin, gently roll out the top of the disc until it is just smaller than 9" in diameter (use your cake pan to measure). Peel off the wax paper and shape the edges until smooth.Using a sharp knife, divide the disc into 8 even slices (cut into quarters, then cut each quarter in half). Use the knife or a bench scraper to transfer each slice into the prepared pan, keeping a small gap between each scone.Brush the tops of the scones with the tablespoon of cream. You can also sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar (or cane sugar) on top, if desired.Bake for 20 minutes. Have a baking sheet at the ready and remove the scones from the oven. Carefully lift the parchment paper with the scones and transfer to the baking sheet. Gently separate the scones, using a knife if needed. Then return the scones to the oven for another 5 minutes to crisp up the edges.Transfer the scones to a cooling rack. Let cool until they are no longer warm to the touch.To make the glaze: Melt the butter and mix in the maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the icing sugar. The consistency should be thick, but still thin enough to drizzle on. If too thick, add more maple syrup; if too thin, add more icing sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the scones, and enjoy!