Gluten free cheese and red onion buttermilk scones

Here’s a great recipe for some YUMMY gluten free cheese and red onion buttermilk scones.

Whilst I’ve already got a popular fruit scone recipe on the blog, I’ve keen to share a good savoury variation too. I was also been eager to test out scones made with buttermilk, as I felt adding buttermilk would give them a softer texture. I was right…it REALLY does! 

Googling ‘buttermilk scones’ I came across a smashing recipe over on Sainsbury’s food website. This recipe is the one I used, and adapted, to make these lovely, gluten free cheese and red onion buttermilk scones. 

If you are a fan of savoury scones, I’m sure you are going to absolutely LOVE these cheese and red onion buttermilk scones. They have the most gorgeous crisp outer crumb and delightful soft centre, with the perfect balance of flavours, thanks to lots of tasty mature cheddar, sweet onion and a touch of Dijon mustard.

 

Ingredients

300g gluten free self-raising flour 
1½ teaspoons gluten free baking powder
80g salted butter, chilled and cubed
150g really good mature cheddar, finely grated
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon *Dijon mustard
284ml buttermilk (you won’t need all of this, but this is the size tub I poured from) 
1 beaten egg to glaze
Sea salt and *cracked pepper (to sprinkle and season) 

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6/180C Fan.

Line a large baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Heat the veg oil in a frying pan or large bottomed heavy saucepan. Add the diced onion and gently fry for about 5 minutes until they have softened and coloured a little. Turn off the heat and set the pan to one side.

Add the gluten free flour and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and give it a quick mix with a spoon to blend together.  

Add the cubed butter to the bowl and gently rub it into the flour with your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Give the bowl a little shake in-between rubbing in to bring the larger clumps of butter to the surface. 

Next add most of the grated cheese to the bowl (hold just enough back to sprinkle over the scones before you bake them) and stir until evenly distributed. Season with a spot of cracked pepper.

Mix the Dijon mustard with the cooked onion before adding them both to the cheese scone mixture. Give everything a good stir so that the mustard coated onion gets well distributed.

Bring the mixture together with enough buttermilk to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface which has been lightly dusted with gluten free flour. 

Knead the dough briefly to even out the consistency and then pat it out with your hands (I don’t bother with a rolling pin) until it’s about 1 inch thick. 

Cut out the scones using a 2.5 inch cutter. Gather up the dough trimmings, pat out again and repeat until all the dough has been used up.

Place the scones onto the lined baking tray and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese and add a few twists of cracked pepper and a touch of sea salt to each scone.

Slide the tray into the oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden brown and risen.

Once fully baked remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly, before slicing and maybe enjoying with a spot of butter! 

Recipe notes and suggestions:

After various taste tests, I can confirm these cheese and red onion buttermilk scones are at their very best when freshly baked and served slightly warm. However, they will keep for 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container, that is then popped in a cool spot. On a hot day I’d advise storing them in the fridge.

You are able to freeze the scones once baked. Of course, allow to cool and wrap well before squirrelling them away. 

To reheat and refresh the scones, simply slip onto a baking tray and pop into a hot oven for around 8-10 minutes. 

These scones are the perfect thing to serve up with a steaming bowl of tasty homemade soup.

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Credit and thanks to Cate Dixon for the original recipe for cheese, chive and buttermilk scones. Which I slightly changed and adapted to make gluten free.

Thanks for checking out this recipe and supporting my blog.

For now,
Liz x

*Check this product to ensure that there are no gluten containing ingredients, ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable’ for a coeliac/gluten free diet warnings on the pack.