These Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones are not only delicious, they are equally as beautiful! First thing I need to acknowledge is the magical grain used in this recipe, SORGHUM! It is extremely nutrient dense, versatile and Celiac safe as it is naturally gluten free! Here is an amazing resource for all things Sorghum!The variety I used in this recipe is a Sable Sorghum. It provides a gorgeous black, almost purple color. It is deep, rich, and paired with the pop of orange and red from the zest of the orange and dried cranberries, it is photo worthy! By milling this grain fresh for this recipe, you will capture the nutrients at their peak. You are also able to purchase Sorghum flour from many grocery stores. Any gluten free flour should work in this recipe.
If you’re new to fresh milled flour or unsure what this is, here is some more information to help you get started!
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Table of Contents
Ingredients Needed for Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones
- Sorghum Flour (Sable Sorghum gives this scone the beautiful color!)
- Coconut Sugar
- Flax seeds
- Baking Powder
- Butter
- Milk
- Dried Cranberries
- Vanilla Extract
- 1 Naval Orange-Zested and juiced(for glaze)
- Salt
- Turbinado Sugar
Equipment Needed
- Grain Mill
- Digital Scale
- Measuring spoons
- Micro-Plane
- Large mixing bowl
- Pastry Cutter or Fork
- 8/9″ round cake pan
- Sheet pan
- Parchment sheets
All equipment used in this recipe can be found here!
How to make Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones
This recipe is very quick and simple with minimal equipment needed! They are also some of the best gluten free scones I’ve had.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grab your 8/9″ round cake pan and press a large sheet of parchment into the pan.
Start by milling your sorghum into a fine flour. You can also use brown rice flour.
Add your dry ingredients to a bowl:sorghum flour, coconut sugar, ground flax seeds, baking powder and salt.
Mix with a fork.
To the dry mixture, add cold milk. Stir until the flour is all moistened. Cube the cold butter into the mixture, cut into flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter.
Stir in chopped cranberries, vanilla and orange zest.
Dump the dough into the prepared round pan. Using your hand or a rubber spatula, press the dough into the pan until it is flattened and pressed all the way to the edges. If you do not have a round cake pan, you can skip this step. Press your dough out directly onto the parchment lined sheet pan into the desired round size. I like to use the round pan as I am able to press it firmly and it is the same size each time. Perhaps I’m too picky…
Grab the extra parchment paper sticking up from the sides and lift the dough out of the round pan. Place onto a sheet pan.
Using a chef knife dipped in sorghum flour, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. You may need to reapply flour to the knife between each cut to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with turbinado sugar.
Place the scones in the oven for 20 minutes. I like to rotate mine halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Remove from the oven.
While the scones are still warm, go ahead and re-cut on the lines you previously cut prior to baking.
Allow to cool completely before moving from the pan.
Making the glaze for the scones
While the scones are cooling, make your glaze.
Take the orange juice, additional coconut sugar and vanilla extract and whisk in a bowl. You can use powdered sugar here if you prefer.
If you are using granulated coconut sugar, like to put my glaze in a small blender to create a smooth glaze.
If your icing is dry, add a little more orange juice.
Once the scones have cooled you will drizzle on the glaze. *If you plan to freeze the scones, I prefer to leave them un-glazed until they will be eaten.
Spread the scones out on the sheet pan so the glaze can run down the sides of the scones.
Zest with additional orange zest and finely chopped cranberries if you’d like. This adds another pop of color!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or freezer for 3 months!
ENJOY!
Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scone
Equipment
- 1 Blender Optional-can use a small bowl and whisk (for glaze)
Ingredients
- 207 g Sable Sorghum Flour Any Sorghum flour or Brown Rice flour
- 52 g coconut sugar
- 37 g ground flax seeds
- 8 g baking powder
- 4 oz butter, unsalted cold, cubed
- 153 g milk
- 38 g cranberries, dried chopped finely
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Naval orange, zested
- 1/2 tsp Redmonds Real Salt
Glaze
- 1 Juice from Naval Orange Approx 2 TBSP
- 1 cup Coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grab your 8/9" round cake pan and press a large sheet of parchment into the pan, leaving the extra sticking up on the sides.
- Start by milling your sorghum into a fine flour. You can also use brown rice flour.
- Add your dry ingredients to a bowl:sorghum flour, coconut sugar, ground flax seeds, baking powder and salt.Mix with a fork.
- To the dry mixture, add cold milk. Stir until the flour is all moistened. Cube the cold butter into the mixture, cut into flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter.
- Stir in chopped cranberries, vanilla and orange zest.
- Dump the dough into the prepared round pan. Using your hand or a rubber spatula, press the dough into the pan until it is flattened and pressed all the way to the edges.
- Grab the extra parchment paper sticking up from the sides and lift the dough out of the round pan. Place onto a sheet pan.
- Using a chef knife dipped in sorghum flour, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. You may need to reapply flour to the knife between each cut to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with turbinado sugar.
- Place the scones in the oven for 20 minutes. I like to rotate mine halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Remove from the oven.
- While the scones are still warm, go ahead and re-cut on the lines you previously cut prior to baking. Allow to cool completely before moving from the pan.
Making the Glaze
- While the scones are cooling, make your glaze.
- Take the orange juice and additional coconut sugar and vanill and whisk in a bowl. You can use powdered sugar here if you prefer.If you are using granulated coconut sugar, like to put my glaze in a small blender to create a smooth glaze. If your icing is dry, add a little more orange juice.
- Once the scones have cooled you will drizzle on the glaze. *If you plan to freeze the scones, I prefer to leave them un-glazed until they will be eaten.Spread the scones out on the sheet pan so the glaze can run down the sides of the scones.Zest with additional orange zest and finely chopped cranberries if you'd like. This adds another pop of color!Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or freezer for 3 months!
Nutrition
Substitutions and Variations
Sorghum Flour: You can use any variety of sorghum for milling in this recipe. There is a full rainbow of sorghum to chose from! Brown rice flour, or other gluten free All-purpose baking flours can be substituted 1:1 on this recipe. Some gluten free flours may not create identical result with a 1:1 substitution. Test different flours, and let us know your results!
Cranberries: One of my favorite substitutions is to replace the cranberries with mini chocolate chips! I love the orange/chocolate combination! You can play with different flavors, fruits, nuts and other substitutions here, just keeping to the same weights.
Dairy: Substitute a non-dairy fat, such as coconut oil, for the butter. Almond milk for the regular milk and, voila, DAIRY FREE!
FAQ: Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones
I have no idea where to find Sorghum?
Sorghum is a power house grain! It is naturally gluten free, and full of nutrients! By milling this as needed, you are able to store the intact grains in your pantry for many years. I do not bake with it often, so it is nice that it has a long shelf life before milled.
Will this recipe work if I buy store bought gluten free flour or mill another grain?
I know this recipe will work 1:1 with a brown rice flour or most All-purpose, gluten free flours. Flours like almond or oat flour will likely not give an identical result!
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I hope you love these Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Scones as much as my family does. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram or Facebook! And, please leave a comment or star rating below. I love to see everyone be successful in the journey to a healthier lifestyle with fresh milled flour! Don’t hesitate to contact me with any question, chances are we will both learn something from us working through it together!
Happy Baking!
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Bailey Basics is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit.