Rhubarb Scones – Tradition Meets Low FODMAP
I have a soft spot in my heart for scones. They can be as varied as our Pumpkin Cranberry Scones, Maple Pecan Scones to the Lemon Ginger Scones in my book, The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step, to these Rhubarb Scones – I love them all.
A good scone to me is slightly sweet, but not overly so. It always has a richness to it, be it from ground nuts, a little cream and usually, a fair amount of butter.
They are easy to make and have a rusticity to them and they just say comfort breakfast food to me.
Sweet & Tart & Versatile
Rhubarb has shown in lab tests to have no detectable FODMAPs, making it the perfect ingredient for us to stretch our low FODMAP cooking skills.
If you have any doubts, they will be dismissed by the time you take a look at our Rhubarb BBQ Sauce, inventive Rhubarb Chutney and a slew of other baked goods from a rustic rhubarb cake, an upside down cake, a crostata, cobbler and more.
Rhubarb & FODMAPs
There are several fruit that have had no FODMAPs detected during lab testing, such as grapes, strawberries, papaya and rhubarb. Monash has been moving away from language that says “no FODMAPs detected”, but it does not change that the produce that have shown no FODMAPs in lab testing, can indeed, contain no FODMAPs.
Please read our article, When Low FODMAP Lab Testing Differs to understand the big picture.
Make Now, Eat Later
These are very quick and easy to make – they will be ready to go into the oven by the time it preheats. The even freeze fairly well – and I don’t say that about many baked goods.
Make a batch, place cooled scones in a large heavy freezer-safe zip top bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Remove one at a time, refresh briefly in microwave or toaster oven and it will be like you baked fresh that day.
Rhubarb Scones
These rhubarb scones take advantage of this seasonal vegetable that has no detectable FODMAPs. Rhubarb's sweet/tart flavor is perfect in these rich scones. Easy to make too.
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes 10 scones; 10 servings; 1 scone per serving
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces (280 g) fresh rhubarb, cut into dice
- 1/2 cup (99 g) sugar, divided
- 2 1/4 cups (326 g) low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) cold lactose-free whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar, optional
Preparation:
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Position rack in upper level in oven. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
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Toss the diced rhubarb with ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Whisk together the flour, reserved ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl to aerate and combine.
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Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and cut butter into flour mixture by hand with a pastry blender until butter is the size of small raisins. Scrape rhubarb and any juices onto this mixture and fold in a few times with a broad silicone spatula. Drizzle milk and vanilla over and use a combo stirring/folding action to incorporate everything until a soft dough begins to form.
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Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Bring dough together with lightly floured hands, as needed. Use floured hands to pat down into a circle about 10-inches (25 cm) across. Sprinkle dough evenly with raw sugar, if using. Cut scones into 10 wedges; separate wedges and transfer them and space them out evenly on prepared pan.
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Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes or until beginning to take on some color. The edges will be slightly more golden. Cool pan on rack for about 5 to 10 minutes. Scones can be served warm or at room temperature. I do like scones best the day they are made, but you can loosely wrap in foil and store at room temperature overnight. For longer storage, place cooled scones in a heavy freezer safe zip top bag and freeze up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in fridge or reheat gently in microwave or toaster oven.
Notes:
Tips
- All scones are best served as close to serving time as possible so plan accordingly.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
For more information on foods that have no detectable FODMAP content, read our article, Which Foods Have No FODMAP Content?
These are delicious. My friends didn’t even realize they were gf! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for letting us know! I love ALL things rhubarb.
Made these tonight with homegrown rhubarb. I threw in some mini chocolate chips too! I Had to cook them for at least 30 minutes and they were still a little squishy in the middle. I wonder if my gas oven is the problem or if I used too much milk. But I managed to eat 3 pieces so still a success.
Hi Michelle, no idea about timing. Could be your oven, could be rack placement, conductivity of the pan your used…temperature of your ingredients? Those are things I would check – but happy that you enjoyed them! Watch your portions! 🙂
possible to substitute the milk with a milk alternative like oat or almond?
Hi Emily, you can try but the recipe has not been tested in that way. I suggest using a full fat version and I bet oat would be better than almond, but the proof is in the testing. Keep in mind that any changes made to low FODMAP recipes usually alter the FODMAP load, which you would then have to re-calculate.
Made these this evening. The dough was a little sticky trying to shape it, but they were SO GOOD fresh out of the oven. Definitely worth it. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you stuck with it! They are so yummy:)
These tasted great. The coloring/browning looked perfect on mine but the inside was still soft. I wonder if it’s caused by having a good amount of moisture from the rhubarb. They were still very enjoyable and I might make them again. My child who has never tried rhubarb also thought it was good!
Great news about your child! What kind of pan did you use. It can make a HUGE difference in how cookies, scones, etc. bake. I use commercial grade aluminum half-sheet pans for their conductivity and sturdiness.