It all seemed simple enough: Make a gluten-free scone, then share the recipe.

The task seemed doable, even for this novice baker, because scones are an “I’m OK, you’re OK” kind of product, meaning almost anything goes: You can use buttermilk, cream or sour cream to make the dough, then tailor them to your liking with add-ins of your choice. Plain is just as acceptable.

Even texture is flexible: dry the way the British like them with tea, or moist like a pastry. Glaze them or don’t. Drop them on the pan by the spoonful or flatten a ball of dough and cut them into triangles. Make them large or small — it’s all good.

Most important: Scone recipes are unfrilly; they don’t require refined technique or delicacy. In researching recipes, besides alternative flours, I found gluten- free versions to be indistinguishable from conventional ones.

So I went into the task confident. Why not be versatile, I thought, and whipped up three versions: fresh blueberry, cinnamon and dried cherries with semisweet chocolate chips.

While my creations looked a bit flat in the oven, they smelled delicious and browned nicely. I thought I was soon to call it a day. But as they cooled, they flattened some more — the first sign of trouble.

Then, one taste and my bubble burst. Even by scone standards, mine were too flat, grainy, and much too dry.

I figured I couldn’t do much about the texture. Most gluten- free flour mixes are predominantly rice flour, which is grainy. But there had to be something I could do to alleviate the dryness and provide more lift.

Friends suggested increasing the buttermilk for moistness and tripling the baking powder and baking soda to boost leavening. My top gluten-free baking adviser, chef Kate Wagner, recommended egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks.

In my world, separating eggs falls into the fussy category, nevermind whipping them. But when the going gets tough, the whiny writer has no choice but to get going, so I dug out my hand mixer.

I wanted to cut to the chase, so I employed all suggestions, increasing the baking powder, baking soda and buttermilk, and added 3 whipped egg whites.

Yikes. What came out of the oven were soft, bitter triangles of overkill.

They went from the baking sheet into the trash can, and I went back to the market for more ingredients.

My strategy for attempt No. 3 was restraint. I went back to the original recipe, replacing the egg with 1 whipped egg white.

This version was delicious, and moist and springy to the point of being cakey. This is good or bad, depending on how you like your scones.

I decided to do one more try for a scone with a more traditional texture. Thankfully, I ran into my friend Allison, a skilled gluten-free baker, who suggested replacing the recipe’s butter with shortening.

If you don’t mind foregoing a healthier egg white for 1/2 cup of shortening, I can attest that it delivered the best result: a scone with lift, the right touch of moistness and an exterior that browned and crisped up nicely.

GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES

By Joleen Oshiro

• 1 egg white, room temperature, whipped until it forms stiff peaks
• 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick), sliced into pieces
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (to make your own, add 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar to milk and let sit 2 minutes), or use nut milk and add the vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment. In bowl, use hand mixer to whip egg whites into stiff peaks. Set aside.

In separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use 2 butter knives to cut butter into flour to form pea-sized balls. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla.

Combine dry and wet ingredients.

Gently fold half of egg white into batter until just a few white streaks remain. Repeat with remaining egg white. Gently fold in blueberries.

Form dough into disc about 1-inch thick and cut into 16 pie wedges. Cut wedges into smaller triangles, if desired. Place on baking sheet and bake 15 to 17 minutes. Makes 16 thin wedges or about 4 dozen mini scones.

>> Variation: For a less cakey scone, eliminate the egg white and replace the butter with shortening.

Nutritional information unavailable.

“Going Gluten-Free” helps meet the cooking and dining challenges faced by those on wheat-free diets. It runs on the first Wednesday of each month. Send questions to Joleen Oshiro, joshiro@staradvertiser.com.