Legend has it the Scone Goddess was born on the shores of the Penobscot Bay. Her earthly incarnation, Veronica Stubbs of Northport, began selling fresh scones at farmers markets in the Midcoast about five years ago. There, she discovered just how many scone lovers considered her pastries heavenly. So, in 2019, Stubbs devised a way for cooks who couldn’t make it to the market to whip them up at home. The burgeoning business now offers gluten-filled and gluten-free scone mixes in 10 and five flavors, respectively.
Making a batch of scones with a mix from the Scone Goddess requires 12 ounces of cream and 20 minutes of baking time. It’s literally something a 5-year-old can do. A little boy named Crew began making scones using Stubbs’ raspberry and cream mixes when he was in kindergarten two years ago. Making a batch per week since, Crew’s become a favorite customer and a bit of a scone god in his own right, says Stubbs.
Despite never having tasted a scone until a friend dropped off a batch after the birth of Stubbs’ eldest daughter back in 1999, she quickly developed a passion for both eating and baking the English precursor to the American biscuit. Stubbs was running a bed and breakfast in Vermont at the time, so she had plenty of guests to consume them.
Stubbs still makes fresh-baked scones for consumers lucky enough to swing by her brightly painted trailer located at 1335 Atlantic Highway in Northport. In these scones Stubbs uses Maine ingredients as often as possible—like fresh berries for raspberry or blueberry scones and Back Ridge Sugar House maple syrup for maple glaze scones. To ensure the 4,000 mixes she bags monthly are shelf-stable, she abides by strict food production guidelines, which can sometimes preclude her from using locally sourced ingredients. Yet she looks to partner with local businesses—like Coffee Hound Coffee Co., whom she taps for the espresso in the mixes—as much as she can.
Stubbs makes gluten-free scones because both of her daughters were diagnosed with severe gluten intolerances when they were teens. Since the girls had grown up baking with her, having to scrap some of their most beloved recipes “was devastating for us,” says Stubbs. “I wanted them to have something that was delicious and a treat, but more importantly, I wanted to keep baking with them and to have that tradition.”
When asked about her advice to bakers who need to adjust their favorite recipes to accommodate a gluten intolerance, Stubbs has a lot to say.
“The first thing you need is love, that desire to do it, and to make many, many mistakes … until you get it right,” she says.
While there are many gluten-free flours on the market, Stubbs says a one-to-one substitution rarely produces the same outcome as the original recipe. Trial and error, she says, is the best tool for attacking gluten-free baking. Her mixes offer an easier way out, at least for scone lovers.
Stubbs plans to expand her business through coffee shop pop-ups and franchises across the country. In the meantime, you can order her scone mixes at www.thesconegoddess.com.
