Irish Soda Bread Scones
It’s virtually impossible for me to ignore any recipe that is a take-off of Irish Soda bread. Irish soda bread scones? Sign me up!
I have several different versions of Irish bread here on the blog including this traditional Irish bread and this one. A couple of recipes for Irish bread fall into the dessert bread category like this irresistible Irish soda bread and this Irish tea bread. Last year, for a change of pace I made some Irish soda bread muffins. They are all absolutely delicious, and I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite!
Now, to add to the list is this recipe for Irish bread scones. The scones have all the familiar ingredients, such as buttermilk, currants (or raisins), and caraway seeds, with the addition of some orange rind.
Unlike most scones, the batter is looser than traditional dough for scones. As such, you don’t roll it out but use a large cookie or ice cream scoop instead. When they come out of the oven, they look like mini loaves of Irish bread.
The scones are moist and tender and are oh so good slathered with butter along with a cup of coffee in the morning—or a cup of tea in the afternoon. 🙂
I’m very happy to have this new addition to my Irish soda bread collection!
Irish Soda Bread Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 1 tsp. flour, divided
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold and diced
- 1/2 cup currants
- 2 tsp. caraway seeds, optional
- 1 cup buttermilk (If you use dry Saco buttermilk powder, be sure the water you use to reconstitute it is cold.)
- 2 tsp. orange zest
- 1 egg
- 1 tbl. milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 425o F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work butter into flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl, mix together currants and 1 teaspoon flour.
Place currants, carraway seeds, buttermilk, and orange zest into flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Using a large scoop or a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop mounds of dough onto prepared pan, spacing 3 inches apart.
In another small bowl, mix together egg and milk to create an egg wash. Brush egg wash all over the tops of the scones.
Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Allow to cool completely on sheet pan.
Fran’s Notes
After the first day, I always refresh the scones by cutting them in half and placing them in a toaster oven for a few minutes. If you don’t have a toaster oven, cut them in half and place them under your oven’s broiler. Watch them carefully so that they don’t burn.
Source: A recipe from the Strawberry Blondie Kitchen