Discover the secret to making light, fluffy, and authentically delicious Irish Scones right in your own kitchen. This traditional Irish scone recipe, passed down from my mother, is a perfect treat for breakfast, afternoon tea, or to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Growing up in Ireland, scones were more than just a treat; they were a part of every significant family gathering, a comforting snack during rainy afternoons, and a must-have at tea time. This recipe is inspired by the scones my mother used to make and pairs wonderfully with my Orange Butter, slathered over the warm scones.
Why This Recipe Works
This authentic Irish scone recipe captures the essence of the Emerald Isle with its simple ingredients and method. Using Irish butter and buttermilk, it achieves a perfect balance between a tender crumb and a rich, buttery flavor. The addition of an egg wash gives these scones a beautifully golden finish, making them irresistible.
Ingredients
The key to these traditional Irish scones lies in the quality of the ingredients:
Irish Butter: Provides a richer, creamier taste.
Buttermilk: Reacts with the baking powder for a light and fluffy texture.
Self-Raising Flour: Ensures the scones rise perfectly, but you can use purpose flour with a raising agent if needed.
Variations
Feel free to adapt the recipe to your liking:
For a healthier option, substitute white flour with whole wheat.
Add dried currants or sultanas for a sweet version, or sharp cheddar and herbs for a savory twist.
Instructions
Prep Your Ingredients: Measure out all ingredients and preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. This creates the perfect base for your scones.
Incorporate Butter: Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, rub the Irish butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add Wet Ingredients: Make a well in the center of your flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk, combining gently until a soft dough forms. The dough may seem dry at first, but eventually it will come together.
Shape and Bake: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gently roll out to about 1 inch thick, and cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 -15 minutes or until the tops are golden.
Hint: For an extra golden crust, brush the tops of the scones with a mixture of egg and a splash of milk before baking.
Storage
To keep scones fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 6 months, then thawed at room temperature or gently warmed in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk? Yes, you can just regular milk. The buttermilk creates a softer crumb, but they are still delicious without it.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
This traditional Irish scones recipe is more than just a way to bake; it’s a journey to the heart of Irish culinary tradition, inviting warmth, comfort, and the simple pleasure of sharing good food. Whether you’re celebrating your heritage or simply seeking the perfect scone, this recipe delivers delicious results every time…plus it’s SO quick to make!
This recipe for traditional Irish scones was passed down from my mother. Served for breakfast or afternoon tea and accompanied with jam and clotted cream or simply with butter, these authentic scones are simple to make but absolutely delicious!
10tbspsalted buttercold – I prefer to use Kerrygold Irish Butter
½cupbuttermilkcold
1tablespoonbaking powder
1largeegg
generous pinch of salt
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F.Sieve flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.
With your hands, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles course breadcrumbs.
In another bowl, mix the egg into the buttermilk.
Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Slowly add the buttermilk and egg until you have a soft dough. It should just come together and you should be able to handle it without it being really sticky.
Place the dough on a floured surface and knead a couple of times just to remove any cracks. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Roll out to around 1 inch thick and cut with a cutter or glass dipped in flour.
Place on a floured/buttered baking sheet (or use parchment paper). You should get about 8 scones.
Brush each scone with milk to help brown the tops when baked.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until the scones are golden.
Best served immediately but can be warmed the following day or eaten cold.
While quite similar, what distinguishes Irish scones from English scones is that they typically contain a bit less sugar. They're also made with less leavener, so they're slightly flatter and smaller. It's important to note that no two Irish families make their scones the same way.
My Best-Ever Irish Scones, along with my Best-Ever Banana Bread and my Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, are a tried and true recipe that will quickly become your go-to. Just like a flakey biscuit, scones are made of flour, butter, sugar, egg, and milk.
Its exclusivity extends beyond England, however, as clotted cream is technically illegal in America. Why? True clotted cream is made with unpasteurized milk, and the FDA officially banned the distribution of any milk or milk products that haven't been pasteurized in America in 1987.
According to the survey, afternoon teas in Scotland and Ulster would include scones as in “gone” while folks further south in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland would be ordering scones in “bone”.
Just a reminder: Don't overwork the dough or the scones will turn out rubbery – or worse, bullety and hard. Cut out your scones cleanly. Twisting the cutter can impair the rise. If you use a fluted cutter, you can't twist it.
We love using oil as it is light on animal fat and also very easy to use. Because we serve the scones with butter or whipped cream, it is okay not to use butter in the scone itself. However, if you prefer a scone made with butter, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the flour resembles a coarse type of grain.
Always leave your scones to rest before baking. This lets the gluten in the flour rest & calm down a little. 10 minutes is ideal but if you can do longer, even better.
Use frozen grated butter.It makes the difference trust me. If you are looking for flaky, soft scones, the use of frozen butter makes a big impact on the end result. Don't over crowd the baking sheet.
Overworking the dough will lead to scones that are tough and chewy, rather than light and flaky. The key is to use a light hand and work the dough until it just comes together.
When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent (the stuff that makes baked goods puff up in the oven) by producing carbon dioxide gas. If you ever run out of baking powder, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder.
Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk.
Once you've cut out your scone shapes, flip them over and place upside down on the baking tray. This will help them rise evenly and counteract any 'squashing' that happened when you cut out the dough. Perfect scones should rise to about 2 inches high.
It can have layers of course, but they should err on the side of crumbly. A scone is slightly dryer than a biscuit and yet, when done well, not dry at all. Scones are intended to be consumed with a hot beverage of your choice after all. And clotted cream, or butter, or jam.
British scones are more closely related to American biscuits. While a British "biscuit" is what we would call a crunchy cookie! Sometimes made with raisins or sultanas, British scones are on the plain side compared with American scones, which are typically heavily flavored and topped with a drizzle or glaze.
Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent. The main differences are that scones tend to have less butter (because you'll add butter to it when you eating it — or else, clotted cream or jam) while American biscuits tend to have more butter and light layers.
Biscuits and scones have the same British ancestor, but the early Southern colonists' version included butter, lard, buttermilk, and soft wheat, plentiful in the South. Over time, this fluffy and layered bread evolved into a regional commodity: the Southern biscuit.
A staple of most coffee shops, the American scone is frequently large and triangular shaped with a rustic, craggy exterior. Compared to an English scone it is more buttery and contains fruit in the center such as blueberries, raspberries and topped with a sprinkling of sugar.
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