Irish Soda Scones

Growing up in New York, I became enamored with St. Patrick’s Day. All of the parades, bagpipes, and Irish tap dancing was so exciting. As I got older, the Guinness and Bailey’s made this even more exciting. The one food that was always present through these memories was Irish Soda Bread.

This year was depressing in terms of shamrocks and leprechauns because I did not do anything for St. Patrick’s Day. I actually spent it at the Google Apps Teacher Conference in Charlottesville, VA and even forgot to wear green! I am sure my Great Grandmother Lillian from Limerick would be very disappointed in me.

This past weekend, I decided to make up for my missed holiday and I made some Irish Soda Scones. These are like the soda bread, except that they are denser and are in scone shapes. I also like that they are in six pieces, which saves me from eating half of the bead in one sitting. 

I do not make traditional Irish Soda Bread. I add much more sugar to make them sweeter. Traditional American Irish Soda Bread also calls for raisins and caraway seeds. I definitely add raisins. I used golden ones in this batch of scones simply because it was what I had. I used fennel seeds instead of caraway. They deliver a sweet and subtle licorice taste and are not as harsh.

I like to eat these scones for breakfast, cut in half with some butter and honey. They are also fabulous with a cup of coffee, and even better with Earl Grey tea.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
¼ cup raisins
1 tsp fennel

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure a rack is in the center of the oven. 

2. Line a backing sheet with a silicone pad or parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly add the buttermilk, blending the flour using a circular motion and a wooden spoon. Feel free to add a splash more of buttermilk if it is needed for the crumbs to draw together. The dough should be moist, soft, and sticky.

5. Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough gently into an 8 inch round.

6. Cut the circle lengthwise three times, creating six triangular pieces. 

7. Place the scones on the baking sheet and brush the tops with a little extra buttermilk and dust with flour.

8. Bake the scones for about 20 minutes. Test the scones by tapping the bottom because it should sound hollow. 

This recipe makes 6 large scones.