Description
Irish Scones are traditional, tender, and slightly sweet baked treats perfect for breakfast or tea time. Made with simple ingredients like flour, butter, dried currants, eggs, and cream, these scones have a flaky texture and golden crust. They are best served warm with butter, jam, and clotted cream.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 4 large eggs (beaten)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg (beaten for egg wash)
Other
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
- 3/4 cup dried currants or raisins
Instructions
- Preheat Oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the scones.
- Mix Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well mixed.
- Cut in Butter. Add the cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter or two knives to blend until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. If you don't have a pastry cutter, you can grate the butter using a box grater directly into the flour mixture.
- Add Dried Fruit. Stir in the dried currants or raisins evenly throughout the mixture.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. In a separate large measuring cup, whisk together the 4 beaten eggs and heavy cream until smooth.
- Make the Dough. Gradually pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix with a spatula just until the dough starts to come together. Avoid over-mixing to keep the scones light and fluffy.
- Knead and Shape. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, knead lightly, then press or roll it out to about 1 inch thickness.
- Cut the Scones. Using a 3-inch round scone cutter, cut out 12 to 16 scones. Place them on a baking sheet. Re-roll any leftover dough and cut additional scones.
- Apply Egg Wash. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg for a shiny golden finish.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes or until the scones are golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool and Serve. Remove from oven, cool on a rack, then serve warm with butter, jam, and clotted cream.
Notes
- Cold butter is essential to achieve flaky scones. Freeze your butter for about 30 minutes before using.
- If you don't have a pastry cutter, grate the butter into the flour mixture for easy incorporation.
- Do not over-mix or over-knead the dough to avoid dense scones; mix just until the dough starts to come together.
- Add just enough cream and egg mixture to hold the dough together; too much liquid can make the scones tough.
- These scones freeze well both baked and unbaked for convenient future use.
- If using frozen fruits, add them at the last moment before cutting to prevent excess moisture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
