Description
Authentic Irish Scones are tender, flaky, and lightly sweetened, studded with plump dried currants or raisins. Perfect for breakfast or tea time, these scones are easy to make with simple pantry ingredients and yield golden, delicious results every time.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
Butter
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Fruit
- 3/4 cup dried currants (or raisins)
Wet Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup heavy cream
For Egg Wash
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat Oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature for baking the scones.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly 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.
- Add Dried Fruit. Stir in the dried currants or raisins to disperse them throughout the dough.
- Mix Wet Ingredients. In a separate container, whisk together the 4 beaten eggs with the heavy cream until combined.
- Form Dough. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula just until the dough starts to come together. Be careful not to over-mix to keep the scones tender.
- Knead and Shape. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead lightly. Then press or roll the dough to about 1 inch thickness, creating a smooth surface.
- Cut Scones. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut out 12 to 16 scones, placing them on a baking sheet. Re-roll any scraps to cut out more scones.
- Apply Egg Wash. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg to promote a golden crust.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes, or until the scones turn golden brown.
- Cool and Serve. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm with butter, jam, or clotted cream for an authentic experience.
Notes
- Cold Butter Is Key. Freeze your butter for about 30 minutes before incorporating to achieve flaky texture.
- No Pastry Cutter? Use a box grater to grate frozen butter directly into the flour mixture as an alternative.
- Do Not Over-mix. Overworking the dough will create dense scones instead of light and fluffy ones.
- Don’t Add Too Much Liquid. Add the cream and egg mixture slowly until the dough just begins to form to avoid toughness.
- Make Ahead & Freeze. These scones freeze well baked or unbaked, perfect for quick snacks later on.
- If using frozen fruit, add them last minute before cutting out the scones to prevent juices from making the dough wet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
