So this week, long after St. Patrick's day has faded into a misty memory, I have my soda bread scones to share. Really, they taste so good, you'll enjoy them any time.
Years ago, when I walked my daughter to school before my walk to work, I would pass a coffee shop that sold to-die for soda bread scones. I've been craving them lately so here you go.
Disclaimer - this recipe is adapted from one given to me by a mother at my school who baked me the loaf form of this every Christmas and St. Patrick's Day for as long as her children were in the school. When they graduated, she gave me the recipe.
The recipe is very simple:
You start with 4 cups of sifted flour. I imagine as with Kav's you could use any flour. I used King Arthur's white.
Next add 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp of salt. (I only used a shake of salt and I used low sodium baking powder).
1/3 of a cup of butter gets cut into the dry mixture. The recipe recommends using a pastry blender or fork to evenly distribute.
Next up - 1 cup of seedless raisins (or dried cranberries for a nice variation) and my favorite part - 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds!
Confession. I messed up this next part because I added the baking soda in with the dry ingredients. It did not cause any problems.
You're supposed to mix 1 tsp baking soda with 1 1/3 cups of buttermilk and 1 egg in a small bowl. You add this to the dry mix and knead gently.
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| See the dark specks from the coconut palm sugar? |
At this point you could form it into a loaf, but instead I shaped it into scones. Likewise, the loaf should ideally go in a cast iron pan. I used parchment paper. ;)
The result was about 15 wonderful scones that kept nicely in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag.
They may be Irish, but I think you'll enjoy them all year long - especially when you sub cranberries (or some other fruit).
I am a sucker for scones. Any kind. Thanks for another recipe to add to my collection. (My favorite scones are Fisher Scones sold at the Puyallup Fair.)
ReplyDeleteI remember you talking/posting about those, Tina. Mmmmmm.
DeleteOoohh...just a tad different from my soda bread recipe and I like the idea of making them into scones. What temp and how long do you bake them for? Must be less time than a loaf. I'm going to try these. Been hankering after some raisin soda bread. I bet you could even add some candied peel and pretend they are hot cross buns!
ReplyDeleteAh, Kav, you can tell I posted this after a 13 hour day, 9 hours of which were parent-teacher conferences. I completely forgot to include that part.
DeleteThe recipe says Pre-heat to 350 and bake the loaf for 50 minutes to an hour. I'd suggest 30 minutes for the scones, but keep an eye on them. It would really depend on the size.
These look so delicious! And I love scones.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with Kav - these would be so versatile. You could add a bit of cinnamon with the raisins. Or some orange zest with the dried cranberries. A different kind of scone every day!
Thank you for the recipe!
Jan, I love the cranberry version and I agree, orange would be perfect. The bakery up the street from me makes orange cranberry scones with an orange glaze. Yum!
DeleteCinnamon would be a great addition, though I think I'd leave out the caraway seeds then.
Cate, what a sweet gift from a parent! I love that she eventually gave you the recipe. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try this!
Wasn't that lovely of her, Missy. I was very grateful.
DeleteOh, I do love a good scone, Mary Cate, so you've hooked me. I do find the carroway seeds a bit interesting, though. I tend to think of them with savories, not sweets.
ReplyDeleteLove the story behind the recipe, too. Very cool.
These scones aren't overly sweet, Mindy. Maybe that's why it works?
DeleteThis can't be that easy. I wonder how a mixture of almond flour and another non-wheat flour would work.
ReplyDeleteIt is. Even for a lazy baker like I've become.
DeleteI asked my daughter. She said she uses a combo of oat and brown rice flour.
Or she uses spelt like Kav used.
DeleteI'm with you Tina, I love scones. They remind me of my grandma.
ReplyDeleteAwwww. I can't say either of my grandmothers ate scones, but I love that you have that association.
DeleteOh, yummy!! I'm a fool for scones!
ReplyDeleteThese are the ones I promised you in that FB post last week. Enjoy.
DeleteWhat a fun twist on an old idea and I'm in love with the caraway seed idea! Caraway seeds are amazing things, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteCate, I can't believe you got snow these past few days! What the heck????? :) I'm used to being held hostage in March, but usually once you get to NYC or Baltimore/DC, and Philly, you can start to sense spring... but it seems Mother Nature has her own game plan going!
Thank you for this! I love to try new things and I'm in love with cranberries. Win/win!