Irish Scones

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With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I had to share my buttery, flaky, laminated Irish Scones. Imagine a flavorful cross between a biscuit and a scone. These Irish scones bake up layered and fluffy, with a crunchy outside and soft center. A hint of sweetness and the bold flavor of Irish butter make these a breakfast, brunch, or tea time snack you will make all year round!

While my British scones are the true kind of scones I grew up eating, these Irish scones have some differences.

First, they are made with Irish butter. In addition they have a more tender crumb than a traditional scone due to self raising flour. Lastly, these have a quick laminating process during rolling out that adds flaky, biscuit like layers.

Irish Butter

This Irish Scones recipe calls for Irish butter. But if you cannot find it, feel free to substitute with regular unsalted butter. This recipe uses frozen butter that you will grate into the dough. Frozen butter yields the flakiest crumb with buttery magic in every soft bite.

So make sure to plan ahead by popping a stick of  butter in the freezer the night before!

Irish butter is rich and flavorful with a creamier and higher fat content than American butter. This European butter is churned longer and has 82% of fat content vs. the 80% in American butter. While it may not seem like that much more, this extra far translates to less water and more flavor. There’s just a slight touch of tang to Irish butter that adds so much depth. Irish butter is also a lot easier to spread, even when cold.

If you have ever enjoyed Kerrygold brand butter, you know it’s a very golden yellow colored butter. This is because it comes from grass fed cows in a region that grass is bright green and filled with beta carotene.

Using Irish butter in pie, pastries, and these Irish scones will give a rich flavor that is downright delectable.

Laminating For Layers

As you can see, these Irish scones have layers for days! Adding a quick lamination process when rolling out your scone dough is all you do.

Laminating dough, simply means adding layers by folding the dough as you roll it out. This adds flakiness and an airy touch to the Irish scones. This is the process that makes these a unique cross between a scone and a biscuit.

If you’re the kind of person who has never liked dry and crumbly scones, these will change your mind!

Self Raising Flour

Just as i use in my popular buttermilk biscuits, self raising flour is used for these Irish scones. The use of this flour will also contribute to a tender, soft crumb. It also eliminates the need for extra salt, since self raising flour already has salt sifted throughout. There is also baking powder in self raising flour. But for these Irish scones I add a touch more for extra loft and texture.

These Irish Scones provide a buttery and flavorful base for any kind of mix-ins, like dried currants or fresh blueberries. 

How To Make Irish Scones

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a surface that is lightly dusted with self raising flour. Have a rolling pin and biscuit cutter ready.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together your self raising flour, sugar, and baking powder. Then remove the frozen butter from your freezer and grate it into the dry ingredients. Then just use your hands or a pastry cutter to blend it up to a crumbly texture.

Next, whisk together an egg and cold milk. Then pour that over and incorporate in with your hands or a wooden spoon. Knead for a minute until it comes together into a shaped dough.

Then remove to the floured surface. Dust your rolling pin with a little flour, as the scone dough is sticky. Then roll into a 15 x 8 rectangle. Then fold over. Roll. Fold over. Roll. Finish by using a round biscuit cutter to cut out 12 biscuits. If you need to reshape the dough and roll out to cut more, then do so as needed until you finish the scone dough.

Place scones onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle on some raw sugar onto each Irish scone to add crunch. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with butter and jam.

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