Sorry for the long long hiatus in between my posts – between hectic work schedules and fabulous vacations to Ireland, I’ve barely had time to do any cooking! Anyway, I have returned and am ready to blog again. After a week of fabulous Irish breakfasts, I was inspired to make some homemade scones. Every morning at our B&B’s, my husband and I were greeted with a huge breakfast ? rashers, bangers, eggs, puddings, and of course soda bread and scones. Irish scones are amazing; they’re not too sweet ? they’re just right to set off all the salty meats they serve you in Ireland. They also go fabulously with coffee on a rainy morning. I found this recipe long before my trip, and have only modified it very slightly ? I added a tiny bit more sugar than the original recipe called for, and also I add a bit more buttermilk to make them slightly moister. As it turns out, they taste quite authentic! The recipe calls for brandy to soak the raisins in – I did this the first time I made them, but the second time I passed it up and they tasted wonderful all the same.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

4 tablespoons sugar

3/4 – 1 cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup brandy or cognac (optional)

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Sugar for sanding

Directions:

The night before you want your scones, mix the brandy with the raisins and let this soak overnight – it can be done for a few hours instead, but the longer the better (optional step).

Preheat oven to 400? F. Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Add softened butter and sugar, mixing well. Stir in 3/4 cup milk and raisins (or other fruit), with brandy liquid drained. If mixture is dry, add a bit more milk. Dough should resemble pie pastry, pressing together forms a dough. Tear off pieces of dough, shape into triangles, and place on a baking sheet. Brush scones with egg wash for shine, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Tags: Irish

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Baked Goods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.