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This easy scones recipe is perfect for any occasion. Simple to make in under 30 minutes and comes out are these perfectly sweetened Buttermilk Irish Scones. perfect tea-time treat if we do say ourselves.
Ah scones. Where would we be without you? You are the perfect way to start a morning the perfect snack with tea-time. If there is ONE recipe you’ll want to learn to make when company comes over.. it is these lovely scones. Or this chocolate biscuit cake because this thing is so decadent it must be shared. <3
Back to the scones. A scone is slightly sweetened and are light and tender. That is the result you want. We’ll go through how to properly make scones and to make sure how you end up with light and fluffy scones.. and not hard tasteless bricks. It is all about the butter for proper scones but it must be done properly.. more on that below.
Scones are really one of the most basic recipes you can make, right along with our pancakes. I know that making anything from scratch at times can be daunting but trust us when we say, it really is extremely easy. You just have to know a few basic baking tips and that will see you through it. So let us dive into where and what we need to keep in mind while making these.
Making the perfect scone
- Butter: Remember when it’s all about the butter? Well that is because it really is. You want your butter to be cold (or even frozen honestly). You want to cut the butter into the flour so that it resembles small butter pebbles throughout the flour. However, the butter must still be cold once this happens.
- Mixing the Butter: We many of times use our hands to cut the butter into the flour but you can also use a pastry cutter or even two forks. We’ve found when you use utensils that the butter stays chilled a bit longer and avoids having your hands heat the butter up. Especially with the warmers days that we’ve been having things get warm QUICK. If you are making these in the winter it might not be as much of an issue.. but in the summer keep in the mind. YOU WANT COLD BUTTER.
- Do NOT Overmix:Mixing until the dough just comes together. When you overmix the gluten is changed and the result is dense and chewy… OR what we like to call bricks. Don’t create scone bricks. Ha! Be gentle when you are mixing things together, a folding movement rather than a brisk whisking action.
- Chill for a bit: If it’s rather warm in the home and you are finding that the butter is REALLY soft after cutting them.. pop them in the fridge for 10-15minutes before putting in the oven. It’ll help firm them up and create that flaky texture we love.
Making your own buttermilk
This doesn’t really relate to making the perfect scone.. it is about our recipe though. We added buttermilk to our scones.. We just absolutely love the richness it adds. However if you do not have buttermilk on hand or simply want to make these without going to the shop to grab it. Here is your solution.
DIY Buttermilk = 250ml whole milk + 1 Tablespoon white vinegar OR lemon juice
We make a note that you want to use 280 / 300ml in our recipe. Start with the 280ml and if the batter is still rather try add a quick splash or two to get it to come together. You do not want it to be overly wet so use your best judgement.
Variations to make different type of scones RECIPES
We made our favorite traditional Irish scones with sultanas. You can make SO many different varieties using our scone recipe. Here are some inspirational ideas.
- Plain Scones – If you would like plain scones all you simply have to do is remove the sultanas and proceed!
- Lemon Scones – swap the sultanas out for zest and juice of 1 lemon. You will add the zest in Step 3 and lemon juice in Step 4.
- Fruit Scones – Add cherries, blueberries, strawberries.. you get the idea. You can use fresh berries or dried berries. Use a combination and mix of berries too!
Enjoy these fluffy butter treats however you like! We are personally huge fans with clotted cream and our mixed berry compote.. Sky is the limit my friends.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
- Easy Pancakes
- Easy Chocolate Brownies
- Cherry Apple Baked French Toast by ItsYummi
Irish Buttermilk Scones Recipe
Simple to make in under 30 minutes and comes out are these perfectly sweetened Buttermilk Irish Scones. perfect tea-time treat if we do say ourselves.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast and Brunch
Cuisine Irish
Servings 10 scones
Calories 232 kcal
Ingredients
- 450 g self raising flour
- 100 g butter , cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 80 g caster sugar
- 100 g sultanas ( or zest and juice of 1 lemon instead)
- 280/300 ml buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg beaten and with a splash of milk
- extra sugar for topping , optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees
Sift flour , baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into a mixing bowl
Cut the butter into the flour mix until there are no large lumps left. Should resemble like little pebbles. Pour in the sugar and sultanas and mix.
Whisk the vanilla essence and the buttermilk together in a separate bowl. Pour 3/4 of the milk in first and and mix swiftly (be careful not to over mix) until it starts to come together then add the remainder. Mixture should not be very wet... start with 280ml and ( judge it yourself it should not be very wet)
Put dough onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten it out to around 3/4 cm thickness and use scone cutter or any round shaped cutter to press out the scones
Glaze the top of each scone with some egg wash, followed by an optional sprinkling of sugar. Transfer to floured oven tray.
Bake immediately for 10 /12 mins or until you can see they have become golden brown on the surface
Keyword Irish Scones
