Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

For many years Alexander and I bundled up and went to Fifth Avenue to watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We love to hear the bagpipers.

Then we would have corned beef, cabbage, carrots and Irish Soda Bread for dinner.

This year I wanted to try something different so we made Irish Soda Bread Scones low in sugar and with milk instead of cream. They are delicious especially with some butter spread on them.

Enjoy!

Erin go Brah, Victoria and Alexander

Irish Soda Bread Scones

Yield – 12 Scones

3 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 Tablespoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup packed Light Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds

1 Stick + 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cold 1/2″ cubed

2 Eggs, large

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Raisins

1. Cut butter into 1/2″ cubes,

place in a container

and store in freezer until needed. Rehydrate raisins by covering with water and microwaving for 2 minutes, drain and dry on paper towel.

2. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour twice,

combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer,

add butter and mix with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes until all lumps of butter

are gone and the mixture resembles sand.

3. Mix together eggs and milk with a fork,

pour into dry ingredients while machine is off,

pulse together until almost combined,

add raisins

and mix together until just combined.

Do not over mix. If there is flour at the bottom of mixing bowl use a spatula to mix together otherwise you will over work the gluten and the scones will become hard and dense instead of light and fluffy.

4. These can be portioned in three ways –  scoop with an ice cream scoop

onto a parchment lined half sheet pan and bake 16 – 18 minutes – turn out onto a lightly floured surface

and pat into a 3/4″ thick rectangle

use a circle cookie cutter or glass to cut out circles

or cut squares

bake 14 – 16 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

Store in an airtight container up to 3 days. Alternatively portion the scones onto a tray and freeze, store in a plastic bag in freezer until needed, defrost overnight in refrigerator and bake. Will keep up to 3 months in freezer.