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Irish Soda Scones


I'm still busy making my comfort foods and today it was scones.  I have always loved the scones at Starbucks and I'm a real sucker for getting one with my coffee.  There is just something so comforting about that combination.  I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart and I thought they'd be perfect for a pre-St. Patrick's Day treat.   I changed some of the recipe, mainly this wedge shape.  I don't think scones are really scones unless they are this shape.  Also, they don't really need the icing drizzled on them because they are great without it.  We ate our first one right out of the oven with a big blob of butter and it was wonderful!  Instant comfort.


I went ahead and made the icing and drizzled it over the scones, as the recipe instructed so this really makes them stand out from Irish Soda Bread.  It's always nice to have a few varieties of Irish Soda Bread, right?  These are definitely scones, not bread and I would make these anytime other than St. Patrick's Day.

Our city is in lockdown now so Starbucks and other restaurants are only doing takeout/drive-thru and we are just mainly staying inside now.  Seattle has been the epicenter of the coronavirus and we've been trying to follow all the public health recommendations.  Most of what we've been doing is long before the government mandates it. Now, our County Executive is requesting that everyone self-quarantine for 2 weeks and we are suppose to assume we are carrying the virus.  I can hardly believe it has come to this.  I'm just getting over my long knee rehab and just starting to get out and about again.  Now this.  The gym has closed, too, right after I had just gotten into the habit of going 3X/week.  I was so proud of myself for developing this habit and now I have to stop.  I have a ton of food stockpiled and we will definitely not go hungry. I have lots more recipes to try and am glad I have this little blog as my hobby.  I am a lucky one because really, my life is pretty boring.  I have no kids out of school, no job I need to worry about and even Bruce works from  home.  I've had to cancel a few doctor's appointments for yearly, routine preventive check-ups, so those were easy to cancel.  I opted out of going to the theater with Lauren on March 7 because I am over 60 and they were recommending to avoid crowds at that time.  She went with friends instead and then a couple days later, the government closed down gatherings of 250 people or more. We cancelled our Mariner ticket party and did an online draft Saturday night instead and it went very smoothly.  So, we don't have any major inconveniences, really.  We are just hunkering down now.  Even our local grocery store has not been bad.  It's had everything I've needed and there has not been any panic-like atmosphere at all, unlike Costco!  We haven't been to Costco, we've just heard about it on the news.  I refuse to be sucked into that panic mode.  We are being smart and responsible instead of panic stricken and desperate.  That's why we all need to be eating comfort food now.  This is a very simple recipe that anyone can make.  If the coronavirus is getting you down or stressing you out, I think it's time for you to make these Irish Soda Comfort Food Scones.

Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup cold buttermilk
Icing
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp. whole milk
1/4 tsp. grated orange zest

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  In a food processor, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.


3.  Cut up the butter into smaller pieces and add to flour mixture.


4.  Pulse butter with flour until it resembled course meal.


5.  Pour flour into a bowl and add currants.


6.  Mix currants into flour mixture with wooden spoon and then add buttermilk.  Stir until combined.


7.  Put onto a floured surface and knead dough until it forms a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds.


8.  Press the dough into a 9-inch cake pan.


9.   Unmold the dough.


10.  Cut into 8 wedges.


11.  Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.


12.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.


13.  Let cool completely on sheet.


14.  Meanwhile, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and orange zest.



15.  Drizzle over scones; serve.


Happy St. Patrick's Day and enjoy your scones.













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