Irish Scones
on Mar 11, 2018, Updated Feb 26, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Flaky round scones are meant to be layered with good butter and would be wonderful with some good smoked salmon. Perfect for breakfast, snacking, or teatime.
Moist, biscuit-ey Irish scones lashed with rich butter are just the ticket. It’s a wonderful way to start St. Patrick’s Day or settle in for a tea-time snack. And they’re perfect the other 364 days of the year, too!
Irish scones are always made with butter and are always round in shape. They have less sugar and a bit less butter than other types of scones because you will be slathering butter on them once they are baked. If you are looking for sweeter scones, you might add another tablespoon or two of sugar.
These scones are ideal for a generous spread of butter and some slices of smoked salmon. But they are just as good with butter and jam! They would be perfect with Scrambled Eggs or a Spinach Feta Omelet. Or serve them with some simple fruit salad.
Table of Contents
Is it not enjoyable to take advantage of another culture’s holiday to explore some new recipes? It is. And is St. Patrick’s Day not right around the corner? It is. (A true Irishman might say ‘tis, but that’s not going to work for me.)
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – This provides a delicate structure for the dough.
- Sugar – For a hint of sweetness.
- Baking powder – Baking powder provides the rise for the biscuits.
- Unsalted butter – Buy great butter for this. European-style butter has a slightly higher butterfat content than everyday supermarket butter. When it is one of the few star ingredients, it makes a big difference. If you’re sticking close to the theme, look for good Irish butter.
- Milk – Whole milk will work best in this recipe.
- Eggs – The high fat content in egg yolks makes them a key ingredient in creating a fluffy and tender scone, and a brush of beaten eggs before baking provides the beautiful shiny top for these biscuits.
- Unsalted butter – For serving.
- Smoked salmon – These scones are the perfect base for this smoked and salty fish.
How to Make Irish Scones
- Combine the dry ingredients: Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the flour: Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
- Make the milk mixture: Combine the milk and the egg yolk.
- Combine all the ingredients: Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients just until the mixture comes together.
- Roll out the dough: Turn the dough onto the floured work surface and roll or pat out the dough 1 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 2 1/2-inch circles with a biscuit cutter, as close as possible to one another. Gently pat together the scraps so that they are 1 1/4-inch thick, and cut out another two or three circles as possible.
- Prepare the scones: Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and use a pastry brush to lightly brush the top of each scone with the egg mixture.
- Bake: Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Butter and enjoy: Allow them to cool to room temperature, split them in half, spread the butter evenly between the scones. If desired, layer some smoked salmon onto each bottom half, and place the scone tops over the salmon.
Cutting Butter into Flour for Scones
What does it mean to “cut” the butter into the flour mixture? The butter is added cold in small pieces. Then, it needs to be incorporated into the dry ingredients so that it is well distributed throughout but still maintains a pebbly texture. This is so that when the scones bake, the bits of cold butter will melt into the dough. The end result is the creation of tiny flaky pockets of air, which keep the texture light.
Blending the butter in with a pastry cutter, two butter knives, or quick rubbing movements with your fingers creates the best and fluffiest scones. Creaming the butter into the dough would create a denser scone.
Kitchen Smarts
As with biscuits and really any quick bread, the less you handle the dough, the better. Over-mixing or kneading the dough will activate the proteins in the flour, making the resulting baked goods a bit tough. The dough might seem a bit sticky — that’s right. Just make sure the work surface is well-dusted with flour. Then, work quickly and nimbly. Also, make sure to lightly dust the top of the dough so that when you pat it out for cutting into circles, your fingers won’t stick to the dough.
What to Serve With Irish Scones
More Smoked Salmon Recipes
- Smoked Salmon and Crème Fraiche Puff Pastry Tartlets
- Smoked Salmon Crostini with Herbed Mayonnaise
- Fried Eggs and Smoked Salmon over Polenta Cakes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Irish Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for patting out the dough)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
- 1 cup milk (preferably whole)
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- About 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (for serving)
- ½ pound good-quality smoked salmon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with no pieces of butter any larger than a pea. In a small bowl, combine the milk and the egg yolk. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients just until the mixture comes together.
- Turn the dough onto the floured work surface and roll or pat out the dough 1 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 2 1/2-inch circles with a biscuit cutter as close as possible to one another. Gently pat together the scraps so that they are 1 1/4-inch thick, and cut out another two or three circles as possible. Place them on the prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and use a pastry brush to lightly brush the top of each scone with the egg mixture.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool until barely warm or at room temperature.
- Split them in half with a fork or cut them with a sharp knife, and spread the butter evenly between the scones. If desired, layer some salmon onto each bottom half, and place the scone tops over the salmon.
