Our Family Scone Recipe Scones

Every family in Kerry seems to have its own way of making scones, with little tweaks and stories passed down through the generations.

I remember as a little girl going out to collect fresh eggs from our hens for baking. The buttermilk came from making our own butter, using the cream from our cows, and we even made our own raspberry jam to have with the warm scones.

There was nothing unusual about this at the time. It was simply how things were done. Recipes were learned by watching, and you knew when the dough was right by how it felt in your hands.

This is simply our family recipe, shared as we make it. Every family has their own version, so don’t worry too much about exact quantities or getting everything perfect.

Ingredients

• 450g plain flour (3⅔ cups all-purpose flour)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 25g caster sugar (2 tablespoons superfine sugar)
• 75g cold butter (5 tablespoons)
• 1 egg
• About 300ml buttermilk (1¼ cups)
• A little extra buttermilk for brushing the tops
• 75g sultanas (½ cup golden raisins), optional

No buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 250ml (1 cup) of milk, give it a stir and leave it for 5–10 minutes. Make a little extra if you need it.

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F, or 200°C fan, and lightly flour a baking tray.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.

Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks a bit like breadcrumbs.

Beat the egg with about 250ml (1 cup) of the buttermilk and add it to the flour mixture. Mix gently, adding a little more buttermilk if you need it. You are looking for a nice soft dough, so don’t worry if it’s a little sticky.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together. There’s no need to knead it.

Pat it out to about 3cm (1¼ inches) thick and cut out your scones. If you don’t have a scone cutter, just dip the rim of a glass in a little flour and use that instead.

Put the scones onto the baking tray and brush the tops with a little buttermilk.

Bake for about 12–15 minutes, or until they have risen and are nicely golden.

We like them best while they’re still warm, with plenty of Irish butter and raspberry jam.

And this is where you can have a little fun with them. Leave them plain, add sultanas, or try some of your own favourite fruits. Every family has their own way of making scones, and that’s part of the charm. Don’t worry if they’re not all exactly the same shape. They’re homemade, after all.