Irish Fruit Scones

I borrowed a little bit of one of the More Time at the Table St. Pat's posts and hope you enjoy making an easy small quick bread.  Conquer it, make it yours!  Here's how:

Patted out dough waiting to be cut with a floured cutter or knife.

irish fruit scones     makes about 10  2-inch scones
Adapted for American kitchens-   original recipe by Edmund Cronin, THATCH COTTAGE, County Kerry 

 INGREDIENTS:

•  8 ounces all purpose, unbleached flour (1 3/4 cups approx.)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 50 g (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) butter
• 50 g (2 ounces or 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
• 75 g (3 ounces or 1/2 cup) sultanas (raisins)--I used currants
• 1/4 pint/ 125 ml (1/2 cup approx) milk       

Cut-out scones waiting to be baked.

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 F/ gas mark 7)
2. Lightly grease a small baking sheet.
3. Mix together flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in sugar and raisins or currants.
4. Add milk and mix to produce a soft dough.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured board or counter and knead about a minute until well-combined and holding together.
6. Roll out dough to about 3/4-inch thick.  Using a floured 2-inch cutter, cut scones into rounds and place on baking tray.
7. Brush with milk to glaze.
8. Bake 12 minutes or until done to your liking; I like them a bit crisp on the outside.
9. Remove scones to a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature with soft Irish butter. (The Irish and many others might serve these with whipped cream rather than butter.)

Baker's notes:  I used a food processor fitted with a steel blade for steps 1-4, but I turned the mixture out and did the rest by hand, including working in the last of the milk.  The dried fruit would be chopped finely if you continued in the food processor much longer.  To do the whole thing by hand or with a pastry cutter would be fairly quick and simple, as well.  Some cooks would just use their hands to get the butter into the flour; I find it melts too much from the heat of my hands and prefer a metal cutting force of some sort--either the pastry cutter or the food processor blade.

Scone Song...listen here. 

Just out of the oven.  Best the day they're made.

 Here's the little booklet with the recipe I bought in Ireland right at the Thatch Cottage:

Ready for their close-up on my piano in the afternoon light.

People always talk about the green in Ireland; I loved the oh-so-blue sky:

Favorite Irish movie:  The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Happy Saint Patrick's Day,
Alyce