I’m featuring Rachel Allen’s Cheesy Irish Soda Bread Scones. This soda scone recipe is a savory herb and cheese scone perfect for dunking in soup or stew.
Irish Soda Bread Scones
Here’s a recipe for St. Patrick’s Day! I’m celebrating Rachel Allen’s cookbook: Rachel’s Irish Family Foodwith acheesy version of Irish Soda Bread Scones. We enjoy dunking them in myIrish Stew.The three people in my family have no problem demolishing 8 scones between us.
If you’re familiar with breakfast scones, then you know that a typical sweet scone is made with a lot of butter and it breaks apart easily into chunks. Many times it’s dry and not all that appetizing either. This soda scone recipe is different. It’s savory instead of sweet, and it’s more like an Irish Soda Bread biscuit with chives and cheese added in.
Soda Scone Recipe
These soda scones are super easy to make, and there are just 6 ingredients. There’s no butter in the recipe, but it does utilize buttermilk. The fun part is, the instructions have you using your hands to mix. If that weirds you out, you can always enlist the kiddos to do the hand-mixing part. The dough is just patted onto a floured surface.
I use a biscuit cutter for the rounds, but you can take a drinking glass with a semi-small diameter and use that instead if you don’t have fancy cutters. Or just use whatever you can dig up that works as a quasi-cutter.
Each dough round is topped with (sharp) cheddar cheese and more chopped chives. You could get all fancy here and use a different kind of cheese and whatever herb you want (rosemary, thyme, etc.). I love to use SHARP cheddar because I enjoy the flavor. In fact, I usually purchase the sharpest cheddar I can. I love the stuff… which is why I have to banish myself from eating cheese every so often or I’ll go through a whole slab of the stuff in a couple of days time.
They bake in just 15 minutes and come out looking like this: all crazy cheesy and golden brown. They are best when hotsy totsy right out of the oven (or at least eaten the same day). We do love them just out of the oven, but leftover soda scones with leftoverIrish Stew is just about the best thing ever!
You have to be thinking of this soda scone recipe as a version of Irish Soda Bread (which is not super duper rich and flavorful by any stretch of the imagination), and just think of them as an easy “biscuit” to serve with your meal. We gobble them up, but it’s important to add your favorite flavors to the scone to fully appreciate them.
- Brown Butter Soda Bread
- Irish Soda Bread Muffins
- Breakfast Irish Soda Bread
- Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway
Cheesy Soda Scones
A savory scone topped with herbs and cheese. They're perfect with soup or stew.
Recipe Details
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Irish
Keyword: cheese, scones, soda bread
Servings: 8 servings (1 scone per serving)
Calories: 134kcal
Author: RecipeGirl.com (re-printed with permission from Harper Collins and adapted slightly from Rachel's Irish Family Food)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Flour a baking sheet.
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl. Mix in ½ tablespoon chives. Make a well in the center and pour the buttermilk (both) into the well. Using one hand, with your fingers outstretched like a claw, stir in a full circular movement from the center to the outside of the bowl to form a dough. The dough should be soft, though not too wet and sticky.
When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a well floured surface. Pat the dough until it is about ¾ inch thick. Cut into 8 rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each round of dough with cheese and additional chives.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and sounding hollow when tapped on the bottom. Turn the oven down to 400 after 10 minutes if they are already golden. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Change up the cheese and/or herbs as you see fit (think: Swiss, Gouda, rosemary, thyme!)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 134kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 271mg, Potassium: 67mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 97IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 1mg
Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links included within this post.
FAQs
The whole purpose of kneading bread dough is to form a network of gluten fibers. However, in soda bread where gluten is not needed, these filaments just make the bread tough. To avoid chewy bread, chose a low-protein (and therefore low-gluten) flour.
Why did the Irish eat soda bread? ›
Irish soda bread was first created in the 1830s, when baking soda was first introduced to the UK. At the time, Ireland was facing financial hardship and lack of resources, so they turned to soda bread out of neccessity, it was inexpensive and required few ingredients.
What makes Irish soda bread different? ›
Irish soda bread is prepared without yeast. Traditionally it has just four ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The baking soda and buttermilk react to cause the dough to rise. In Ireland, soda bread is often made from stone-ground whole-wheat flour, though white flour versions are available.
Why is my Irish soda bread gummy? ›
And finally, don't immediately cut into the Fast Irish Soda bread when you pull it out of the oven. Although this bread is best served warm, cutting into it too quickly will turn the bread gummy.
Should you refrigerate Irish soda bread? ›
Tightly wrap your leftover bread and place it in an airtight container. There's no need to refrigerate. As for how long soda bread lasts: Irish soda bread tends to dry out faster than other breads. The bread will be good for 3-4 days or up to three months if frozen.
Is Irish soda bread supposed to be doughy in the middle? ›
The best Irish soda bread, like this recipe, has a golden brown crust with a dense, tight crumb. The bread isn't heavy, it's actually quite tender and soft inside. The crust is nice and crisp when it comes out of the oven and becomes a little chewy on day 2 and 3. It's so good.
Why cut a cross in Irish soda bread? ›
Cutting a Cross on Top of Your Soda Bread Keeps the Devil Out. In the 19th century, it was believed that a cross slashed atop your bread let the devil out while the bread baked. It was also believed that the symbolism can be interpreted as blessing the bread and giving thanks.
Is Irish soda bread healthy? ›
Nutrition Notes
Whole-wheat soda bread is a healthy addition to your plate! One serving—a 1/2-inch-thick slice—provides complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals.
What is the Irish word for soda bread? ›
Soda bread
| An Irish soda farl, made by cutting a flattened round of dough into four pieces, then baking |
|---|
| Type | Quick bread |
|---|
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Created by | British |
| Main ingredients | Flour, sodium bicarbonate, salt, buttermilk |
1 more rowWhile soda bread is most famously attributed to Ireland, it was actually first created by Native Americans. They were the first to be documented using pearl ash, a natural form of soda formed from the ashes of wood, to leaven their bread without yeast. The Irish later discovered and replicated the process.
Butter. The traditional way of serving your Irish soda bread is serving the loaf while it's warm with butter. Spread a thick layer of your butter on the slice and revel on the hearty flavor exploding in your mouth.
Is soda bread good for your gut? ›
"When people feel unwell after eating bread, they often blame gluten, but many times it's due to a yeast intolerance," says nutritional therapist Lucia Stansbie of foodpowernutrition.com. "Soda bread is a good choice as baking soda is used instead of yeast, causing less bloating."
How do you know when Irish soda bread is done baking? ›
The most traditional doneness test calls for thumping the hot bread in the center to hear if it's hollow-sounding. A more foolproof indication is temperature; the loaf will register 200°F to 205°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the center of the bread.
Why did my Irish soda bread fall apart? ›
Make sure you are using the correct amount of baking soda in the recipe. Too much or too little can result in a crumbly loaf. It's also possible that your oven wasn't hot enough when you baked the bread. Make sure to preheat your oven before baking Irish soda bread and don't open it frequently during the baking time.
What if Irish soda bread dough is too wet? ›
Add a little extra flour if you find the dough is too wet and sticky.
How to soften hard Irish soda bread? ›
You can also warm up the bread by putting it back in the oven at 350 °F (177 °C) for 7 to 8 minutes.
What consistency should soda bread dough be? ›
The oldest recipe for soda bread, widely syndicated from Ireland's Newry Times in 1836, says the dough was "as soft as could possibly be handled...the softer the better." Thirteen years and 180 miles down the road, the Waterford Times described it as "wetter than pie crust, too stiff to pour, but not stiff enough to ...
Why is my soda bread dry and crumbly? ›
Make sure you are using the correct amount of baking soda in the recipe. Too much or too little can result in a crumbly loaf. It's also possible that your oven wasn't hot enough when you baked the bread.
