If you enjoy Irish Soda Bread, you will love these Raisin Scones! I make a sweeter and more cake-like soda bread which tens of thousands of people have made over the years. Today, I want to share how to make a smaller batch like an Irish Soda Bread Muffin or scone.
If you have had any sort of soda bread or scone over the years, more often than not it leans on the drier side. Which is just fine alongside a cup of tea or coffee.
I just choose to make my raisin scones and irish soda bread sweeter and more cake-like.
Irish Soda Bread was always around at my Grammy's growing up. I ate it however I always felt it was dry, crumbly and rather boring. So after many years of tinkering, half a life ago I settled on my recipe for Irish Soda Bread.
It makes a huge loaf, so today I thought I would show you how to make half a batch and make as Raisin Scones or Irish soda bread muffins. The ingredients and temperature shift slightly for the shorter cooking time.
These little raisin scones or soda bread muffins cook much quicker and are so tasty hot from the oven. Use a cookie scooper (sprayed with baking spray) and plop into muffin pan or mini muffin pan. Do not overfill. You could even use ramekins if you don't have a muffin pan and bake on a baking sheet.
If enjoying them the next day or two, just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or the toaster oven for a few minutes to heat them through, smear with a bit of butter and, mmm-mm!
Ingredients
- white flour
- sugar
- baking powder, baking soda and salt
- egg
- buttermilk
- heavy cream
- raisins
- decorator sugar / sugar in the raw for sprinkling
Tips
- My cast iron scone pan pictured below is from Amazon.
- This recipe is half of the recipe from my typical sweet Irish Soda Bread, for that recipe click here.
- Always mix this by hand, using a spatula and mix until just incorporated.
- If making it as a loaf use a circular oven safe pan like a cast iron or smaller pan and line with parchment paper and lower temperature to 350 for 45 minutes to an hour..
- If making as mini raisin scones, spray a silicone muffin pan or typical muffin pan. Using regular size or mini sized.
- If making in triangular scone shape, use a scone pan like the one I have. Since this is less dry vs typical scones the batter is a bit too wet to hold up and bake on it own in a mound cut in scone shape.
- Sprinkling the decorator sugar on top really give this a special touch both visually and in a crunch.
Variations
- Swap raisins for the traditional currants.
- Swap raisins for fresh cranberries (see Cranberry Soda Bread recipe here) or dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried cherries etc. Some readers of my website have made this with orange zest and said they enjoyed it.
- As stated above this recipe is for ½ of my traditional. You can find the original soda bread recipe here.
Storage
This is amazing hot from the oven or while still warm. Store leftovers, once completely cooled, in a cookie jar or air tight container. Keeps for up to a week. Reheat in microwave for 30 seconds or toast until warm.
Other Recipes To Try
- If you enjoy scones, try my Orange Cranberry Scones.
- Our family favorite Creamy Potato Soup
- This fresh Cranberry Soda Bread is a must make for the holiday season, delicious and festive!
This post contains a couple of Amazon affiliate links. Which means I may get a small payment if you choose to purchase after clicking on my link.
Raisin Scones
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups of flour
- ½ cup plus 2 TBS sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash of salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 heaping cup raisins
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 5 TBS heavy cream
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Make as muffins using a silicone or metal muffin/cupcake pan. make as scones using a scone pan or make as 1 smaller loaf usong a 6-8 inch cast iron pan or oven safe pan (line with parchment first) and cut into wedges once out of the oven for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl until blended, add the butter and raisins and stir well.
- Add buttermilk, heavy cream and egg to the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated - mix by hand with a spatula and do not over mix.
- Use cookie or ice cream scoop (sprayed with baking spray first) and plop into muffin/cupcake pan (sprayed first). Or into scone pan, (sprayed first). Or scrape mixture into pan(s). Sprinkle decorator sugar overtop (optional but makes them sparkle, special and have a delicious crunch!)
- Bake muffins for 15-20. Scones for 25-30 and small single loaf for 45-55.
- Once a wooden skewer inserted comes out not "wet" it is done. Cool a bit then flip out of the pan(s), or for loaf peel off parchment paper and allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack, that is if you don't just dig right in like my family and I do!
- Don't forget the butter!
Arlene says
Made these this morning. What a waste of my time and ingredients! They were dry and tasteless. I even took them out before your recommended time. Using my 8 portion scone pan, I had batter left over. I should hafe used my regular recipe.
Colleen says
Arlene, I can't understand what could have went wrong with this. This is simply my recipe for ISB halved and its been hade by a massive amount of people and enjoyed. Sorry it wasn't for you. And I did just double check my ingredients on the recipe card just in case I made a typo and its correct.