These are best Irish Soda Bread Scones! This tender soda scone recipe is a spin on traditional Irish soda bread that is baked with dried currants and caraway seeds. These quick and easy scones are a savory herb and cheese scone with a crispy golden crust that is perfect for serving with corned beef and cabbage.
Irish Soda Bread Scones
This recipe comes from Rachel Allen’s Rachel’s Irish Family Food cookbook, where she shares a cheesy version of Irish Soda Bread Scones. We enjoy dunking them in my Irish 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. If you’re looking for more of a traditional Irish soda bread in small-form, you might like to try these classic Irish Spotted Dog Scones, and you will absolutely love Irish Soda Bread Muffins too.
Ingredients needed for making Irish Soda Bread Scones:
- Flour: Use all purpose flour for this recipe. If you need to make these Irish soda bread scones gluten free, use a gluten free flour blend that can be substituted 1 for 1.
- Baking Soda and Salt: The basics!
- Fresh Chives: This is going to give these savory scones an herby vibe!
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to give the scones a proper rise when baking.
- Cheddar Cheese: This is the fun part of the recipe! I like to use sharp cheddar cheese to give these scones a big burst of cheesy flavor.
How to make Irish Soda Bread Scones:
Preheat the oven. Flour the baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Sift the dry ingredients, stir in the chives, and then pour in the buttermilk. You won’t need a spoon for mixing because you’re going to use your hand to “rake” the ingredients together to create the scone dough. Once it all comes together, you’ll pat the dough into a round on a floured surface and cut out rounds. Then you’ll move those rounds to a baking sheet and top them with cheese before baking.
Helpful tools for making scones:
- Baking Sheet: I always use a rimmed baking sheet for all of my scones and cookies. It just ensures that nothing is going to spill over the side if anything goes awry.
- Parchment Paper: This is easiest for lining a baking sheet because it can be tossed and the baking sheet is still clean!
- Mixing Bowl: You’ll need a bowl to combine the ingredients.
- Sifter: The scones will be lighter and more airy if the dry ingredients are sifted.
- Mat: This is a handy tool to have on hand for all baking projects that require a floured surface.
- Biscuit Cutter: A cutter is helpful for creating nice, round scones. If you don’t want a biscuit cutter in your kitchen, use the top of a Tupperware container.
- Wire Rack: Great for cookies too, this is a good place for your scones to cool.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions:
- Get creative with the herbs and the cheese. Use fresh thyme or rosemary, if you’d like. Use Swiss or Gouda cheese in place of sharp cheddar!
- These cheesy scones are best when served warm, right out of the oven (or eaten the same day). But leftover scones can be heated up too and served with your favorite savory dinners.
- Make sure your oven has been pre-heated well-ahead of baking time.
- If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it at home. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup. Add milk to the top of that measuring cup, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then you have homemade buttermilk!
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. They’re so delicious!
Here are a few more Irish soda bread recipes you might enjoy:
Cheesy Soda Scones
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped chives (plus a few extra)
- ½ + ⅓ cup buttermilk (measure ½, then measure ⅓)
- ⅓ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475℉. 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these last night, and they were great! Super easy to put together and they went great with the Irish Stew recipe. I think adding some extra cheddar into the dough would make them even better next time. YUM!
Lori,
These look great–I love savory and shy away from scones because they just didn’t do as much for me as muffins. I’m game to make the kids get their hands dirty and make me some.
Thanks!
Love this one, Lori! Bring on the cheese!
Hi Lori,
Thanks for the mention on savory scones – appreciated! We are huge lovers of the savory scone, and often whip up to serve alongside stew or soup. I love your recipe as it doesn’t have butter, not that I dislike butter, but unwanted calories is nice. Sharp cheddar is just a bonus!
All that baked on cheese looks so delicious. I might have to make these with my Irish stew this year!
Scones topped with cheese! Yes, please!
These look so savory! It definitely will be a good breakfast. 🙂
Hmmm. Thinking these could make for a great breakfast (what?) Prep the night before, 10 mins in the morning. Combined with a cup of java, it could be the breakfast of champions.
I think I may need a batch of these to have with the potato soup I made this week! They seem like the perfect accompaniment. Love that cheesy topping!
So Yummy!