Healthy Raisin Irish Soda Bread Scones
These are some of the easiest bread rolls you’ll ever make! They’re really moist on the inside with a lovely bit of a crust on the outside, and the sweet juicy raisins pair so well with the bright pop of flaky sea salt on top. These Irish soda bread scones are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day… Or any day of the week! They’re best if eaten the same day they’re made, but leftovers will keep for at least 3 days if stored in an airtight container on the countertop or at least 6 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup + 3 tbsp (165mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup (40g) raisins, diced and hydrated (see Notes!)
- optional: flaky sea salt (for finishing – highly recommended!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk and vinegar. Stir together until the flour is fully incorporated. Fold in the raisins.
- Working with a small section of dough at a time, shape into a ball. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, and flatten to about ¾” tall. (If the dough sticks to your hands, moisten your fingers and palms with a bit of water in between shaping each scone!) Once all of the scones have been shaped, score a + into the top of each one with a sharp knife, slicing about halfway through the dough (not all the way through!). If using the flaky sea salt, sprinkle a generous amount on top of each scone.
- Bake at 425°F for 14-17 minutes or until the outsides are crusty and the insides feel firm to the touch. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work, if measured like this.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will cause the dough to be dry, and it may not fully incorporated. If that happens to you, add a little extra milk (1 teaspoon at a time) until you can incorporate all of the flour.
Any milk will work in place of the unsweetened almond milk.
I haven’t tried any other vinegar (apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, etc) and don’t know how they’ll turn out.
Traditional Irish soda bread calls for buttermilk, but since I rarely keep that in my refrigerator, I opted to make “homemade buttermilk” out of milk and vinegar! If you prefer, you can substitute ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons of buttermilk for the milk AND vinegar. Because buttermilk is thicker than the other two, you may need to add slightly more if you can’t incorporate all of the flour. (Also, see my blog post here for more details on traditional Irish soda bread!)
Dicing the raisins ensures that your Irish soda bread scones bake evenly. I typically cut them into halves or thirds. After dicing, hydrate them! Add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and pour water on top until they’re completely covered. Seal plastic wrap over the top (or place a lid or plate on top!), and microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute. If you do this first and let the raisins sit while mixing together the rest of the ingredients, this little trick hydrates them so they’re really sweet, plump, and juicy!
I absolutely love the bright pop of flavor from the flaky sea salt! This is the kind I use. I crumble it a bit in between my fingers so it’s not quite as coarse before I sprinkle it on top of the scones.
To Make One Loaf of Irish Soda Bread: Shape the dough into a 1 ½” tall circle (about 5 ½” in diameter) on your prepared baking sheet. Score a + sign into the top, slicing about halfway through. If using the flaky sea salt, sprinkle a generous amount on top. Bake at 425°F for 27-30 minutes or until the outside is crusty and slightly golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
{gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, sugar-free}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.