Countdown to St. Paddy's--Sharing soda bread

Good afternoon before St. Patrick's Day!  Today I'll share a recipe for "spotted dog" soda bread scones that I am taking to a St. Patrick's Day party tonight. 

 

 "Spotted Dog" Soda Scones

 

2 cups bread flour

heaping 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cold salted butter

1/4 cup currants (heaping)

1/4 cup raisins (heaping)

3/4 cup plus 2 tbs buttermilk

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, whisking until combined.  Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Add currants and raisins, stirring to combine.  Add buttermilk, stirring until a soft dough forms.  (if mixture seems dry, add more buttermilk, 1 tbs at a time, until uniformly moist.)

4.  Drop dough onto prepared baking sheet.

5.  Bake until edges are light golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approx. 15 minutes.

 

I really enjoy them served with lingonberry jam.

 

I think these scones look like mini-soda bread loaves for each person ;).  Here is a closer look at the scones on my Belleek plate, made in Ireland:

 

 

I thought I'd end the post sharing a bit about my lunch yesterday at a local Irish pub, the Auld Shebeen, in Fairfax, Virginia.

 

 



This picture was taken in the Yeats Library portion of the pub, where we listened to a live session of Irish music.  The wall above our booth had the following saying:

 

An appropriate Irish saying for a pub!

 

As I was leaving the pub after a wonderful Guinness stew (I thought the blurriness of the photo was actually rather appropriate),

 

 

I saw this fun picture on the outside wall:

 

 

I love running into tea references randomly.  I hope you are enjoying this Sunday afternoon!