Irish Soda Scones - Gluten Free Desserts by Lane & Grey Fare (2024)

Irish Soda Scones: so light and flakey...the most perfect breakfast treat. They’re gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily dairy free (vegan). They’re so so simple to make...you can have fresh scones in under 40 minutes.

For more delicious scone recipes, try my Gluten Free Banana Scones and Triple Chocolate Scones.

How to Make Irish Soda Scones

Here are the step by step instructions to make these scones!

Step 1: Preheat the Oven

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: Make the Homemade buttermilk

Measure out one cup of milk of choice. Add in the tablespoon of white vinegar and stir to combine. Put the milk vinegar mixture into the fridge while you make the scones.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Step 4: Freeze that Butter

Why do we need to do this? This is a tip I learned from Sally's Baking Addiction. It helps to make the scones super flakey.

I freeze my butter for at least an hour before I make the scones. If you don’t have time for this step or if you don’t feel like doing this...that’s ok. Your Irish soda scones won’t be flaky, but they will still be fluffy and delicious.

Step 5: Grate the Butter and Mix In

If you froze the butter or vegan baking stick, take it out of the freezer.

The best thing to do i to use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the flour mixture. This way the pieces of butter are super fine and easy to mix into the flour. Another Sally tip.

Using a cheese grater, grate the entire stick of butter or vegan baking stick into the flour mixture. I actually like to do this half at a time.

I grate half, mix it in and then grate the second half.

Mix the grated butter into the flour using clean hands. I kind of rub the flour together in my hands like sand to make sure there are no giant clumps of butter. The pieces of butter should be super tiny. Less than the size of a pea.

Step 6: Add Raisins

Once you grated the entire stick into the flour mixture and it’s combined, pour in the raisins and stir with a spatula.

Step 7: Add the Homemade Buttermilk

Take the homemade buttermilk (the milk vinegar mixture) out of the fridge and stir again with a spoon. It will be thick and chunky and that’s supposed to happen.

Step 8: Add in the Dry Ingredients

Pour your buttermilk in a circular motion into the flour mixture and mix in with the spatula. It should start to form a dough.

If the dough is too sticky to work with, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
Take your dough out of the bowl and onto a clean floured work surface.

Step 9: Make the Wedges

Form the dough into a flat disc that is about 8 inches in diameter. I actually use a tape measure. Yes. I do. Haha!

Carefully put a little gluten free flour on a sharp knife and cut the dough like a pizza into 8 equal slices.

Place the slices on the lined baking sheet at least 2-3 inches apart from one another.

Step 10: Bake

Bake for 22 min or until the tops just start to get golden. They take 22 min exactly in my oven.

Take the sheet out and let the scones cool on the baking sheet.

Step 11: Make the Glaze

While they’re cooling, make the glaze. Whisk all the glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl.

This glaze is impossible to mess up. If it is too thick, add more water, ¼ teaspoon at a time. If the glaze is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Step 12: Drizzle the Glaze over the Scones

Place wax or parchment paper underneath your cooling rack and take the wet scones off the baking sheet and onto the cooling rack.

If you don’t do this part the scones will get very soggy on the bottoms. (The parchment paper under the rack is just to prevent a giant mess on your counter because the glaze can drip as it hardens).

Once the glaze hardens, cut them open and serve them with butter or vegan baking stick or just eat them as they are!

And there you have it. Fresh baked scones in under 40 minutes. They’re so simple to make and can be completely allergy friendly. I hope you love them as much as I do! Enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Freeze the Butter- It helps make the scones super flakey.
• Immediately Place on Cooling Rack- Take the wet scones off the baking sheet and onto the cooling rack.If you don’t do this part the scones will get very soggy on the bottoms.

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📖 Recipe

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Irish Soda Scones.