Irish Strawberry Scones with Secret Ingredient…. Mashed Potato!

How do you take an Irish Strawberry scones recipe and make it even more Irish? Simple, add in some beautiful in season Irish strawberries and mashed potato! Yup, you heard right, mashed potato! The addition of mashed potatoes in this recipe makes it an incredibly soft yet light scone. It does make a slightly more delicate scone than normal as a result, but I honestly love how soft the crumb is. They still have the signature crunchy exterior but are as soft as a pillow on the inside. Plus, you won’t believe how easy they are to make!

Mashed Potato…. what??

I know it sounds a little unconvential, and it definately is! But hear me out, it creates a super soft and fluffy scone. It also helps keep the scones insanely moist and helps keep them fresh for up to 3 days! They might keep even longer than that but I haven’t managed to keep them around longer than that so I honestly couldn’t say.

You can use fresh mash or store bought ready made mash for these. If using freshly made mash potato, make sure you have passed them through a ricer or sieve as you don’t want any lumps. Allow the mash to cool before using also. And make sure you use plain mash potato. No added salt, butter, milk, anything!

Okay so how do I make these Irish Strawberry Scones from scratch?

To begin this recipe, slice up your fresh strawberries into small pieces and freeze until solid. Then, once frozen, add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add in the soft, room temperature butter and mash potatoes. Rub together with the flour with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can also use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer on a low speed. Next add in the eggs and buttermilk. Mix together for 1-2 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and pat down gently. If you prefer to keep your scones plain, skip the next steps and go straight to shaping, egg wash and baking.

How do I add the fruit to this Irish strawberry scones recipe?

I have a little system to be able to fit maximum amounts of fruit into the Scone dough without it turning soggy. First of all, you want to make sure your sliced strawberries are totally frozen. Make sure to keep them in the freezer until the moment you need them. They are more durable when frozen and less likely to burst and make your dough wet and difficult to work with. Add half the strawberries to the patted down down. Fold over the dough in a “letter fold”. This means you take one third of the dough and cover it over the middle of the dough. Fold over the other third to seal. Roll out the dough a little bit and repeat with the remaining strawberries.

Dust the dough well with flour and roll out dough to cutting size. You want them very thick, almost the same height as the pastry cutter. Transfer to a lined baking tray with plenty of space in between. Roll out any leftover dough gently and cut until all the dough is used. Egg wash lightly and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

CAN I FREEZE SCONE DOUGH?

I have never frozen scone dough raw, but according to Nigella, you absolutely can freeze them raw. For best results, follow the steps up until the egg wash. Place them directly onto a lined baking tray, don’t egg wash them and freeze like this. After a few hours, once frozen you can place them into airtight containers or ziploc bags and can keep for up to one month. Bake these straight from frozen, just pop them onto a lined baking tray, egg wash and extend baking time by 5-10 minutes.

You can also freeze baked scones. For best results, freeze them on a tray as soon as they are cooled from baking. Once frozen, place them into an airtight container or a ziploc bag. These can last for up to one month. Defrost for an hour and pop them into a hot oven for 5-10 minutes.

For a more traditional type of scone, check out my Blueberry Buttermilk Scones Recipe.

For more Baked Good Breakfast Ideas, check out my Breakfast Category, here.