Irish Soda Bread Scones

Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment. If you don’t have parchment, use an ungreased baking sheet. 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, wheat germ, caraway seeds, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. 

Using a bowl scraper, pastry blender, or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated. Stir in the currants. 

Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Crack the egg into well, then add the buttermilk and sugar and whisk to combine. Switch to a fork and stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Use floured hands or a bowl scraper to fold the dough over onto itself a few times, incorporating any dry flour.  

Transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Use floured hands to pat the dough into a 6" round about 1" thick.  

Using a knife or bench scraper, slice the circle into eight wedges. For scones that bake into each other and yield soft sides, gently separate the slices about 1" from each other. For scones that bake separately and have crispier sides, arrange the scones so there’s at least 2" of space between them.

Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk, then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. 

Place the pan in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F. Bake, rotating the pan once halfway through, until golden brown, 23 to 28 minutes.  

Let the Irish soda bread scones cool on the pan, then serve slightly warm or at room temperature with Irish butter.