Sourdough scones
Buttery, flaky sourdough scones are perfect for breakfast and brunch. Learn how to make them at home with our easy-to-follow steps, including variations, tips, and tricks for the best results!
Why you will love this recipe
- Buttery, flaky sourdough scones are super easy to make at home!
- You use leftover discard, so no food waste!
- This sourdough scones recipe is super versatile! You can add your favorite toppings or fillings, such as chocolate, cheese, or strawberries, to the dough.
Ingredient notes
Flour: To make sourdough scones, you need all-purpose flour. You don’t need a high-protein flour like bread flour for this recipe.
Sourdough discard: For this recipe, use the sourdough discard that you would normally throw away after feeding your starter. The discard adds a tangy flavor to your scones, which pairs perfectly with jam and clotted cream!
Butter: To achieve the flaky texture of traditional scones, it’s important to use cold butter. Choose European-style butter for the best results, as it contains less water and more fat. This results in scones that have a rich, buttery flavor and texture.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works best when you make scones.
Baking powder: When you bake sourdough bread, you add sourdough starter to act as a leavening agent, but because we only add unfed discard to the recipe, you need to add baking powder to help create light, buttery scones.
Variations
Apple: To make scones that taste just like apple pie, add one diced apple, two tablespoons of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the dough. I also like to replace the sugar with dark brown sugar for a hint of caramel.
Blueberry: add a cup of blueberries and a tablespoon of lemon zest for summery, blueberry sourdough scones!
Strawberry and white chocolate: Another summer favorite is fresh strawberries and white chocolate scones. Add one cup of fresh, diced strawberries and 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips to the dough, and drizzle melted white chocolate over the scones once they are cooled.
Lemon: Buttery sourdough lemon scones are incredibly easy to make and are a fantastic way to use up leftover lemons. To enhance the lemon flavor, replace 1/4 cup of the milk with lemon juice and add one tablespoon of lemon zest to the dough. After baking, you can drizzle a lemon glaze made from 1/4 cup of powdered sugar mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice over the scones.
Whole wheat: If you want to add a nutty flavor to your scones, you can replace half the flour with whole wheat flour! When I make whole wheat sourdough scones, I also like to replace the sugar with brown sugar and use my whole wheat sourdough starter.
Chocolate: Chocolate chip scones are a classic! Add 1/2 cup of your favorite chocolate chips to the dough and drizzle some melted chocolate on top.
How to make sourdough scones
Scones are one of our easiest recipes, but to make the best sourdough scones, it’s important to handle the dough as little as possible. To create the buttery, flaky layers, you want to prevent the gluten from developing, so resist the urge to keep kneading until you have a smooth dough.
Once you’ve incorporated the butter, add the wet ingredients and knead them together to form a rough dough.
Transfer the dough to a surface and knead or press it into a disk that is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. I prefer to cut my dough into wedges, but you can also use a round cookie cutter to create the traditional scone shape.
You can brush your sourdough scones with egg wash or milk for a beautiful golden top, but you don’t have to! Bake your scones for about 20 minutes and let them cool before adding icing or melted chocolate.
Our tips for the best sourdough scones
- Never overwork the dough when making sourdough scones. You want a rough dough, and it is okay that some bits won’t stick. Overworking creates dense, tough scones.
- Use a kitchen scale. I can’t mention this enough, but using a kitchen scale instead of cups will improve your baking.
- Use cold ingredients. To create the flaky layers, you want your milk, butter, and fingers to be as cold as possible!
- Don’t twist your cookie cutter; just press it down. Otherwise, your sourdough scones won’t rise as they should.
Storage
Homemade sourdough scones stay fresh for four days if you wrap them in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature. They are also suitable for freezing. When frozen, your scones will last for up to six months. I recommend adding any toppings on the day you’re ready to enjoy them, as most toppings don’t freeze well. Because they take a while to thaw, I like to take them out of the freezer the night before.
More sourdough discard recipes
Sourdough scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour 300 grams
- 1/4 cup sugar 50 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter 113 grams
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard 60 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk 120 ml
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C) and line your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. It is important that your fingers and butter are as cold as possible.
- In another bowl, mix the sourdough discard and milk until you have a smooth mixture and pour it into the flour.
- Knead it into a rough dough and transfer the dough to a well floured work surface.
- Roll out your dough or shape it into a 1-inch thick disk and cut out your scones.
- Brush them with milk and place them on a lined oven tray.
- Place your scones in the center of the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
- Let them cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to use cold milk and butter.
- Never overwork the dough.
- Don’t twist your cookie cutter.
This might sound like a weird question but are they dry or are scones supposed to be dry or fluffy?
Hi Christina! Scones are not fluffy, but are definitely not dry either. For me, the perfect scone has a crispy outside and is soft and tender on the inside. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have other questions.
I love sourdough discard recipes. I plan on giving this recipe a whirl. I appreciate the suggested variations. I’m pinning this!