Best Sourdough Scones

Best Sourdough Scones: This delicious sourdough scone recipe is studded with berries and drizzled with an optional Lemony Glaze. Fun to make, and beautiful to look at and eat.

If you’ve been making our Sourdough Bread recipe, here’s a little treat for you I know you will love! Sourdough Scones with Lemeony Glaze! This recipe came about after I ended up with a ton of extra blackberries after a catering event, and wanted to use up some sourdough discard (sourdough starter) I had in my fridge.

Wow! I was honestly blown away! First, let me just say right away, the sourdough starter gives the scones such an earthy, robust flavor that pairs so beautifully with sweet tart berries!

Tips For Making Best Sourdough Scones

The key is to keep the scones very cold before baking so they don’t spread out. I put mine in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Also, it helps to use frozen butter, cold cream, and cold eggs. This also helps to make the scones more flaky.
If you want to long-ferment these scones, there are two ways to go about this. See below for two examples.
Freeze them totally baked for an easy and special breakfast any day of the week. Just pop them into the oven to reheat.
Place the dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes (or the refrigerator for about 30 minutes) before baking. This will help the scones keep their shape and not spread out so much.

FAQ Best Sourdough Scones

Can I use sourdough discard to make this recipe?

Yes! Since this recipe doesn’t need the sourdough to actually give it height (it uses baking powder to do so), you can use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter for this recipe. Use discard to make sourdough discard scones.

Why should you not over knead a scone dough?

Over-kneading the dough will leave you with a tough and chewy texture rather than light and flaky.

Should scone dough be wet or dry?

This scone dough should be in between wet and dry. It shouldn’t be too crumbly, but it also shouldn’t be too wet where it is too hard to shape.

Ingredients Best Sourdough Scones:

Dry Ingredients

All purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking powder
Salt
Unsalted butter– frozen. You want to use really cold butter to make tender scones.
Mix ins (chocolate chips, blueberries, dried cranberries, etc)

Wet Ingredients

Sourdough starter discard – You could also use an active starter, but it is not necessary to give this sourdough scone recipe rise.

Egg

Vanilla extract – Homemade or store-bought
Heavy cream – Milk can be substituted)

Topping (optional)

This gives it a nice golden color and crunchy sugar crust. Yum.

Heavy whipping cream
Coarse sugar

Tools Best Sourdough Scones:

Food processor or pastry blender (optional). You can also just use a fork.

Baking sheet

Large mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Cutting board

Knife

Rolling pin

Kitchen scale (optional)

Bench scraper is very handyCheese grater for grating the frozen butter.

Parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Cheese grater

How To Make Best Sourdough Scones:

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Grate frozen butter into the dry ingredients with a cheese grater and cut in with a pastry cutter. (You can also use your hands or a food processor). Add in the mix-ins and coat with flour. Set the bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
Add any add-ins desired into the butter flour mixture and mix gently.
Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Fluffy scones that have the perfect texture are created by lightly mixing the dough.
On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a circle about 8” in diameter. Cut the circle into 8 equal parts.
Place on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2” apart.
Put in the fridge for 30 minutes up to 3 days for a longer fermentation. They will not ferment much at 30 minutes, but after 3 days the grains should be nicely fermented. If fermenting for longer period, wrap in plastic wrap so they don’t dry out.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°.
Brush the top of the scones with cream and sprinkle with sugar. (Optional)
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with a glaze if desired. A lemon glaze is delicious.

Long Fermented Best Sourdough Scones

There are two ways to go about long-fermenting scones. You can make them as directed above, but before swapping and cutting, place them in a bowl with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The longer they are in the fridge, the more the grain gets fermented. My friend has done this and finds that 3 days was the perfect amount of refrigerator fermentation for her family to tolerate grains.

Another way to make them is by mixing flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Cut in butter using a fork or pastry blender.

Combine sourdough starter and cream.

Add the mixture to the flour mixture and mix until combined, being careful not to over mix.

Cover with a towel and allow to ferment at room temperature for 8-12 hours.

Sprinkle over baking powder, add egg, and any add-ins you would like. Knead together until just combined.

Shape and cut into equal slices.

Brush with cream.

Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes until the edges start to turn golden.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

Scone Add-In Ideas:

Chocolate chips
Coconut
Lemon zest
Orange zest
Dried fruit
Nuts
Cheddar cheese for a more savory scone. You could even chopped cooked bacon.
Berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or other fresh fruit.

Storage Best Sourdough Scones:

Score leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or store in the fridge up to a week. You can also freeze unbaked scones for about 3-4 weeks. A better option is to freeze after baking the scones. They will last up to 3 months.

Prep: 15minutes

Cook: 20minutes

Total: 35minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients Best Sourdough Scones

Dry Ingredients

▢2 cups all purpose flour
▢1/2 cup granulated sugar
▢1 tablespoon baking powder
▢1/2 teaspoons salt
▢1 stick unsalted butter, frozen
▢1 cup mix ins, chocolate chips, blueberries, dried cranberries

Wet Ingredients

▢1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
▢1 large egg
▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢3 tablespoons heavy cream, milk can be substituted

Topping (optional)

▢2 tablespoons heavy cream
▢3 tablespoons coarse sugar

Instructions Best Sourdough Scones

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Grate frozen butter into the dry ingredients with a cheese grater and cut in with a pastry cutter. (You can also use your hands or a food processor).
Add in the mix-ins and coat with flour. Set the bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a circle about 8” in diameter. Cut the circle into 8 equal parts.
Place on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2” apart.
Put in the fridge for 30 minutes up to 3 days for a longer fermentation. They will not ferment much at 30 minutes, but after 3 days the grains should be nicely fermented.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°.
Brush the top of the scones with cream and sprinkle with sugar. (Optional)
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

The key is to keep the scones very cold before baking so they don’t spread out. I put mine in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Also, it helps to use frozen butter, cold cream, and cold eggs. This also helps to make the scones more flaky.
If you want to long-ferment these scones, there are two ways to go about this. See below for two examples.
Freeze them totally baked for an easy and special breakfast any day of the week. Just pop them into the oven to reheat.