Soft and flaky sourdough scone recipe. This is a great way to use that leftover discard. They are easy to make and are best when served warm with some butter and raspberry jam.
A sourdough starter is such a great ingredient. There is nothing better than fresh, homemade sourdough bread.
That's not all a starter can make either! I love using my sourdough starter in fun and different ways. This scone recipe is one of my favorites and I'm certain you will enjoy it as well.
Scones are very easy to make and call for basic ingredients. This is a classic scone recipe with the addition of a sourdough starter.
The discard paired with some baking soda and cold butter gives the best flaky textured scones. A perfect pairing with your morning coffee.
Need other discard recipes? Check out my others recipes that use a sourdough starter discard. Things like:
And so many more discard recipes...
Ingredients
The key to a good scone is very cold butter and heavy cream.
Top Tips: I always like to first chop the butter into really small pieces and place it in the freezer until ready to use.
Butter and Milk: Make sure the dairy ingredients are keep chilled until right before they are used. They should be as cold as possible.
Sourdough Starter: Use an inactive, unfed sourdough starter. Because scones rely on butter to give them the flakiness and this repine also has baking powder, an active starter isn't necessary.
How to Make
Prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Start off by cutting the butter into really small cubes. Then, place in the fridge or freezer to keep very cold.
You can also use a cheese grater and grate the butter into really small pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Start off with a cup of starter and whisk in the heavy cream.
Whisk to fully incorporate.
Add in the egg and vanilla extract then whisk until full combined.
Using a pastry cutter, combine the butter into the flour mix.
Continue cutting the butter until it's mixed into the flour and in small pieces.
Pour the liquid mix into the dry mix and with a spatula or wooden spoon, stir to bring it into a wet dough.
TIP: Try to work quickly with the dough and not handle it too much. The heat from your hands will warm up the cream and butter which will effect how it bakes.
Turn the scone dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough a couple of times, just to make sure everything is completley mixed tighter.
It should be a slightly sticky dough.
Then, press the dough into an 8-inch round circle. Make it as even as possible.
Then, taking a bench scraper, or sharp knife, cut into 8 equal triangles.
You can cut smaller pieces, just adjust the baking time as they will cook faster.
Move the scones to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
Serve warm with some soft butter and your favorite raspberry jam.
Equipment
Pastry Cutter: A pastry cutter is a great tool for working butter into the dough without needing to handle it.
Bench Scraper: The best tool for cutting and transferring the scone dough.
Parchment Paper: To prevent the scones from sticking to the baking sheet.
Storage
Leftover scones can be kept in an airtight container for 4-5 days. After that, they will start to dry out.
These scones are best served warm. Microwave for 10-20 seconds on a microwave-safe plate until warm.
Variations
Regular Scones: Don't have a sourdough starter? Don't worry! Try these blueberry scones instead.
Add-ins: Add your favorite flavors like orange zest, lemon zest, or even chocolate chips.
Sweeter scone: If you want your scone even sweeter, brush on a layer of heavy cream then sprinkle the top of the scones with coarse sugar.
Do you love sourdough? Join my Facebook sourdough community where you can share what your baking and get your questions answered.
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Recipe
Sourdough Discard Scones
Ingredients
- 2.5 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter Cold
- 1 Cup Sourdough Discard
- ¾ Cup Heavy Cream Cold
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Prepare a baking tray by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the butter into really small cubes. About ¼". Then, place in the fridge or freezer to keep very cold until ready to use. A cheese grater can also be used.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Start off with a cup of starter and whisk in the heavy cream. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue to whisk it all together.
- Using a pastry cutter, combine the butter into the flour mix.
- Continue cutting the butter until it's mixed into the flour and in small pieces.
- Pour the liquid mix into the dry mix and with a spatula or wooden spoon, stir to bring it into a wet dough.
- TIP: Try to work quickly with the dough and not handle it too much. The heat from your hands will warm up the cream and butter which will effect how it bakes.
- Turn the scone dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead the dough a couple of times, just to make sure everything is completley mixed tighter.
- It should be a slightly sticky dough.
- Then, press the dough into an 8-inch round circle. Make it as even as possible.
- Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut into 8 equal triangles. You can cut smaller pieces, just adjust the baking time as they will cook faster.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
- Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
- Serve warm with some soft butter and your favorite raspberry jam.
Notes
- Thee key to a good scone is very cold butter and heavy cream.
- I always like to first chop the butter into really small pieces and place it in the freezer until ready to use.
- Make sure the cream is cold as well. Room temperature ingredients will result in flat and dense scones.
- Work quickly with the dough and limit how much it's being handled.
- Warm hands will quickly melt the butter and warm the dough up, which will result in a more flat scone.
I have a question, what does the egg do to the recipe? I haven’t seen a scone recipe with egg befor.
Hi Sofia, thank you for your question. I've made scones with and without and for this particular recipe I really felt like it needed it. The egg added to the overall texture and rise to the scone. Without the egg, it just felt a little too dense. I think that has to do with using sourdough discard. If an active starter is used the egg might not be necessary. I hope that is helpful.