Sourdough Scones
Sourdough Scones have a special flavor and the perfect scone texture. A proper scone should neither be too biscuit-y nor too muffiny, but should fall somewhere between the two. A little sourdough discard is all you need to make the best scones ever.
As I mentioned in my post for English Scones, my basic scone recipe is adapted from a recipe given to me by a British mum. I used that recipe for 7 years when I worked in a British tea shop.
I made adjustments to the original recipe so it could work in a US kitchen with US ingredients and measurements. I can tell you I get great feedback from everyone who tastes these scones.
Now, I’ve made these scones even better by adding a little sourdough discard to the recipe.
If you don’t already have one, I can show you how to make a sourdough starter and how to feed a sourdough starter.
How to make Sourdough Scones
- Mix the sourdough discard into the buttermilk.
- Pour the buttermilk & discard into the flour base.
- Toss until almost combined
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
- Knead a couple of times to bring the dough together.
- Brush the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar before baking.
- Bake until the scones are golden brown.
Pastry Chef Tips for making Sourdough Scones
- Use real buttermilk if you can. The tangy flavor and tenderizing acidity works perfectly with the sourdough discard to make these the best scones ever. Buttermilk substitutes will work, but the real thing gives the best flavor.
- Mix the dough by hand. Mixing by hand ensures that you won’t over mix the dough and form too much gluten.
- Pat the dough by hand instead of using a rolling pin. This also ensures that the dough won’t be over worked.
- To work ahead, mix the recipe until the point where you add the buttermilk. Later you can mix the dough, roll, cut and bake.
Storage
Scones are best the day they are baked. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost and then warm in the oven to get the best texture. Do not refrigerate scones.
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
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Sourdough Scone Recipe
Ingredients
- 22 ½ oz unbleached all purpose flour ( 4 ½ cups, see note)
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 4 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 oz unsalted butter (cold, cut into 1″ chunks)
- 8 oz buttermilk (1 cup)
- 8 oz sourdough discard (1 cup)
- 2 eggs
- Demerara Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line two ½ sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 22 ½ oz unbleached all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 4 oz granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss in 6 oz unsalted butter chunks. Mix in the butter until the bits are the size of a pea.
- Whisk together 8 oz buttermilk, 8 oz sourdough discard and 2 eggs. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and mix until just barely combined. Some loose flour may remain at the bottom of the bowl. DON'T OVER MIX.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface and finish kneading by hand just until all the loose flour is absorbed. Use your hands to pat the dough until it is ¾" thick. Use a 2½"-3" biscuit cutter to cut scones. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until all the dough is used.
- Line the scones onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1" space between. Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with Demerara or granulated sugar.
- Bake on the middle racks of the oven, flipping the trays after 10 minutes (see note). The scones are ready when they are golden brown and sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. Total baking time 15-20 minutes.
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Suggestions on how to use discard and rhubarb? Maybe a quick bread? Thanks.
Sadly, I haven’t been able to get any rhubarb in the market this year, so no testing for new rhubarb recipes. In the meantime, you can make a Rhubarb Pie or Rhubarb Crumb Pie using my Sourdough Pie Crust.
Firstly, I followed the recipe except I halved the sugar as I don’t like scones too sweet. The scones turned out great moist and fluffy as a good scone should be! However, 2 tablespoons is a ton of baking powder. I can really taste it in the finished product. Any way around this?
You can use less baking powder. The scones won’t be as light but you’d have to test and adjust the recipe to get it to your taste.
This is a bit of a large quantity for my wee family. Would it be possible to cut the recipe in half.
Yes, certainly. You can also bake and freeze extras. That’s what I do since it’s just the two of us. Just defrost and warm a bit in the oven.
Yay! Love this easy recipe. They are (were!) delicious. I had a question about add-ins/flavors. I was thinking about making orange scones and considering whether I could sub some of buttermilk with OJ and add in some orange zest. Thoughts?
Also, if I were to add berries or currants, would I just toss into the dry ingredients before adding the liquids?
Thanks.
Instead of orange juice, I would use orange zest. The zest has more orange flavor because of the oil. The buttermilk adds richness that you might miss with just orange juice. Dry current or raisins can be tossed into the dry ingredients. Fresh berries should be gently folded in after the wet ingredients are added.
Thanks. They were perfection. I halved the recipe and grated the zest of one orange into the liquid and added 1/3 cup of currants. Amazing! Thank you so much.
You are welcome.
I added fresh raspberries and they were perfection!
I was wondering if I wanted use this recipe and make them salted Carmel ( little crunchy on top) any suggestions. Thanks
Do you want to mix caramel into the dough or just sprinkle sugar/salt on top and then caramelize like a brulee?