Looking for the perfect way to use extra sourdough discard? Try these cranberry sourdough discard scones with a sweet orange glaze. Golden brown on the outside with a light and fluffy crumb, the scones are ideal for breakfast, brunch, or a quick snack.
Key Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the base for the scones. You can use whole wheat or gluten-free flour, though I haven’t tested the recipe with those variations.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar adds the right amount of sweetness to the scone batter.
- Baking Powder: The baking powder and unfed sourdough starter help the scones rise without using yeast.
- Sea Salt: Use sea salt to balance the sweetness of the scones.
- Butter: Cold or frozen butter is best for buttery, flaky scones with the perfect layers.
- Cranberry Orange: Mix dried cranberries and fresh orange zest into the batter.
- Sourdough Discard: Unfed sourdough discard is all you need for these scones—no feeding required. Just use it straight from the jar. If your discard has been in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before using it since cold discard can impact how the scones bake.
- Heavy Cream: Include heavy whipping cream for extra tender scones.
- Turbinado Sugar: Top the breakfast scones with turbinado sugar.
Get Creative with Mix-Ins
Savory Mix-Ins
Consider leaving out the white sugar or reducing the amount for savory scone recipes.
Fresh Herbs: Mix fresh rosemary, thyme, chives, or chopped parsley leaves into the dough batter.
Cheese: Incorporate shredded cheddar cheese, Gruyère, or crumbled feta cheese.
Meat & Veggies: Add roasted bell peppers, minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, or caramelized onions, or include crispy bacon bits, diced ham, or crumbled sausage.
Spices: Flavor the scones with your favorite spices— try Italian seasoning, dried herbs, garlic powder, or red pepper flakes.
Sweet Additions for Scones
I love pairing dried cranberries with fresh orange zest, but here are a few more sweet mix-ins you can try!
Fresh Fruit: Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, diced apples, and apricots are a tasty addition to scones.
Zests: Swap out the orange zest for lime or lemon zest.
Chocolate: Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, or dark chocolate chunks.
Spices: Balance the flavor of the sweeter scones with warm spices like ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom powder, or ground ginger.
Additions and Substitutions
- Swap the sweetener. Naturally sweeten the scones with honey, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar. Or try brown sugar, honey lavender simple syrup, or cardamom simple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
Tools You’ll Need
Cut the cold or frozen butter using a sharp knife. Combine the flour and butter in a food processor or mix them in a large bowl using a pastry cutter or fork.
Incorporate the flour and butter with the wet ingredients using clean hands, a dough whisk, or a stand mixer with a dough attachment.
Press the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into even wedges with a knife or bench scraper. Then, bake the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
How Make Sourdough Discard Scones
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cold butter to a food processor with a dough blade.
Step 2: Pulse the food processor 6 times until the mixture is crumbly with large butter pieces. Follow that up with 12 quick pulses and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the orange zest and dried cranberries. Set it aside.
Step 3: Whisk the sourdough discard and heavy cream in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and use a dough whisk to form a shaggy dough.
Step 4: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a sticky dough.
Step 5: Press the dough with clean hands into an 8-inch circle that’s 1 inch thick. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into eight wedges.
Step 6: Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar.
Step 7: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.
Preparation Tip
If your scones come out a bit misshapen, gently reshape them with a silicone spatula while they’re still warm.
Step 8: Meanwhile, whisk the ingredients for the orange glaze in a small bowl. Once the scones cool, drizzle them with orange glaze.
Tips for Making the Best Sourdough Scones
- Use a room-temperature starter. There’s no need to feed the starter but bring the sourdough discard to room temperature before using it. If you store your starter in the fridge, remove it 30 minutes before baking.
- Keep the butter cold. Cold or frozen butter is essential—it melts in the oven, creating steam to help the scones rise and form irresistibly fluffy layers. Cut the butter into small cubes or grate it with a cheese grater before mixing it into the dough for even distribution.
- Properly cut the butter. Use a food processor, pastry cutter, forks, or clean hands to combine the butter and flour into pea-sized crumbles.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Combine the ingredients to form the dough, but don’t overdo it. Overmixing activates the gluten in the dough, leading to denser scones.
- Press out the dough. Skip the rolling pin. Gently press the dough with your hands to preserve the layers.
- Adjust for high elevation. Increase the cooking time for higher elevation, and bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes.
Enjoy the sourdough discard scones? Check out these brunch recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Warm scones in the morning with a hot beverage? Cozy as it gets. Pair the orange cranberry sourdough discard scones with coffee or herbal tea as a quick breakfast treat.
Serve the buttery scones with other brunch recipes to feed a crowd. Finish the spread with a charcuterie board, fresh fruit, egg casserole, crispy bacon, or sausage.
What To Do With Leftovers
Sourdough discard scones are perfect for meal prep! You can store or freeze the baked scones for a quick grab-and-go breakfast and pop them in the oven to reheat.
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or keep them in the fridge for one week.
- Freeze (Before Baking): Flash-freeze the dough wedges on a baking sheet for 1 hour. Once they harden, transfer the unbaked scones to a freezer-safe bag or container.
- Freeze (After Baking): Let the scones cool and store them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Sourdough discard scones freeze for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the scones in the refrigerator overnight or bake them from frozen.
- Reheat: Warm the scones in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 10-15 minutes. If you bake the scones from frozen, add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is sourdough discard good for?
Store the sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely as long as there is no visible mold. Over time, it might develop a grayish liquid on top, known as “hooch,” which can be poured off.
What does sourdough discard do for scones?
Incorporating sourdough discard into scone recipes adds a slightly tangy flavor and increases the tenderness of the crumb.
What is the difference between sourdough starter and discard?
If you’re new to sourdough baking, the difference between active starter and sourdough discard can be confusing. An active sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that has been fed (given more flour and water) and left to ferment until bubbly and doubled in size.
Sourdough discard is any starter removed or discarded when feeding and maintaining an active starter– especially since a mature sourdough starter needs to be fed flour and water routinely to keep it active.
What is the texture of a scone?
Scones are like a perfect cross between a cookie and cake with crumbly edges and a soft, tender center. Homemade sourdough discard scones, though? Nothing better than that!
Sourdough Discard Scones
- Small Bowl
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- turbinado sugar, for garnish
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cold butter to a food processor with a dough blade.
- Pulse the food processor 6 times until the mixture is crumbly with large butter pieces. Follow that up with 12 quick pulses and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the orange zest and dried cranberries. Set it aside.
- Whisk the sourdough discard and heavy cream in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and use a dough whisk to form a shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a sticky dough.
- Press the dough with clean hands into an 8-inch circle that's 1 inch thick. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into eight wedges.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk the ingredients for the orange glaze in a small bowl. Once the scones cool, drizzle them with orange glaze.
- Use a room-temperature starter. There’s no need to feed the starter but bring the sourdough discard to room temperature before using it. If you store your starter in the fridge, remove it 30 minutes before baking.
- Keep the butter cold. Cold or frozen butter is essential—it melts in the oven, creating steam to help the scones rise and form irresistibly fluffy layers. Cut the butter into small cubes or grate it with a cheese grater before mixing it into the dough for even distribution.
- Properly cut the butter. Use a food processor, pastry cutter, forks, or clean hands to combine the butter and flour into pea-sized crumbles.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Combine the ingredients to form the dough, but don’t overdo it. Overmixing activates the gluten in the dough, leading to denser scones.
- Press out the dough. Skip the rolling pin. Gently press the dough with your hands to preserve the layers.
- Adjust for high elevation. Increase the cooking time for higher elevation, and bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes.
Sydni
Monday 15th of January 2024
The scones were amazing!!! I tried Trader Joe’s holiday scones that are similar to these and I wanted to make them myself with sourdough discard. This was EVEN better than TJ’s scones! So fluffy and full of flavor! I’ll definitely will be on the look out for more sourdough recipes by Tressa!👀😍
Tressa Jamil
Tuesday 16th of January 2024
Oooo, high praise! I am so happy they worked out for you. Have you tried these https://recipestheywant.com/sourdough-banana-muffins/ ? I also have a bagel recipe I have been working on that I hope to post soon.