Use some of your sourdough discard to make these delicious scones!
They're buttery, rich, and have the most deliciously crisp exterior. Don't skip the turbinado sugar topping - it adds the perfect crunch!
I started making scones on the regular to go with our Bonne Maman jam advent calendar, and now I cannot stop. I've created a bunch of scone monsters in my house and they MUST BE FED.
These are so easy to make and so convenient to make ahead, they've become a go-to. They're good plain, but even better slathered with jam (and we should know, we've done it almost 24 days straight for the last two years).
Oh, also if ever you're in charge of a brunch item for a bunch of people, you can make mini versions of these and (best of all!) bake them the night before.
Using discard in scones
There's ½ cup of discard here for 16 scones, so while it's not a ton, it's enough to give these just a hint of sourdough flavor.
You can use discard that's been in your fridge for a while, fresh discard, or anything in between. As long as it smells like something you'd want to eat, it's fair game!
(For more sourdough discard recipes, see here.)
How to make scones
To make scones you'll:
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- Cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Form the dough into discs.
- Cut the discs into wedges.
- Chill.
- Top with heavy cream + coarse sugar.
- Bake.
The dough
I do all of this in my food processor, which makes prep time take a quick 10 minutes. The very first step is to chop up the butter and put it in the freezer to get extra chilled. Then, blitz together the dry ingredients in the food processor. The butter goes in and pulse the food processor until it's in pea-size pieces. Then, dump it all into a large bowl, tapping out as much of the dry ingredients as possible.
Then, add the discard, milk, and egg to the food processor (don't bother wiping it out!) and run it until it's all combined. Add most of the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. If there's still dry flour, pour the rest in and work it until it's evenly moistened. Stop working the dough as soon as it is!
If you don't have a food processor, you can most definitely still make these! Combine the dry ingredients, then use a box grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk together the discard, milk, and eggs in a separate bowl, then add into the dry ingredients.
Cutting Triangle Scones
Then, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Flatten each half into a roughly 6-inch disc and use a bench scraper or a large knife to cut into 8 triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for at least 15 minutes, up to 24 hours.
Baking
After the cut scones have chilled, they're ready to prep for baking! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While that's happening, brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream (or milk), and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Don't skip the heavy cream and coarse sugar! They make these so crisp and the sugar is the perfect crunch.
Bake on the middle rack for 18-24 minutes, until they're baked through and browned to your liking.
Hot tips for scones
Scones are so easy to make once you get the hang of them. There are a few things that are particularly key to success:
- Cold is key! You want EVERYTHING here to be as cold as you can keep it, particularly the butter. Freeze the butter before using it, don't skip the chill time, and any time you need to pause scone making to tend to something else, just pop things in the fridge.
- Don't overwork the dough when adding the wet ingredients to the dry! This will develop the gluten and give you tough scones. Mix just until the flour is moistened, then proceed to cutting.
- Chill the dough before baking. This will reduce spread and give you crispier scones.
Add ins
This is a basic scone recipe that is delicious on its own and really lets any jams or spreads shine, but really you can think of this as a "base" recipe that you can add to to your liking. Here are some ideas for mix-ins. The sky is the limit!
- Chocolate chip
- Blueberry
- Cinnamon chip
- Cranberry
- Cherry
- White chocolate
Sourdough Scones (with discard!)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chopped
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- For topping: heavy cream + coarse sugar
Directions
- To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse 10-12 times, until butter is in pea-sized pieces and evenly spread throughout the dry ingredients. Transfer to a medium bowl, knocking out as much of the dry ingredients as you can from the food processor, and refrigerate. Return the food processor bowl and blade to the machine, and add in the discard, milk, egg, and vanilla. Run the machine until the wet ingredients are well combined and frothy. You may need to scrape down the sides or bottom of the bowl. Pour about ⅔ of the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir to distribute evenly. You may find it easier to mix by hand at this point. Add the remaining liquid until there is no dry flour. If it's getting too sticky, don't add any more. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Once it's evenly moist and there are no wet bits of flour left, you're ready to move on.Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a round disc about 6-inches wide. Cut each disc into 8 pieces, for a total of 16 scones. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. You should refrigerate for at least 15 minute, but can leave unbaked scones in the fridge for up to 24 hours.When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream, and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake for 18-25 minutes, until cooked through and tops are crisp and browned. Cool for a few minutes before serving.Leftover will keep at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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