These Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Scones are lightly sweet, full of pumpkin flavor and fall spices, and drizzled with a pumpkin glaze. They come together with just 20 minutes of hands-on time and are a perfect fall treat!
Why you'll love this recipe
- These scones come together with just 20 minutes of hands-on time.
- Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Scones and packed with pumkin flavor and fall spices, just like our favorite Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread!
- The drizzle of pumpkin glaze gives these scones a little added sweetness and even more pumpkin flavor.
- Scones are very customizable, and you can easily add your favorite mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, and more.
- Scones freeze well, so you can enjoy some now, and freeze the rest for later! Or freeze a batch in advance to bake later!
- This recipe is a variation of my Sourdough Discard Scones recipe.
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Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to bring these scones together.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and cold, straight from the refrigerator. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part flour and 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
- Unsalted butter: Likely the most important ingredient in this recipe! The butter should be frozen, and I recommend grating it on a box grater, rather than cubing or using a food processor to grate the butter (which you might do for something like a pie crust).
- Pumpkin purée: You can use store-bought (I like to use Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin) or homemade pumpkin purée. Chill the pumpkin purée in the refrigerator (in a bowl, not in the can) before adding to the dough.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - While it's not needed for leavening purposes, if you'd like to make this recipe with active sourdough starter, you can. To do so, replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You will not need to make any other changes to the recipe.
- Add chocolate chips - Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the mixture after you mix in the butter (and before the liquid ingredients). Continue with the recipe as written.
- If you like a chocolate kick, try this Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bread, too!
- Add walnuts or pecans - Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the mixture after you mix in the butter (and before the liquid ingredients). Continue with the recipe as written.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Scones
There are only a few key steps to bring this recipe together. The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Mix together the cold liquid ingredients until smooth, then place the bowl in the refrigerator. We want to keep this as cold as possible!
- Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Step 3: Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. Be very careful with your fingers here!
- Step 4: Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter, forks, or your hands to press the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized pieces.
- Step 5: Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir until a rough dough starts to form.
- Step 6: Transfer the dough to a smooth work surface and gather and press it together, lightly kneading until a smooth dough forms. The dough will be slightly sticky.
- Step 7: Press the dough into a disk, then cut into 8 equal-size pieces.
- Step 8: Transfer the pieces to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes.
- Step 9: Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, then bake until set and browning at the edges.
- Step 10: Let the scones cool, then drizzle with the pumpkin glaze and serve!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use metric measurements for at least the flour and sourdough discard. These are two ingredients where there can be a huge variation in using cups vs. metric measurements. Using a kitchen scale for metric measurements for at least these two ingredients will set you on the right path!
- Keep the liquid ingredients as cold as possible. Use sourdough discard straight from the refrigerator (instead of room temperature), cold eggs, and cold milk. You'll also want to refrigerate the pumpkin purée (in a bowl, not in the can).
- Freeze your butter and use a box grater to grate it. BE CAREFUL. While I find this is the best way to grate butter, it's slippery and the grater is unforgiving for your fingers (speaking from experience on that one!).
- Incorporate the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, forks, or your hands. It's more than just tossing the butter with the flour mixture. You want to end up with fairly uniform pea-size (or smaller) pieces of butter throughout.
- This is a similar technique to making Sourdough Discard Pie Crust.
- Freeze the scones for 20 minutes before baking to help prevent spreading too much in the oven.
Common Scone Challenges
There are a few common challenges that can come up with scones. Below are a few ways to help work through those:
- Scones are falling over: If your scones are rising, but then falling over in the oven, make sure the cuts you're making are as straight as possible. If you're making any twisting motions with your knife, or cutting unevenly, that can cause your scone to be uneven and fall over. They'll still be delicious, though!
- Scones are spreading too much: If your scones are spreading too much while baking, make sure your ingredients are as cold as possible, and your butter is frozen. Also, don't skip the freezer step for 20 minutes before baking!
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: Once cooled, store the scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. You can reheat the scones in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make them warm and soft again.
Freezer Storage: You can freeze the scones before or after baking.
- Freezing after baking: Once cooled, transfer the scones to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave for about 60 seconds to make warm and soft again.
- Freezing before baking: If you want to bake the scones later, you can freeze the dough. After cutting the scones to shape, place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let them freeze until firm. Then transfer the frozen scones into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, place the frozen scones on a baking sheet and bake as directed, adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Recipe FAQs
Are your metric measurements accurate, or are they auto-populated?
They're accurate! I use the metric measurements for my own baking, especially with the flour and sourdough discard, so I recommend you do the same! There can be such a huge variation in cups measurements, particularly for those two ingredients.
Can I add chocolate chips (or other mix-ins) to these scones?
Yes, you can! Try adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the mixture after you mix in the butter (and before the liquid ingredients). You'll then continue with the recipe as written.
More Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Scones or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Scones
Lightly sweet scones that are full of pumpkin flavor and fall spices, and drizzled with a pumpkin glaze. A perfect fall treat!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard cold, straight from the refrigerator
- ½ cup pumpkin purée chilled
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter frozen
For Topping
- 1 egg whisked with 1 Tablespoon water for egg wash
- 1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk non-dairy or regular dairy
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin purée
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cold sourdough discard, chilled pumpkin purée*, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Place the bowl in the refrigerator (we want to keep the ingredients as cold as possible!).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. Be careful with your fingers as you're doing this!Add the grated butter to the flour mixture, and incorporate using a pastry cutter, forks, or your hands. Press the butter into the flour until you have a coarse mixture with approximately pea-sized butter pieces.
- Pour the cold liquid mixture into the flour mixture and use a large spatula to stir until a rough dough forms. It will seem really dry, but resist adding more liquid at this point. Transfer the dough to a work surface, then gather and press it together, lightly kneading until the dough comes together into a ball and no dry spots remain. The dough will feel slightly sticky, but not to the point that it's sticking to your hands and hard to work with. Gather the dough into a ball. If your dough seems too sticky, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough seems manageable.
- Lightly flour your work surface, then flatten the dough into a disk about 8 inches in diameter. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 roughly equal-size pieces. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet with the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
- After freezing, brush the scones with egg wash, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until set and browning at the edges (the internal temperature of the baked scones should be 200℉ / 95℃).
- While the scones cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk, and pumpkin purée. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and serve.
Notes
1 serving = 1 scone.
To make this recipe with active sourdough starter, replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You do not need to change any other ingredients in the recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 199mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 2gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 3094IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg
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Jessica Vogl says
So flavorful and perfect for fall!