Sourdough Discard Scones (Base Recipe)

Sourdough Discard Scones are incredibly customizable, and this base recipe is ideal for mixing in your favorite add-ins! They're delicious on their own, drizzled with a little bit of icing, or with add-ins like chocolate chips or blueberries. They're only lightly sweet and make a great afternoon snack or treat to eat with a cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients

The secret to this recipe is keeping the ingredients cold, but there are only a few key things you will need.

• Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and cold, straight from the refrigerator. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter that uses 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 making a homemade 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).
• Add-ins (optional): Think about any add-ins you might like to incorporate, like chocolate chips, lemon zest, blueberries, cranberries, and more.

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. I highly encourage you to make these your own and try different add-ins!

• Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to use active sourdough starter instead of discard, you can! You would not change any of the other ingredients or directions. Replace sourdough discard with active starter in a 1:1 substitute.
• 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.
• Add blueberries - Add ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries to the mixture after you mix in the butter (and before the liquid ingredients). Continue with the recipe as written. Keep in mind, fresh blueberries will release a lot of liquid, so your dough may be wetter and potentially a bit sticky after adding the berries. If needed, add a bit more flour (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the dough seems too sticky.
  • If you're in a blueberry mood, you might also like these Sourdough Discard Blueberry Bagels!
• Add lemon or orange zest - For a citrus kick, add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon or orange zest after you have mixed in the butter. Continue with the recipe as written. You might also like this Sourdough Lemon Loaf Cake!

I have not tested this recipe with other variations, but if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments! I always love to hear how you're adapting these recipes and use those as ideas for future recipes as well!

How to make Sourdough Discard Scones

There are only a few steps, but working quickly and keeping the ingredients (and dough) as cold as possible is important! The full recipe with ingredients is at the bottom of this post.

1. Step 1: Whisk together the liquid ingredients until smooth, then place the mixture in the refrigerator. We want to keep this as cold as possible!

2. Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Step 3: Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a cheese grater. Be careful! The cheese grater is not forgiving with fingers...

4. Step 4: Using your hands, a pastry cutter, or forks, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. Then add the liquid mixture and use a spatula to stir until a rough dough forms.

5. Step 5: Gather and press the dough, lightly kneading until the dough comes together. Press the dough into an 8-inch disk.

6. Step 6: Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. Making the cuts as straight as possible is important here so the scones don't fall over when baking! Freeze the scones for 20 minutes.

7. Step 7: Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

8. Step 8: Bake until golden and browning at the edges.

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!

Are you having other challenges with your scones? Let us know in the comments and we can help work through it together!

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 dough into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 weeks. 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.

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