Sourdough Discard Scones

Sourdough Discard Scones

Don’t throw away sourdough discard! Use it make sourdough discard scones with chocolate chips and chocolate drizzle in just 30 minutes.

Buttermilk and our technique of cutting the cold butter into the flour mixture make for the most tender scones. They are just as quick as our sourdough biscuits and as delicious as sourdough discard cinnamon rolls.

Key Ingredients

If you keep sourdough starter on hand, most of the ingredients are pantry staples. Here are a few tips:

• All-purpose flour. This sourdough discard scone recipe calls for all-purpose flour, keeping it simple. Cake flour can lead to slightly more tender scones, but all-purpose flour gives them the perfect structure.
• Baking soda. This is a 30 minute scone recipe (no long-fermentation!), so you’ll need baking soda to give rise to the scones.
• Cream of tartar. Rather than adding baking powder, I chose to use cream of tartar, which reacts with the baking soda to give a light, airy texture to the scones. Don’t skip this recipe! Cream of tartar can also help add to the slightly tangy flavor.
• Buttermilk. Whole milk buttermilk is a must. Make your own by placing ½ teaspoon of white vinegar in a ½ cup measuring cup, then filling the rest with whole milk. It will curdle as it sits and create a similar flavor.

How to Make Sourdough Discard Scones

It’s important to keep ingredients cold when making scones. Especially butter! Because if the butter is cold, it will melt in the dough during baking, creating pockets of fluffy texture. Refrigerate or freeze a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes to get it cold. Then preheat the oven to 425ºF.

• In the refrigerated bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, sugar and salt.
• Cut the cold butter into small cubes (or use a cheese grater and grate the cold butter) and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter in with the flour mixture until the butter is mostly mixed in. It is okay if there are small pieces of butter. Feel the flour mixture with your fingers and “snap” any large chunks of butter between your fingers to make them smaller.
• Make a well in the flour in the center of the bowl. Add the sourdough discard, beaten egg, buttermilk to the well.
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix just until blended, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Dust a pastry mat with flour. Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface. Turn the dough over again over so the floured side is up. Shape a disk that is about 1 ¼ inches thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the disk into 8 triangles, as if you were cutting a pie.
• Place the scones on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or a nonstick baking mat. Bake immediately for 12 minutes. Allow the scones to cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to melt in 10 second increments until the chocolate is fully melted. Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the sourdough discard scones. Immediately sprinkle coarse sugar on top. Allow the chocolate to set.

• Freeze Unbaked Scones

  You can have a freshly baked sourdough discard scone any morning you desire by freezing the cut, unbaked scones. Here’s how to do it:

  • Cut the Scones. Prepare and cut the scone dough as usual.
  • Flash Freeze. Place the unbaked scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ensuring they aren’t touching. Freeze them for about 1-2 hours, or until firm.
  • Transfer and Freeze.Move the frozen scones to a zip-top freezer bag or wrapped in plastic wrap. Label with the date. They’ll stay fresh and ready to bake.
  • Bake from Frozen. No need to thaw! Just place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Or, you can let them thaw in the fridge overnight.
  • Adjust Bake Time. Add a few extra minutes (usually 3-5 minutes) to the standard baking time. Bake at the same temperature as the original recipe.\

Sourdough Discard Scones

Ingredients