Classic Scone Recipe (Any flavor!)

These delicious sourdough scones are the perfect master scone recipe. They have a tender crumb on the inside and are the perfect base for all of your favorite add-ins. From blueberries to chocolate chips and everything in between, (sweet or savory!) this will be one of your favorite recipes.

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If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that baking sourdough has become a pillar of my personality LOL I keep sourdough starter in my refrigerator at all times and make a loaf 1-2 times a week. Next week we are traveling from sunny Florida back to New York, so as I prepare the winding down of our stay in Florida, I have been baking less. Therefore, needing less sourdough starter.

I wouldn't let me precious sourdough starter go to waste, so I was thinking of recipes to use the discard. After having a hankering for a scone and a recent addiction to raspberries, I found the perfect way to use it.

Don't have a sourdough starter? No problem. I have adapted this recipe to be used both way - with and without the use of sourdough starter.

As with sourdough bread, you can make these and bake right away, or ferment them for better digestibility! You can emake them up to three days in advance, just shape them, cut, and bake.

So, if you have a brunch coming up, or just a craving for scones, I know you'll love this recipe!

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Tips For Making Sourdough Scones

It is CRUCIAL that all ingredients are very cold before baking so that they puff up beautiful and don’t spread out flat. I put mine in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking. I also use frozen butter and pop my heavy cream and eggs in the freezer while I prep the rest of my ingredients.

Mix the dough as little as possible. Over-mixing will lead to tough, dense scones.

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Dry Ingredients

All purpose flour (I have seen recipes that call for half AP flour and half cake flour. Too fussy for me, as I didn't have cake flour on hand!)

Granulated sugar + coarse sugar for topping, optional

Baking powder

Salt

Unsalted butter– frozen. You want to use really cold butter to make tender scones. *Freeze your butter at least an hour in advance for easy grating!

Mix ins of your choice

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Wet Ingredients

Sourdough starter discard, if using

Egg

Vanilla extract, optional, depending on flavor choice

Heavy cream or milk

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How to Make Scones

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Pinch in the grated frozen butter. You can use a pastry cutter or 2 forks or your hands.

Whisk the wet ingredients together in a seperate bowl.

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients, plus any mix-ins. Mix together, then pour out onto the counter.

Form into a disc and cut into wedges. Rounds are an option as well, but there tends to be some dough wasted.

Brush with heavy cream or buttermilk. For a golden brown, extra crisp and crumbly exterior, brush with liquid before baking. And for extra crunch, a sprinkle of coarse sugar is always ideal!

Freeze for at least 30minutes. Keep scone dough as cold as possible. Or, you can even refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days for a quick breakfast in the morning!

Bake until golden brown. Scones bake in a relatively hot oven for only 20-25 minutes.

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How to Freeze Scones

Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, reducing the oven temperature to 375 degrees and adding 10 minutes to the bake time in the recipe below. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.

Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing or confectioners’ sugar. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave or on a baking sheet in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes.

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