Blueberry sourdough scones are easy to make and make a delicious snack. They’re wonderfully light and moist—not dry and dense like other scones. The starter gives them the perfect rise and flavor. This sourdough discard scone recipe will quickly be added to your breakfast lineup!
If you love baking with sourdough, don’t miss our sourdough bread sandwich recipe, it’s a crowd favorite! And also check our sourdough cookie recipe for rich, chewy chocolate chip cookies that are just as irresistible!
Content Covered Here
Why We Love This Recipe
- Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
This tasty dessert is the perfect recipe for a morning or afternoon bite.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, make these cranberry almond scones instead! You can also try this white soda bread. - Quick and easy.
With just a few ingredients to combine, these sourdough blueberry scones are great for whipping up a light snack. - Sweet and tart lemon icing.
Probably the best part of these scones is the lemon icing! It’s perfectly balanced between sweet and tart.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Active Sourdough starter – fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe.
When we say active, we mean a mature starter that is at least a week old and always doubles in size within 4-6 hours of feeding. It doesn’t mean you need to use it at the peak activity after a feeding. - Flour: Unbleached all-purpose flour is used in this recipe, but you could substitute it for bread flour if you needed to.
- Salt: Kosher salt is best for baking. It provides a consistent saltiness. If you need to substitute this with sea salt or table salt, use 1/2 teaspoon.
- Baking powder: This helps the sourdough scones rise. Don’t confuse it with baking soda! There’s really no substitute for this essential ingredient.
- Sugar: Don’t skip the sugar, it not only adds a touch of sweetness, but it helps provide structure to these baked goods. I recommend using pure cane sugar.
- Butter: It’s essential to use cold butter. When the cold butter and heavy cream of the dough meet the high heat of the oven, it helps provide a tall rise for the scones.
- Dried blueberries: The liquid from the starter and cream will plump these up for the perfect bite. You can use fresh blueberries though with the thick batter, they may break during mixing. I recommend gently folding in fresh berries at the end of mixing.
- Heavy cream: This makes the scones soft and moist. Do not substitute with milk or light cream.
- Confectioners’ sugar: also called powdered sugar, it makes the perfect icing. There is no substitute for it!
- Lemon extract: A little lemon extract goes a long way in these sourdough discard scones. You can use lemon juice in place of the extract.
What is sourdough discard?
Sourdough discard is what is typically taken from a sourdough starter before it’s fed. We like to use this discard in our recipes. In fact, every sourdough recipe at The Feathered Nester has been tested with starters fed 12 hours prior (not a true discard) and ones fed 24 hours (what would be a discard).
Use your discard for a variety of recipes! Check out our sourdough flatbread as well as our list of sourdough discard recipes for ways to help use your discard when you’re not baking bread. Find plenty of creative and tasty recipe ideas in our sourdough discard recipes!
How to Make Our Sourdough Discard Scone Recipe
- Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter.
The butter needs to be cut into small pea-sized pieces; the best method is using a pastry cutter or two forks.
You want to avoid using your hands since it’s crucial to keep the butter as cold as possible, and the heat from your hands can warm it.
- Stir in the blueberries and the sourdough starter.
Using a wooden spoon, gently stir in the dried blueberries and the sourdough starter until it’s completely mixed.
There will be lumps and that’s ok!
- Pour in the cream until you have the right consistency.
Since the liquidity of your starter can vary depending on its hydration level, you may need a little less or more cream.
Stir it into the dough until it’s easy to handle without being too sticky.
- Cut the dough into a pie shape.
Flour the counter and pat the dough into a thick circle.
Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into equal pieces like a pie.
- Bake the blueberry sourdough scones.
Place the pie wedges on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper about one inch apart to allow for spreading.
Brush the tops with the remaining cream and bake until perfectly golden brown. Remember to drizzle the tops with the delicious lemon icing before serving.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe needs the discard for that classic sourdough flavor. However, if you don’t have anyone, you can make our Cranberry Almond Scones instead.
Yes, you can use any dried fruit! We recommend cherries, cranberries, or golden raisins.
The liquid in the sourdough starter determines how much cream you need to add to get the right consistency. The dough should be moist and tacky.
Store leftover sourdough blueberry scones in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days.
You can also freeze scones for a delicious make-ahead snack. After baking, let them cool. Then, store the sourdough scones in an air-tight, freezer-safe container with the date. Use within three months.
To thaw, let them sit on the counter for a few hours or reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm them.
More Breakfast Recipes To Love…
- Cottage Cheese and Fruit Cups
- Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Sourdough Breakfast
- Chocolate Chip and Banana Pancakes
If you tried this blueberry sourdough scones recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Blueberry Sourdough Scones
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
- parchment paper or silicone baking sheet
- medium mixing bowl
- hand mixer or stand mixer (optional)
- 1 knife or bench scraper
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons cold butter
- ½ cup dried blueberries or substitute dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins
- ⅓ cup heavy or whipping cream (do not substitute with milk)
Icing glaze (optional)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons cream (can substitute with melted butter)
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract (can substitute with lemon juice)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet and sprinkle with flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Use clean hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks crumbly with some pea-sized bits of butter.
- Mix in the dried blueberries until evenly mixed throughout. Add the sourdough starter, stirring to combine.
- Set mixer to low and drizzle in the cream, starting with 1/4 cup and increasing a tablespoon at a time. Add just enough for the dough to come together. The amount needed depends on the liquidity and hydration of your starter. Once the dough comes together in a ball and holds its shape it has enough cream.
- Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Use clean hands to pat it into a disc shape, roughly 5 inches wide by 1 inch thick. Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 6 wedges. Add 1 inch of space between the wedges to allow for expansion during baking. Brush the tops of the scones with remaining cream.
- Bake the scones for 18 to 20 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove the scones from the oven, and let cool on the pan for a few minutes. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Icing Glaze (optional)
- Whisk together confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and extract until the glaze is smooth.Drizzle over the top of the scones with a large tablespoon, letting it run over the sides slightly.
Notes
To thaw, let them sit on the counter for a few hours or reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm them.
Nutrition
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below, and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox.
Previous
Cheri White says
Would it be okay to use buttermilk instead of cream?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
For the scones, it’s best to stick with heavy cream or whipping cream as they provide the right texture and richness. If you’re asking about the icing, we haven’t tried using buttermilk, but melted butter could be a suitable alternative.