Sourdough Pumpkin Scones are crispy on the outside, light and fluffy inside, made with fall spices, and a great way to use your sourdough discard.
Excellent for prep ahead or freezing for leftovers. Drizzle with a simple maple glaze.
Want all the tips and tricks for making scones? After months of working on scones, both with and without sourdough (Sourdough Blueberry Scones, Sourdough Strawberry Scones, and Lavender Blueberry Scones), I have plenty of helpful recommendations below.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Pumpkin Sourdough Scones.
- Sourdough Starter: Use either fed sourdough starter or sourdough discard, measure by weight in grams. For more sourdough starter discard options, try Sourdough Banana Muffins or my favorite Sourdough Discard Waffles.
- Heavy Cream: Better than using buttermilk, heavy cream adds more fat and flavor. Use extra to brush on the scones before baking
- Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible. An extra egg yolk adds extra richness.
- Canned Pumpkin: I look for canned pumpkin without a BPA lining (Whole Foods). Use real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. If you have extra pumpkin, try Jumbo Pumpkin Muffins, Chocolate Chip Swirl Pumpkin Bread, or Pumpkin Gnocchi.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. Costco sells a large bottle for less per unit volume.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour, unbleached. Use a kitchen scale to measure in grams.
- Sugar: The scones are not overly sweet with ½ cup sugar.
- Salt: To bring out flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavening agents. Check that they haven't expired.
- Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg: Fall spices, feel free to adjust the amounts to your liking, but keep in mind that nutmeg can be quite a strong spice. I don't keep pumpkin pie spice, but you can use it if you like.
- Butter: It's best if the butter is frozen, and it's easier to grate that way, too, but you can use refrigerated cold butter as well. I use salted butter, not unsalted butter.
Maple Glaze
- Maple Syrup: Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar lends the right consistency to make the glaze.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Scones
Below are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Sourdough Pumpkin Scones.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, heavy cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
Step 2. Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Step 3. Grate the Frozen Butter: Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter. Add it in 2-3 increments to the flour mixture, tossing to combine in between (this prevents the butter from clumping).
Step 4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Step 5. Shape the Dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a disc 9 inches in diameter and divide it into 8 slices with a bench scraper or sharp knife.
Step 6. Freeze the Scones: Place the unbaked scones on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
Step 7. Bake: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the scones from the freezer, and use a pastry brush to brush them with heavy cream. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. To make the maple glaze, in a small bowl combine the maple syrup and powdered sugar. Drizzle on the scones after they've had a chance to cool.
✏️ Tips for Baking Scones:
Make Ahead: Scones are a great make-ahead option. The scone dough can be cut into slices and refrigerated overnight or frozen, and then baked the day of for a fast treat.
Extra Egg Yolk: Most scone recipes use just one egg, but I like to toss in an extra yolk. It gives the scones a deeper flavor and a richer texture that I really enjoy.
Heavy Cream vs. Buttermilk: I've tried baking scones with both heavy cream and buttermilk, and the heavy cream always wins in my book. It has a higher fat content, which makes the scones taste more luxurious and gives them a crisper exterior. Buttermilk still works, but the results are a little softer and less rich.
Cold Ingredients: For delicious scones, using cold ingredients—especially frozen butter—is key. Putting the scones in the freezer for a short while before baking helps them keep their shape and rise nicely.
Avoid Overmixing: When mixing your dough, less is more. Overworking it leads to dense, tough scones.
Easy on the Extra Flour: It’s tempting to sprinkle on a lot of flour while shaping the dough, but resist the urge. Too much extra flour dries the scones out.
Watch the Bake Time: Scones can go from perfect to dry in under a minute. Keep a close eye on them, and remember that every oven is a little different. Yours might need a minute more or less than the recipe says.
Brushing the Tops of the Scones: You’ve got options here—heavy cream, leftover egg white, or nothing at all. I’ve tested them all. My favorite is brushing with heavy cream; it gives the tops a soft sheen with a slightly rustic finish. Egg white makes them shinier and more polished-looking. Skipping it all altogether still works fine. They’ll taste just as good, but won’t have that same golden glow.
🍴To Serve, Store, Freeze
- To Serve: Serve warm, drizzled with maple glaze, dusted with powdered sugar, or cut in half and slathered with butter.
- To Store: These scones are best served the same day, but can be stored loosely covered overnight. Reheat in the oven and spread with butter.
- To Freeze: These scones can be frozen either before baking or after, both with excellent results. I've done both and been happy with how they've turned out in either case. Especially when reheated, they're great toasted and buttered. When baking frozen scones, add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
💖 For More Breakfast Treats, You May Love These:
If you've tried these Sourdough Pumpkin Scones or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Every comment is helpful!
Sourdough Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
- ½ cup sourdough starter (100 grams)
- ½ cup heavy cream + more for brushing
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¾ cup all purpose flour (385 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
Maple Icing
- 2 tablespoon real maple syrup
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the sourdough starter, heavy cream, egg, egg yolk, canned pumpkin, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg.
- Grate the frozen butter and add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients in 2-3 increments.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, shape into a disc that is 9 inches in diameter and roughly 1 inch high. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 slices. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the scones from the freezer, brush with heavy cream, and bake for 16-18 minutes.
- While the scones are cooling, make the maple icing. Combine the maple syrup and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Drizzle on the scones.
Notes
- Extra Egg Yolk: Most scone recipes use just one egg, but I like to toss in an extra yolk. It gives the scones a deeper flavor and a richer texture that I really enjoy.
- Heavy Cream vs. Buttermilk: I've tried baking scones with both heavy cream and buttermilk, and the heavy cream always wins in my book. It has a higher fat content, which makes the scones taste more luxurious and gives them a crisper exterior. Buttermilk still works, but the results are a little softer and less rich.
- Cold Ingredients: Using cold ingredients—especially frozen butter—is key. Putting them in the freezer for a short while before baking helps the scones keep their shape and rise nicely.
- Avoid Overmixing: When mixing your dough, less is more. Overworking it leads to dense, tough scones.
- Easy on the Extra Flour: It’s tempting to sprinkle on a lot of flour while shaping the dough, but resist the urge. Too much extra flour dries the scones out.
- Watch the Bake Time: Scones can go from perfect to dry in under a minute. Keep a close eye on them, and remember that every oven is a little different. Yours might need a minute more or less than the recipe says.
- Brushing the Tops: You’ve got options here—heavy cream, leftover egg white, or nothing at all. I’ve tested them all. My favorite is brushing with heavy cream; it gives the tops a soft sheen with a slightly rustic finish. Egg white makes them shinier and more polished-looking. Skipping it all altogether still works fine. They’ll taste just as good, but won’t have that same golden glow.
Leave a Reply