These Sourdough Strawberry Scones are made with sourdough starter discard and fresh strawberries for the perfect easy summery treat. The scones are crispy on the edges, soft in the middle, subtly sweet, and drizzled with a simple lemon glaze.
This scone recipe is customizable and great with fresh blueberries in these Sourdough Blueberry Scones.
Scones are an excellent way to use extra sourdough starter. These Strawberry Sourdough Scones take very little prep time and are perfect alongside a savory breakfast like these Spinach Egg Cups.
I’ve been baking with sourdough starter over the last 5 years, and I’m always looking for creative ways to use sourdough discard. One of my favorite uses are these Crispy Sourdough Discard Waffles, but it can also be used in other breakfast treats like these Sourdough Banana Muffins.
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🔎 Recipe Development
I’ve been working on this recipe over the last couple of months to determine the right balance of sourdough starter, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and heavy cream. I’ve experimented with using different types of fresh fruit, using buttermilk instead of heavy cream, using cold vs. frozen butter (grated vs diced vs pastry blender), and looking for ways to boost flavor like by adding an extra egg yolk.
After many different iterations, this recipe yields flaky, buttery scones that have that signature crispy exterior, and a soft and fluffy interior loaded with fresh strawberries that add extra moisture and freshness to the pastry.
⏱️ Prepping Your Sourdough Starter
You can either prep sourdough starter specifically for this recipe (instructions below) or use sourdough starter discard that you already have on hand.
Prep: To prep the starter for sourdough scones, combine 33 grams sourdough starter, 33 grams water, and 33 grams all-purpose flour the night before you plan to make the muffins (or roughly 12 hours, or until it is light, bubbly, and “active”). Leave the starter out on the counter overnight. The active starter can now be used for the scones.
Discard: Use 100g (½ cup) sourdough discard from maintaining your sourdough starter.
🍓 Variations:
Below are a few other scone variation ideas to consider.
- Strawberry Lemon Sourdough Scones: Add the zest of a lemon to the scone dough to make Strawberry Lemon Sourdough Scones. If making the lemon glaze to drizzle on the scones, then use the zest of the same lemon that is used for the lemon juice.
- Sourdough Blueberry Scones: Use fresh blueberries instead of strawberries.
- Sourdough Pumpkin Scones: Uses canned pumpkin and spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. This variation will require more flour given the high water content of the canned pumpkin.
- Blueberry Lavender Scones: Made with fresh blueberries and lavender extract for a fresh summer treat with a hint of floral lavender.
- Sourdough Raspberry or Blackberry Scones: Use 2 cups of fresh raspberries or blackberries.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make these Sourdough Strawberry Scones.
- Sourdough Starter Discard: You can use either fed sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream has a high fat content and adds flavor and moisture to the scones. I’ve also experimented with making scones with buttermilk, and because it has a lower fat content, the scones fall flat in terms of flavor.
- Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible. I add an extra egg yolk for extra fat and flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. Costco sells large bottles of vanilla extract for much less per unit volume than what’s sold at most grocery stores.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour, unbleached.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds a subtle sweetness, but the scones are not overly sweet.
- Salt: Brings out and balances flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavening agents.
- Butter: I use salted frozen butter.
- Strawberries: I recommend using fresh strawberries, diced into small pieces to make them easier to incorporate into the scones.
Lemon Glaze
- Lemon Juice: You can also use heavy cream, milk, or even maple syrup.
- Powdered Sugar: Use powdered sugar rather than granulated sugar for the right glaze consistency.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Sourdough Strawberry Scones
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Sourdough Strawberry 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 bowl, combine the sourdough starter discard, heavy cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
Step 2. Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 3. Add Grated Butter: Grate the frozen butter over the bowl with the dry ingredients in 2-3 increments, tossing with the flour in between.
Step 4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the sourdough mixture to the flour mixture and combine. Do not overmix.
Step 5. Add Strawberries: Add the diced fresh strawberries and gently combine with a spoon.
Note: I've experimented with adding the strawberries to the dry ingredients after incorporating the frozen grated butter vs adding the strawberries after the wet and dry ingredients combine to form the scone dough. It does not make a huge difference either way.
Step 6. Shape the Scones: Turn the Strawberry Sourdough Scone dough out onto a floured surface. Shape into a circle that is 9 inches in diameter and just over 1 inch high. Use a bench scraper or a knife to divide the dough into 8 slices.
Step 7. Freeze: Place the scones on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 8. Bake: Brush the scones with extra heavy cream. Bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool fully.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar to make the lemon glaze. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the scones.
Tip: If you do not have extra heavy cream to brush on the scones, you can use an egg white mixed with a teaspoon of water. Or skip this step entirely, they'll still turn out great.
✏️ Tips for Baking Sourdough Scones
- Extra Egg Yolk: Adding an extra egg yolk adds fat, which means more flavor.
- Heavy Cream vs. Buttermilk: The two most common wet ingredients in scone recipes are heavy cream and buttermilk. When developing the recipe for these scones, I've made batches of scones with both heavy cream and buttermilk. I've found that scones made with heavy cream tend to have a crispy exterior with a soft and tender interior, whereas when made with buttermilk, the scones are soft throughout. Because heavy cream has a much higher fat content than buttermilk, scones made with heavy cream tend to have more flavor.
- Sourdough Discard: The sourdough helps to ensure a lighter interior, but because of all of the richness of the extra egg yolk, the fat in the heavy cream, and the fresh strawberries, the tang of the sourdough does not stand out. However, it's a great way to use rather than toss out extra sourdough discard.
- Cold Ingredients: Use frozen butter if possible, which helps to create pockets of steam and a better rise when baked. Aim to keep the heavy cream as cold as possible, too.
- Don't Overmix: Mixing leads to gluten development, which is great when making pizza (think a chewy crust), but creates tough rather than light and tender scones.
- Chill the Scones: Chilling the scones in the freezer while the oven is preheating also helps to keep the butter and cream cold to reduce the spread of the scones and give them more rise. The scones do not need to be frozen solid, but should be cold enough that they are firm to the touch.
- Brushing the Scones: I have brushed the tops of the scones with both an egg white and with heavy cream. Both work well, but I prefer the ones brushed with heavy cream because they have a more imperfect look and texture. Ones brushed with an egg white have a smoother, more glossy look.
🍴How to Prep Ahead, Serve, and Store
- To Prep Ahead: The dough for these scones can be made ahead and placed in the refrigerator on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil overnight.
- The next day, fully preheat the oven and transfer the scones directly from the fridge to the oven.
- The timing should not change, but if they do not have a golden brown top or a toothpick does not come out clean, then add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- To Serve: Serve warm with drizzled lemon glaze, or top with powdered sugar. Another alternative is to sprinkle the scones with turbinado sugar (large brown crystals of sugar) before baking.
- To Store: Store on the counter covered in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Scones are best eaten the same day, and at most last for 24 hours. After that, the scones get soft and lose their crusty exterior. If you still have leftovers on day 2, I recommend toasting them in the oven and slathering them in butter.
💖 If You're Interested in More Breakfast Treats, You May Enjoy These:
If you've tried these Sourdough Strawberry Scones or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Sourdough Strawberry Scones
Ingredients
Sourdough Strawberry Scones
- ½ cup sourdough starter 100 grams
- ½ cup heavy cream + extra for brushing the scones
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 245 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter, frozen
- 1¾ cups chopped fresh strawberries
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter, heavy cream, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Grate the butter into the bowl with the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions, mixing it with the flour in between.
- Add the sourdough starter mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries, mixing as little as possible to incorporate all the strawberry pieces.
- Turn the scone dough out onto a floured work surface. Gently pat and shape into a round circle that is 9 inches in diameter and just over 1 inch thick. Use a bench scraper or a butter knife to cut the circle into 8 slices.
- Place the slices on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the Sourdough Strawberry Scones from the freezer and brush the tops with heavy cream. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the tops start to turn brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 2 minutes, then remove the scones to a drying rack to prevent them from continuing to cook on the hot pan.
- While the scones are cooling, make the lemon glaze. Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle over the scones.
Notes
- Cold Ingredients: Use frozen butter if possible, which helps to create pockets of steam and a better rise when baked. Aim to keep the heavy cream as cold as possible, too.
- Don't Overmix: Mixing leads to gluten development, which is great when making pizza (think a chewy crust), but creates tough rather than light and tender scones.
- Chill the Scones: Chilling the scones in the freezer while the oven is preheating also helps to keep the butter and cream cold to reduce the spread of the scones and give them more rise. The scones do not need to be frozen solid, but should be cold enough that they are firm to the touch.
- Brushing the Scones: Brushing the scones with heavy cream gives a more imperfect look and textures that are classic of scones, but you can also use the extra egg white mixed with a teaspoon of water to brush on the scones, which will give them a smoother, glossier look.
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