Sourdough Blueberry Scones

5 from 1 vote

These Sourdough Blueberry Scones are made with sourdough discard and lots of blueberries for a crunchy exterior and a superlight and fluffy interior.

Prep Time10

Cook Time16

Total Time26

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 354kcal

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 blueberries mixing as little as possible to incorporate all the berries.
Turn out the scone mixture onto a generously 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 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Remove the Sourdough Blueberry Scones from the freezer and brush the tops with heavy cream. Bake for 16-20 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 drizzle. Combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Drizzle the cooled scones with the lemon drizzle. The scones can still be warm, but if they are hot, the drizzle will melt.

Heavy Cream vs. Buttermilk: I've made these scones with both heavy cream and buttermilk (two of the most common approaches), and I think they are quite a bit better with heavy cream. Ones made with heavy cream tend to have a crispy exterior with a soft and tender interior, whereas when made with buttermilk they are soft throughout. Heavy cream has a much higher fat content than buttermilk, so 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 other elements (egg yolk, heavy cream, fresh juicy blueberries) the tang of the sourdough does not stand out, but its a great way to not let discard go to waste.

Cold Ingredients: Use frozen butter if possible, which helps to create pockets of steam and a better rise when baked (the fresh blueberries also create pockets of steam and liquid, which creates a softer, more tender interior). 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 (nice chewy crust), but creates tough rather than light and tender scones.

Don't Add Too Much Flour: The less flour the less tough the scones will be, so limit adding flour when shaping the 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.

Brushing the Scones: I have brushed 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.