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With juicy blueberries and heavy cream, these sourdough discard blueberry scones are tender and full of flavor.
Sourdough scones are great any time of day for breakfast with coffee, an afternoon pick-me-up with tea, or a light dessert.
Spelt flour gives these sourdough discard blueberry scones a nutty flavor that complements the warming cinnamon spice.
Sourdough discard helps tenderize the scones and offers the slightest tang to balance the sweetness from the blueberries and sugar.
This is an easy sourdough discard recipe to use up some extra sourdough discard, and the scone dough comes together quickly.
Despite how simple they are to make, these sourdough discard blueberry scones are sure to impress anyone who eats them (including yourself!).
👉 If you like these, be sure to check out my Sourdough Pumpkin Scones, Sourdough Biscuits with Cheddar & Chives, my Sourdough Apple Butter Muffins, or these Sourdough Blondies with Rhubarb & Almonds.
❓ What is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough discard is an unfed portion of sourdough starter that is removed when feeding your sourdough starter.
To ensure that your sourdough starter does not become too large, you need to remove a part of it during each feeding.
Sometimes referred to as “sourdough excess”, sourdough discard does not have to be discarded!
I keep my sourdough discard in a small deli container in my refrigerator and use it in various sourdough discard recipes like my Easy Sourdough Discard Granola, Biscuits, or Waffles.
Because sourdough discard is not a ripe sourdough starter and can be quite acidic, it’s not best to use it as a leavener. Instead, sourdough discard is best used in recipes for a slightly tangy flavor and to make baked goods extra tender.
Sourdough discard acts similarly to how any acidic, viscous ingredient like sour cream, greek yogurt, or buttermilk would be used in a recipe!
🛠 Tools needed:
Click the toggles below for more information and recommendations.
Baking Scale
I always list ingredients by weight in grams because it is the most accurate way to measure ingredients. Use a scale and your baking will immediately be better! I love my Escali baking scale and use it every day. The batteries last a long time, it’s accurate, and it comes in many different colors.
Mixing Bowls
Everything for this scone recipe is mixed together in one bowl. This Vollrath mixing bowl set is my favorite for most kitchen tasks and I really like the flat bottoms so the bowls don’t tip over when you’re mixing. They’re made of stainless steel and will last forever.
Spatula
I use these mini silicone spatulas for practically everything. They’re perfect for stirring a sourdough starter, clean easily, flexible, and heat resistant.
Half Sheet Pan
The best half-sheet pans are these from Nordic Ware. They’re aluminum, durable, made in the USA, and I use them for everything from baking cookies to roasting vegetables. The eight scones will fit perfectly on one of these half sheet pans.
Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper
You will need a silicone baking mat or parchment paper underneath these scones to prevent burning. The silicone baking mats are reusable and fit perfectly in a half-sheet pan. They’re easy to clean too.
Optional but helpful: Bench scraper
A bench scraper has so many uses including scraping down a floured work surface, shaping bread, or as an easy transport for herbs/prepped ingredients. I love this Lamson Bench Scraper because it has a beautiful walnut handle, a lifetime warranty, and is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the US. Lamson also happens to be based down the road from me in Westfield, MA.
🛒 Ingredients needed:
Click the toggles below for more information on each ingredient, recommendations, and possible substitutes.
All-purpose flour
I use King Arthur All-Purpose flour for this scone recipe. I almost exclusively use their flours for most of my recipes because it is the highest quality flour found in most grocery stores in the Northeast. Any type of all-purpose flour will work well here though!
Spelt flour (optional)
Spelt flour gives a nutty, light texture to these sourdough discard scones that takes them to the next level.
If you’re not using spelt flour, it’s a great addition to lots of baked goods and breads like this Spelt Sourdough Focaccia and this Spelt Sourdough Bread. Experiment with it- I think you’ll love!
If you don’t have spelt flour, I’d go with a white whole wheat flour for the most similar quality. You can substitute with regular whole wheat flour but the scones might be a little more dense.
Ground cinnamon
I use ground cinnamon in this recipe as the warming spice and it complements the flavors well. Cardamom, ginger, a pinch of clove, or any other warming spice would all be good here- just adjust as necessary.
Sourdough discard
Sourdough discard tenderizes the scones and gives a slight tang to them. If you don’t have discard, you could use ripe sourdough starter and it will work the same way.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, be sure to read my How to Make a Sourdough Starter post to learn how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch with only flour and water.
Fresh Blueberries
This recipe was developed specifically for fresh blueberries like my Sourdough Blueberry Yogurt Muffins. However, if you only have frozen blueberries, I developed a Wild Blueberry Spelt Scones recipe for Wyman’s that is only slightly different!
Blackberries or raspberries would also work well here! For strawberries, be sure to check out my Sourdough Strawberries & Cream Scones recipe!
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Coarse sugar like raw sugar for topping
- Icing (optional): Confectioner’s sugar & whole milk
👨🍳 Tips to Make the Best Sourdough Scones:
To make the best sourdough discard scones possible, there are some important tips to keep in mind:
- Keep the butter and ingredients cold
- When making biscuits, scones, or pastry, it’s really important to keep your butter and other ingredients cold throughout the mixing process. Cold butter creates steam when it hits a hot oven and this is what gives biscuits, scones, and pastry their characteristic flakiness.
- If the butter gets too warm or begins to melt, it will be incorporated into the dry ingredients and start to form gluten. Gluten formation will result in a chewier scone instead of a tender, crumbly scone.
- If the butter or dough starts to get warm, simply put it into the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
- Don’t over-mix the dough
- Akin to the first point, do not over-mix dough for biscuits, scones, or pastries. Overmixing will warm up the ingredients, create more gluten, and result in a less tender/flaky pastry. Overmixing scone dough will also result in a flatter scone.
- This scone dough is purposefully crumbly and might seem a little dry. As you bring it together though, the ingredients will come together into a shaggy dough that does hold together. This is what you want!
- Place scones near each other when baking
- Placing scones close to each other while they bake will help the scones rise higher, have straighter sides, and not flatten as much.
- Chill scones before baking
- After shaping the scones, freeze them on the lined baking sheet for about 30 minutes (or longer). This will chill the butter and other ingredients which will create the maximum amount of steam when they bake, resulting in a taller rise and crumbly (not dense) texture.
🫐 How to Make Sourdough Discard Blueberry Scones:
Follow along with this recipe visual guide for step-by-step instructions on how to make these sourdough scones!
1. Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:
- 215g All-Purpose Flour
- 60g Spelt Flour
- 75g Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 TBS baking powder
2. Add Butter
This step is similar to making pie dough by hand.
Use a bench scraper or a butter knife to cut 113g cold unsalted butter (8 TBS or one stick) into small cubes.
Toss the cubes of butter into the dry mixture until the cubes are coated in flour.
Working quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm, smash the butter and dry ingredients together between your fingers until each piece of butter is flattened into the size of walnut halves and coated.
You can use a pastry cutter here too but I find doing it by hand to be more efficient.
3. Toss In Blueberries
Pour 150 grams (about one cup) of fresh blueberries into the bowl.
Using your hands, toss everything in the bowl together so the blueberries are coated in the dry mixture.
Note: Make sure your blueberries are washed and dried so they do not add additional moisture to your scone dough.
4. Add In Sourdough Discard & Mix
Pour in 50 grams of sourdough discard into the bowl.
Using a spatula, lightly mix the sourdough discard into the mixture.
The mixture should still be very dry and maybe only a few clumps forming at this point.
If the mixture is at all warm, place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
5. Add Heavy Cream, Vanilla, and Combine
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together 180 grams of cold heavy cream and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Slowly pour most of the heavy cream mixture into the bowl. Hold back a few teaspoons of the heavy cream in case it’s not needed.
Using a spatula, mix together the blueberry scone mixture until it forms a cohesive, still somewhat dry, and shaggy dough. Use your hands to gently bring it together if needed and try not to burst too many blueberries in the process.
If the dough is still not coming together, add reserved heavy cream or additional heavy cream one teaspoon at a time.
6. Shape & Freeze Scones
Turn the scone dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
If your dough still has many dry pockets, you may need to knead it lightly a couple of times. You should still see visible pieces of butter in the dough.
Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch tall. The circle should have about a 10-11 inch diameter, but the height is more important here than the size of the circle so that you get thicker scones.
Using a bench scraper or a butter knife, divide the dough in half. Then, cut it perpendicularly to create a cross-section of four pieces. Divide each of the four pieces in half so that you have eight wedges in total.
Transfer the wedges onto a half-sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and place the scones about one inch from each other on the pan. Placing them close together will help the scones rise higher.
Place the prepared baking sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes. Don’t skip this step! The scones need to chill so you get the best results with a tender texture.
At this point, the scones could be wrapped and kept in the freezer to bake at a later time as well.
7. Preheat Oven & Topping
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
After at least 30 minutes in the freezer, use a pastry brush to brush heavy cream on top of the scones lightly. The heavy cream wash will help your sugar topping stick and brown the scones lightly.
Sprinkle sanding sugar, granulated sugar, or raw sugar on top of the scones.
8. Bake
Bake the scones at 400ºF for about 25 minutes or until lightly brown.
Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving. They’re excellent with coffee or tea.
Scones are best in the first two days after they’re made, but I’ve found that these can last up to five days in a sealed container!
Optional Icing:
Make a simple icing to drizzle on top of the scones!
Mix together a couple of teaspoons of whole milk and add confectioner’s sugar/powdered sugar in a small bowl until you have a viscous, thick icing. Adjust to your liking and for however much icing you want adding more milk/sugar at a time. Feel free to add vanilla extract, lemon zest, or another flavor you like!
Use a spoon to drizzle the icing on top of the scones.
❓ Sourdough Discard Blueberry Scones FAQs:
Can I use frozen blueberries or another fruit?
This recipe is for fresh blueberries but fresh blackberries or raspberries would also work well! Strawberries tend to have more moisture, so be sure to reduce the amount of heavy cream in the recipe.
For frozen blueberries, check out my similar recipe for Wyman’s frozen wild blueberries.
Why did my sourdough scones not rise?
The baking powder provides all of the leavening for this scone recipe. Baking powder can lose its leavening power over time. To ensure your baking powder is active, pour some boiling water over a little bit of baking powder in a bowl. If it bubbles, the baking powder is still active. If not, it might be time to get some new baking powder.
Can I make these as overnight sourdough scones?
Sure! Follow the recipe as written and keep the scones frozen overnight. Bake the next morning.
How long do these sourdough scones last?
Scones are best in the first couple of days after they’re baked but I’ve found that these sourdough discard blueberry scones can last up to five days in a sealed container without going dry or staling!
Why is there no egg in this sourdough scone recipe?
Some recipes call for an egg in scone recipes. I don’t call for an egg in this scone recipe as the tablespoon of baking powder does enough leavening. I also typically prefer the texture of scones without eggs- they’re less cakey! If you want to add an egg though, just cut back on some of the baking powder and heavy cream.
Can I use buttermilk instead of heavy cream?
I workshopped this recipe with both buttermilk and heavy cream. The heavy cream makes these sourdough discard scones rich and a preferable texture in my opinion.
Buttermilk is nonfat and sour. With sourdough discard in this recipe already, I don’t think buttermilk is necessary for flavor. And because buttermilk is nonfat, these scones don’t have the same richness using buttermilk and I didn’t find they rose as much.
Can I add other spices or ingredients?
Sure! Swap out the cinnamon with another warming spice like cardamom, ground ginger, or cloves. You could also add lemon zestm crystallized ginger, dried coconut, or chocolate chips. Experiment!
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
- 215 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 60 grams Spelt Flour, optional, or whole wheat flour
- 75 grams Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 TBS Baking Powder
- 113 grams Unsalted Butter, one stick, 8 TBS
- 150 grams Blueberries, fresh, about one cup
- 50 grams Sourdough Discard, or active sourdough starter
- 180 grams Heavy Cream, plus more for topping
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Raw Sugar, or other coarse sugar for topping
Optional Icing
- 2 tsp Whole Milk, as necessary
- ¼-½ cup Powdered Sugar, as necessary
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.215 grams All-Purpose Flour, 60 grams Spelt Flour, 75 grams Granulated Sugar, 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, ¾ tsp Kosher Salt, 1 TBS Baking Powder
- Cut the cold, unsalted butter into small cubes. Toss the cubes into the bowl until they're coated in the dry ingredients. Smash the butter and dry ingredients together with your fingers until the butter flattens and is the size of walnut halves.113 grams Unsalted Butter
- Add the fresh blueberries to the bowl and toss to coat.150 grams Blueberries
- Pour in the sourdough discard and use a spatula to lightly mix together. The mixture will still be very dry and maybe only have a few clumps at this point.50 grams Sourdough Discard
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Slowly pour most of the heavy cream mixture into the bowl of ingredients. Hold back a few teaspoons in case it's not all needed.Use a spatula to mix together the blueberry scone dough until it forms a largely cohesive, but still somewhat dry and shaggy. Use your hands to gently bring it all together if needed in the bowl. Work quickly so the ingredients stay cold.If the dough is still very dry and not coming together, add some of the reserved heavy cream or add more one teaspoon at a time.180 grams Heavy Cream, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch tall (the circle should be about 10-11 inches in diameter).Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.Place the wedges about 1 inch apart on a half-sheet pan with a silicone baking pat or parchment paper. Freeze the scones on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.At this point, the scones can be wrapped and frozen to bake at a future time.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC).Remove the scones from the freezer and use a pastry brush to lightly brush heavy cream on the scones. Sprinkle with raw or coarse sugar.2 tsp Raw Sugar
- Bake the scones for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
- Optional Icing:In a small bowl, whisk together whole milk and confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar. Add more milk and sugar as necessary to create a viscous, thick white icing. Use a spoon to drizzle the scones with the icing.2 tsp Whole Milk, ¼-½ cup Powdered Sugar
Video
Notes
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
Sourdough Pumpkin Maple Cookies
Lavender Vanilla Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Chocolate Protein Granola Bars
Sourdough Conchas (Mexican Pan Dulce)
Sourdough Oatmeal Cream Pies
Can i use half and half instead of heavy cream?
You can! I like heavy cream because of its richness but half and half or milk will work too.
Wondering if I can use frozen blueberries? And if so do you have any suggestions to keep them from bleeding? I’m thinking drying with paper towel and maybe tossing in flour?
You can use frozen blueberries for scones, but they will release their juices as they thaw. Keep them frozen just until you toss them into the dry mixture and try not to squeeze too many of the juices out. You may need to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe. Fresh work best though when I tested it.
Hi, Wondering if you think dried blueberries will work, we don’t have fresh available?
You can! The blueberries obviously won’t be as plump or juicy in the scones, but the upside is that there’s less liklihood of the blueberries bleeding when you use dried ones. You could increase the amount of blueberries slightly in the recipe. I would consider adding a dried blueberry glaze on top to bring out even more blueberry flavor!