Sourdough Blueberry Scones
Sourdough scones are one of my favorite ways to use leftover sourdough starter. Golden-brown, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside, these scones are a perfect marriage of tangy sourdough goodness and the sweet burst of blueberries. A subtle hint of lemon adds a zesty twist that elevates these scones and perfectly complements the sweet blueberries. These sourdough blueberry scones not only embrace the unique tanginess of the starter but also showcase its ability to create a delightful texture and flavor profile.
Why You Will Love Blueberry Sourdough Scones
I absolutely love scones and have a couple other scone recipes on my site (including my pumpkin sourdough scone recipe and my orange cranberry sourdough scones). They only require a few basic ingredients and are actually super simple to make. You only need a simple recipe to achieve a delicious buttery and flaky pastry your family and friends will certainly be impressed with. The addition of zesty lemon and juicy blueberries elevates classic scones to a delightfully fresh flavor profile that works great in the spring and summer months but can be enjoyed all year round.
How to Use Sourdough Starter for Scones
Scones do not like a lot of moisture or they will spread when baked. To use your sourdough starter in this recipe, you want to make sure your starter is 100% hydration. This means that your starter is fed with equal parts of water and flour by weight.
If you tend to eyeball your ingredients when you feed your starter, that is okay too. Just know this can affect the results of the scones when baked. A higher hydration starter can make the scones spread a bit but they should still taste amazing.
You can use either active starter or your extra sourdough discard. The main difference is that the active starter will not be as sour as sourdough starter discard. Active starter will also be more bubbly so if you do use active starter, I recommend either weighing it or using a spoon to gently compress it in the measuring cup and “pop” the bubbles from the fermentation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to make these sourdough discard blueberry scones:
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter: This recipes calls for unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
- Blueberries: If you don’t have fresh blueberries, you can use dried. I would only use 2/3 cup of dried blueberries and soak them in water for a couple hours before adding them to the recipe to soften them a bit. You can also substitute your favorite add-ins such as chocolate chips or cranberries.
- Sourdough starter: See notes above.
- Half and Half: You can also substitute whole milk, heavy cream or oat milk for this recipe.
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon zest: We only use the lemon zest in this recipe. You can use the lemon juice to make a quick lemon glaze (see instructions below). I don’t recommend skipping the lemon zest as it actually contributes a small amount of moisture to the recipe. If you don’t have lemon zest or want to skip it, I recommend adding an egg yolk to the recipe. You can also use an alternative citrus zest such as lime or orange zest.
How to Make Sourdough Blueberry Scones
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425F.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, including the sugar.
Step 3: Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and mix in.
Step 4: Stir in the blueberries.
Step 5: Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Step 6: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently knead the scone dough until it starts to come together.
Step 7: Transfer to a lightly floured surface and shape into an 8 inch disc. Cut the scones into 8 equal wedges.
Step 8: Place on baking sheet. Brush melted butter on each scone and top with sugar.
Step 9: Bake for 18-22 minutes.
How to Store Sourdough Discard Scones
Store the scones in an airtight container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days at room temperature. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to one week for best results.
What to Serve With Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Scones
These scones make a great accompaniment to a warm cup of tea or coffee, or iced tea in the summer. Scones are traditionally served with clotted cream and a side of jam. For these lemon blueberry scones, I recommend serving them with lemon curd.
For a full tea, serve these scones with a pairing of tea sandwiches, desserts such as petit fours, and fresh fruit.
How to Make Ahead
You can freeze the unbaked scones to make them ahead. Simply freeze the scones completely on a plate or baking sheet, separated from one another. When completely frozen, transfer the scones to a gallon sized freezer bag and freeze.
When ready to bake, remove from the freezer while you are preheating the oven. Proceed with the baking instruction as written in the recipe card. You will likely need to add an additional 5-7 minutes to the baking time since the scones will be baked from frozen.
I recommend using the scones within 3 months.
How to Make a Lemon Glaze
If you desire to make a lemon glaze, simply mix the juice from 1 lemon with 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Drizzle the scones with this mixture once they are completely cool.
Can You Make Scones in a Food Processor?
If you do not have a box grater or a pastry blender, you can simply pulse all the dry ingredients along with the butter until the mixture is crumbly. This may result in less flaky and tender scones as the food processor tends to cut the butter chunks into much smaller pieces than a pastry cutter or a box grater would.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for sourdough blueberry lemon scones. I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Also, please check out some of our other sourdough discard recipes.
Super Fudgy Sourdough Discard Brownies
Sourdough Discard Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
New Mexico Style Sourdough Tortillas
Cheesy Sourdough Goldfish Cracker Recipe
Sourdough Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries rinsed and patted dry
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup half and half or whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about the zest from two lemons
To Top the Scones
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Use a box grater to grate the butter into the bowl of flour. Gently mix the grated butter into the flour mixture with your hand or a rubber spatula.
- Gently mix in the blueberries.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, half and half, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. *Please do not skip the lemon zest or the dough will be too dry. If you do skip it, add 1 extra tablespoon of half and half or milk to the dough.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it forms a shaggy dough and starts to come together. The dough will appear very dry at first.
- Gently knead the dough 5-7 times (or more) until it mostly holds together. Try to avoid pressing on the dough too hard to prevent the blueberries from popping. The dough will still appear slightly dry and crumbly but should hold together when pressed between two fingers.
- Transfer the dough to a work surface or large cutting board and gently shape the dough into an 8 inch round disc.
- Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges.
- Transfer the wedges to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of the scones with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the scones.
- Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 16-20 minutes (add 2 minutes if using frozen blueberries). They should appear golden brown on the top and bottom.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Love this recipe! New to sourdough but I’ve made these at least 6 times this month. My husband keeps asking for them!
5 stars!!
Thank you so much for the feedback Bridget! I am so glad you like them.