Sourdough Strawberry Scones

One of my favorite pastries is scones and since strawberry season is coming up I decided to incorporate this seasonal fruit into some delicious homemade scones. These delicious strawberry sourdough scones are filled with fresh strawberries and are topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. Light and flaky, slightly sweet and incredibly versatile, scones make the perfect pairing for a warm cup of coffee or tea.

Why You Will Love these Sourdough Strawberry Scones

These strawberry scones make the perfect treat for warmer weather and a great way to use extra sourdough starter discard. They work well for tea parties, Easter, or Mother’s Day brunch but can be enjoyed any time of year. They strike the perfect balance of sweet and slight tangy from the zesty lemon and sourdough discard. 

There is a sourdough strawberry scone that is glazed sitting on a plate with some strawberries.

How to Make Tender Scones with Sourdough Starter

They key to making the best scones with sourdough starter is to avoid making them too wet. Fresh strawberries and the sourdough starter add a fair amount of moisture so I limited moisture in other ways. This meant I did not add an egg and I kept the milk to a minimum. If you love scones, also check out my sourdough pumpkin scones, my orange cranberry sourdough scones and my sourdough blueberry scones

Ingredients and Substitutions

sourdough strawberry scone ingredients in individual measuring cups and bowls.

For the Scones

  • Flour: I recommend all purpose flour or bread flour. Only use 25% of the total amount of flour if you would like to add some whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour can affect the taste and texture of baked goods so it does not make a good 1:1 substitute.
  • Baking Powder
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Sugar: We use granulated sugar in this recipe. I do not recommend substituting for other types of sugar, particularly brown sugar, which adds moisture. 
  • Butter: Make sure you use cold butter straight from the fridge. This recipe calls for unsalted butter but you can substitute salted butter if that is all you have on hand. You can reduce the salt in the recipe by 1/8 teaspoon if desired. 
  • Strawberries: We use fresh strawberries in this recipe. I have not tried dried strawberries but I do think they would work just fine. You can also substitute other berries if desired (check out my lemon blueberry sourdough scone recipe). You can also add 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips to the dough if you prefer. White chocolate pairs quite well with strawberries. 
  • Milk: You can use any type of milk in this recipe. I used whole milk but have also made them with oat milk and half and half. If you use a non-dairy milk, I recommend choosing one that is thicker like oat milk, soy milk or Ripple milk. Some vegan milk varieties are quite thin and may not work quite as well. 
  • Sourdough Starter: You can use active starter or sourdough discard straight from the fridge in this recipe. If you are using discard from the fridge, you do not need to bring it to room temperature. Cold ingredients actually work better in scones. 
  • Vanilla: I recommend pure vanilla extract rather than imitation vanilla. 
  • Lemon Zest: Use the zest from about one medium sized lemon. 

For the Vanilla Glaze

  • Melted Butter
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Water: If you would prefer a lemon glaze, use lemon juice in place of the water.
  • Powdered Sugar

How to Make Strawberry Sourdough Scones

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients (including the sugar) in a large bowl.

Step 2: Grate the butter into the dry ingredients. You can also use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour mixture or use a food processor if you do not have a cheese grater. 

grated butter for strawberry sourdough scones in large mixing bowl with flour mixture.

Step 3: Add the strawberries.

chopped strawberries and grated butter coated in bowl of flour mixture for sourdough strawberry scones.

Step 4: Mix together the wet ingredients.

small bowl of wet ingredients for strawberry sourdough discard scones being whisked with a fork.

Step 5: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients.

rubber spatula mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients for strawberry sourdough scones.

Step 6: Mix the dough.

Step 7: One a lightly floured surface, shape and cut the scone dough into 8 wedges.

pastry cutter being used to cut strawberry scones into 8 wedges.

Step 8: Bake.

Step 9: Make the glaze.

Step 10: Drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. 

sourdough strawberry scones that have been drizzled with vanilla glaze on a wire rack.

How to Make Ahead

  1. You can freeze the unbaked scones ahead of time and bake from frozen when ready to use. Add a few minutes to the bake time. 
  2. You can also freeze the baked scones ahead of time. I recommend defrosting the scones and then glazing when ready to use so the glaze does not become messy.

How to Store 

I recommend storing these scones at room temperature for 24 hours or in the fridge for up to one week for best results. Store the scones in an airtight container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap. 

I hope you enjoyed this sourdough strawberry scone recipe. If you love sourdough and discard recipes, check out these other yummy sourdough recipes:

sourdough strawberry scones that have been drizzled with vanilla glaze on a wire rack.

Sourdough Strawberry Scones

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, brunch, Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 344 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries chopped into approximate ¼ inch pieces
  • ½ cup unsalted butter cold
  • ½ cup sourdough starter
  • cup whole milk or half and half or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • teaspoons lemon zest about the zest from one lemon

For the Vanilla Glaze

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • cup powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Use a box grater to grate the butter directly into the bowl of flour. Use a rubber spatula or your hands to mix the butter into the flour. You want to just coat them with the flour mixture. Avoid breaking up the butter pieces.
  • Mix in the strawberries to coat them with flour.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
  • Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir the mixture until it forms a shaggy dough and starts to hold together. The dough will appear dry at first. Do not add extra liquid.
  • Gently knead the dough 8-10 times or until it mostly holds together. Do not over work the dough. It is okay if it still appears to have areas that are slightly crumbly.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Use floured hands to shape the dough into an approximate 8 inch round.
  • Cut the dough into 8 equal sized wedges using a large knife or bench scraper.
  • Transfer the scones to a large prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the scones at 425℉ for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375℉. Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until they become slightly golden brown on the top and bottom.
  • Allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.

To Make the Vanilla Glaze

  • Whisk the powdered sugar, melted butter, water, and vanilla extract in a small until smooth.
  • Use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze over the tops of the scones. If the glaze becomes too thick, add a few drops of water to slightly thin it.

Nutrition

Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 251mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 417IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Sourdough Discard
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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10 Comments

  1. OH.My.LANTA!!! These are SOOOO good! For the icing, I used a couple TBLS of sugar-free cream cheese pudding mix with the butter, powdered sugar, milk. I did not have lemons, so I used a bit of lemon juice, which did not affect the batter. THanks for the recipe, and I can’t WAIT to try the lemon blueberry ones!

  2. THESE WERE AMAZING! I audibly gasped when I took the first bite, I will be making these again and again. The texture is perfect and the crust is such a buttery, perfectly crumbled finish. My only suggestion would be to make sure the strawberries are not too moist so that the scones can bake well enough.

    1. Thank you so much for your feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed them. And great tip on the strawberries!

    2. I used my dehydrator for the strawberries after reading this comment and I’ve got to say, they turned out great! Thank you for that suggestion 😊 I didn’t dehydrate all the way

    1. Hi Susan, I am sorry you are having this issue. Scones can be tricky sometimes to get them to not spread. Freezing them before baking can really help them hold their shape (30 minutes-1 hour). The other thing that may help is if you are using strawberries that are quite moist, you can either gently blot them with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture or reduce the milk to 1/4 cup to see if this helps. Also ensure you are using very cold butter. If my house is warm, I will usually stick the shredded butter in the freezer for around 10 minutes to make sure it stays nice and cold before mixing it in. I hope these suggestions help 🙂

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