Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Discard Scones

Put sourdough starter or discard to good use with these tender, flaky scones inspired by a cinnamon roll! These easy pastries are soft and tender inside and crisp and golden outside with a decadent brown sugar cinnamon filling. They’re perfect for a mid-morning snack or as part of a special breakfast or brunch.

If you’re a sourdough baker or just starting your sourdough journey, you likely have discard you want to use. Sourdough scones are a great option!

These scones are tender, light, and soft inside, and crumbly, flaky, and golden outside. They’re rich and buttery with a pleasant tanginess from sourdough and buttermilk. Here we add a cinnamon brown sugar filling to make these into cinnamon roll scones, but you can skip the filling if you’re looking for a plain base or master sourdough scone recipe.

Don’t worry if you’re new to the sourdough process. There is a step-by-step photo guide for every part of this recipe, and I give tons of baking tips for success throughout the entire post!

Why This Recipe Works

• If you have an abundance of sourdough discard, this recipe is a great way to use it. Here we use 150 grams of discard (around 2/3 to 3/4 cup) from what is called a “regular starter” or “100% hydration starter”, which is a sourdough starter made with a 1:1 ratio of flour:water.
• You can make these scones work for your schedule. If you want the full sourdough effect (read: deliciously tangy, nuanced dough, plus the sourdough health benefits), you can let the dough ferment before baking. However, on the other hand, if you just want to find a way to help use sourdough discard to avoid wasting it, you don’t have to let the dough ferment.
• If you’re looking for a great sourdough scone base recipe, you can skip the cinnamon filling and use this as a base for any flavor of sourdough scones you like. The brown sugar cinnamon filling gives these scones a cinnamon roll vibe, but it’s completely optional.

Ingredients

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling Ingredients

• Light brown sugar – Brown sugar adds notes of caramel and molasses to sweeten our cinnamon roll filling for these scones.
• Unsalted butter – Butter adds rich flavor and melds the filling together.
• Flour – A little bit of flour makes sure the filling doesn’t run out everywhere.
• Cinnamon – Because you can’t have a cinnamon roll-inspired recipe without cinnamon! This warm, earthy spice adds the perfect spicy sweetness and pairs beautifully with brown sugar.
• Salt – Salt helps create a balanced flavor profile.

Sourdough Scone Ingredients

• Sourdough discard – Use 100% hydration sourdough discard (or sourdough starter) in this recipe. Use the sourdough starter or discard cold, straight from the fridge.
• Buttermilk – You can find both low-fat and full-fat buttermilk at the grocery store. For the best flavor and texture, go for full-fat buttermilk. (And make sure its cold!)
• Pure vanilla extract – For rich flavor and aroma.
• Almond extract – Almond extract is completely optional, but it’s the secret ingredient that makes these scones taste and smell like a classic pastry. Don’t be tempted to add more than what the recipe calls for, just a tiny splash is all we need for a little je ne sais quoi.
• Flour – All-purpose flour works great, you don’t need to use bread flour or any other special flour here.
• Granulated white sugar – Sugar helps create a balanced flavor profile.
• Baking powder – Sourdough discard is less active than fed sourdough starter, so we need an additional leavening agent to help achieve the proper rise. Baking powder acts as the main leavening agent in this recipe.
• Salt – Salt makes sure our scones aren’t bland.
• Butter – A classic ingredient in scones, butter adds richness and also helps create the perfect flaky texture. Make sure the butter is chilled, and dice it small.
• Heavy whipping cream – Brushing the top of scones with a little heavy whipping cream before baking helps them turn a beautiful golden brown. If you don’t have cream on hand, you can use milk or egg wash instead (to make egg wash, whisk an egg with a little water).
• Raw sugar – This adds sweet flavor and a lovely contrasting crunchy texture to the tops of the scones.

Glaze Ingredients

• Powdered sugar – This the base of our glaze.
• Milk – I use whole milk here, but any kind of milk will work. You can add more for a thinner glaze, or less for a thicker glaze.
• Vanilla extract – For a hint of vanilla in the glaze.

How to Make Sourdough Discard Scones

Make the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling

1. Add all of the filling ingredients to a medium bowl.
2. Mix to combine.

Make the Scone Dough

1. Add the sourdough discard, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and almond extract to a medium bowl and whisk to combine well.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl; whisk to combine.
3. Dice the chilled butter and add it to the dry ingredients. Use a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until it’s incorporated, but some pieces the size of small peas remain.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
5. Use a wooden spoon (or clean hands) to combine until it forms a dough, being careful not to over-mix.
6. Shape the dough into a ball.

Assemble and Chill the Scones

1. Lightly shape your dough into a tube (so it’s easier to roll out as a rectangle). Flour your work surface and place your dough on it.
2. Roll out the dough to a rectangle about 13 1/2-inches long by 8 1/2 inches wide.
3. Sprinkle the cinnamon topping onto half of the dough length-wise, leaving a border of about 1/4 inch along the outer edges.
4. Flip the half of the dough without cinnamon filling up and over the half of the dough with the cinnamon filling, lightly pressing the edges together to seal. (It’s helpful to use a bench scraper or thin metal spatula to scrape up the dough and flip it over.)
5. To make it easier to work with, cut the dough in half width-wise and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
6. Cut each piece of dough into 4 equal pieces. (You can cut it into rectangles or cut it on the diagonal for triangle-shaped scones.)

Bake the Scones

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. For easy cleanup, line a half sheet pan (a baking tray about 18 inches long by 13 inches wide) with parchment paper (first check the box of your parchment paper to make sure it can withstand a temperature of 425F). Arrange the scones on the baking tray spaced evenly apart. Lightly brush the tops with cream, and sprinkle on raw sugar.
2. Bake until the scones are light golden brown, about 18 minutes. (Be careful not to over-baked them!) Let the scones cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Make the glaze while the scones cool.

Make the Glaze

1. Add all ingredients for the glaze to a medium bowl.
2. Whisk to combine.

Cool and Glaze the Scones

Dip the tops of the scones in the glaze (or spoon it on top), allowing the excess glaze to run off. Let the glaze set before serving.

Storage & Reheating

Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

If you think you’ll have extra scones, wait to glaze them. If you leave the glaze off, you can reheat the scones to freshen them up and re-crisp the outside. To reheat scones, put them on a baking tray in a 350F oven and bake until warm, about 4 to 6 minutes. After that, you can add the glaze before serving.

Variations

• Chocolate chip scones – Omit the cinnamon filling and glaze. Add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the dough.
• Dried fruit scones – Omit the cinnamon filling and glaze. Add up to 3/4 cup of dried fruit (such as currants, raisins, dried cranberries, etc.) to the dough.
• Savory scones – Omit the cinnamon filling, raw sugar topping, and glaze. Reduce the amount of sugar in the scone dough to 2 tablespoons. Add up to 1 cup of shredded cheddar, gruyere, or crumbled feta, and up to 1/4 cup of your favorite chopped herbs. You can also play around with savory additions with things like pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onion, etc.

FAQs

More Scone Recipes to Try

• Christmas Morning Scones
• Vanilla Bean Caramelized Pear Scones with Dark Chocolate Chunks
• Savory Swiss Cheese and Thyme Scones

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Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Discard Scones Recipe

By: Faith Gorsky

Prep TimePrep Time: 32 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Other TimeOther Time: 1 hour hour

Yields: 8 scones

Sourdough discard scones are light and tender inside, and crisp and flaky outside. Their rich, buttery flavor is complemented with the tang of sourdough and buttermilk, and tempered with a hint of sugar and touch of vanilla. An optional cinnamon brown sugar filling makes them taste like a decadent cinnamon roll!

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Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Rolling pin
• Bench scraper
• Half sheet pan

Ingredients

 

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Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling:

• ▢ 6 tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt

Sourdough Scone Dough:

• ▢ 150 grams sourdough discard or sourdough starter (100% hydration; use it chilled straight from the fridge)
• ▢ 1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk chilled
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 250 grams all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough (250 grams is about 2 cups + 2 teaspoons)
• ▢ 100 grams granulated white sugar (100 grams is about 1/2 cup)
• ▢ 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter chilled and diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream for brushing on top
• ▢ 1 tablespoon raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Glaze:

• ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon whole milk or more or less to achieve your desired consistency
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

 

Make the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling:

• Add all of the filling ingredients to a medium bowl and mix to combine.

Make the Sourdough Scone Dough:

• Add the sourdough discard, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and almond extract to a medium bowl and whisk to combine well.
• Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl; whisk to combine. Add the butter and use a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until it’s incorporated, but some pieces the size of small peas remain.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Use a wooden spoon (or clean hands) to combine until it forms a dough, being careful not to over-mix.

Assemble and Chill:

• Lightly shape your dough into a tube (so it's easier to roll out as a rectangle). On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 13 1/2-inches long by 8 1/2 inches wide.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon topping onto half of the dough length-wise, leaving a border of about 1/4 inch along the outer edges. (See the photos in the post above for reference.)
• Flip the half of the dough without cinnamon filling up and over the half of the dough with the cinnamon filling, lightly pressing the edges together to seal. (It’s helpful to use a bench scraper or thin metal spatula to scrape up the dough and flip it over.)
• To make it easier to work with, cut the dough in half width-wise and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).

Bake:

• Preheat the oven to 425F. For easy cleanup, line a half sheet pan (a baking tray about 18 inches long by 13 inches wide) with parchment paper (first check the box of your parchment paper to make sure it can withstand a temperature of 425F).
• Cut each piece of dough into 4 equal pieces. (You can cut it into rectangles or cut it on the diagonal for triangle-shaped scones.)
• Arrange the scones on the baking tray spaced evenly apart. Lightly brush the tops with cream, and sprinkle on raw sugar.
• Bake until the scones are light golden brown, about 18 minutes. (Be careful not to over-baked them!)

Cool and Glaze:

• Let the scones cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Once they’re cooled, add all ingredients for the glaze to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Dip the tops of the scones in the glaze (or spoon it on top), allowing the excess glaze to run off.
• Let the glaze set before serving.

Notes

• Storage and Reheating: Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If you think you’ll have extra scones don’t add the glaze. If you leave the glaze off, you can reheat the scones to freshen them up and re-crisp the outside. To reheat scones, put them on a baking tray in a 350F oven and bake until warm, about 4 to 6 minutes. After that, you can add the glaze before serving.
• When Can I Bake with Sourdough Discard? If you just started your sourdough journey and you’re not sure if you can use the discard yet, generally, you can use sourdough discard once the starter is active. You want to see it bubble and rise after feedings. It usually takes about a week to get a starter to the point where you can use the discard, but it might take longer depending on the climate, your feeding schedule, etc.
• Hydration: Even if you’re using a 100% hydration sourdough starter or discard, know that there is a big difference in the thickness of a newer discard (which is quite thick) and an older discard (which thins out significantly). This means you might need to make small adjustments to the dough to account for this. If the dough feels too wet, add a little more flour; alternatively, if it’s too dry, add a splash of ice-cold water. Either way, start with a little and add more as needed.

Tips to Use Ripe, Active Sourdough Starter Instead of Unfed Discard in This Scone Recipe:

• Make sure your starter is established, active, and ready to bake with. It should regularly double or triple in size within 4 to 8 hours after feeding.
• Feed your sourdough starter and make sure it’s at peak when you make this scone dough.
• Don’t be tempted to omit the baking powder from this recipe. Even when using active sourdough starter, we need baking powder here as a failsafe for the perfect scone texture.
• Before baking, cold ferment the scone dough in the fridge for at least 12 hours (or up to 24 hours for more sourdough flavor).

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone | Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cinnamon Roll Scones, Sourdough Discard Scones, Sourdough Scones

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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.

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