Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Discard Scones Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Discard Scones Recipe

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!

Course Bread, Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Cinnamon Roll Scones, Sourdough Discard Scones, Sourdough Scones

Prep Time 32

Cook Time 18

Other Time: 1

Servings scones

Calories 403kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Ingredients

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 Customary - Metric

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