30 minute sourdough discard scones are buttery, flaky, and lightly sweet — the perfect way to use extra starter and have warm breakfast on the table in a pinch.
Quick Recipe Overview: 30 Minute Sourdough Discard Scones
⏱ Ready In: 30 minutes
🍽 Serves: 8 large scones or 12 small scones
🔥 Calories: ~639 per scone
🥣 Main Ingredients: sourdough discard, flour, butter, egg, milk, sugar, baking powder
🌾 Dietary Info: vegetarian
💛 Why You’ll Love It: fast, flaky, and endlessly customizable
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“Tried these and they were SOOO good! Everyone is always asking me to make them again. Thank you for sharing this recipe Stephanie. I appreciate you!” – Madison
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Ready in 30 minutes with no fermentation required.
- No Long Ferment: Perfect use for sourdough discard without waste.
- Endlessly Customizable: Easy base recipe for sweet or savory add-ins.
This recipe is a spin off of my 30 minute sourdough biscuit recipe combined with my mom’s classic scone recipe! My favorite version is vanilla + coconut, but the add-in possibilities are endless. If you want a pretty pink version, try adding a simple strawberry glaze!
I may receive a small commission for items purchased through affiliate links in this post at no additional cost to you.
Key Ingredients
- Sourdough discard – Adds moisture and signature tang without needing fermentation. Both active starter and discard work just fine.
- Cold butter – Essential for flaky layers and tender crumb. Keep butter cold!
- Flour – This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you can use fresh milled flour as well. I buy organic, unbleached flour in bulk from Azure Standard.
- Baking powder – Provides quick rise and light texture to take care of the leavening so there’s no need for active starter and a long ferment.
- Egg & milk – Create richness, moisture, and structure.
- Sugar – Light sweetness that complements glaze or add-ins.
- Optional add-ins – Coconut, chocolate chips, berries, or citrus zest for variation.
🌾 Fresh Milled Flour Option
Quick Answer: Replace the flour with fresh milled hard white wheat using a 1:1 ratio for tender, flavorful sourdough discard scones. Add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary.
- Best Wheat to Use: Hard white wheat creates a lighter texture and mild flavor — perfect for delicate baked goods like scones.
- For Extra Tender Scones: Sift out a small amount of bran or use half fresh milled, half all-purpose.
- Why You’ll Love It: Fresh milled flour adds natural sweetness, depth of flavor, and extra nutrients.
If you need help with sourdough vocabulary, check out my Complete Guide to Sourdough Terms!
Step-By-Step Instructions for Making Sourdough Discard Scones
Preheat & prepare pan: Preheat oven to 400°F and heat a cast iron skillet or baking dish.
Step 1 – Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut or grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the sourdough discard, egg, milk, and vanilla just until a shaggy dough forms — do not overmix. Fold the dough over itself to create layers, then shape into a 1-inch thick circle.
Step 2 – Cut the Scones: Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut into 8 large scones, or roll the dough out into a half-inch thick rectangle and cut into 12 small scones.
Step 3 – Prep for Baking: Add a tablespoon or two of butter to the hot, preheated skillet, then arrange the scones for baking.
Step 4 – Bake: Bake the scones in a preheated oven at 400F for 15-18 minutes, the tops should be lightly golden brow.
Step 5 – Cool and Glaze: Place the scones on a wire rack to cool, glaze, and add toppings.
Step 6 – Serve or Store: Serve the scones warm or prep for storage.
Looking for more easy sourdough recipes? Try my gooey sourdough chocolate chip cookies!
Sourdough Discard Scones FAQs
Yes, sourdough discard works perfectly in scones. It adds moisture and a subtle tangy flavor while baking powder provides the rise, so no fermentation is required.
To make sourdough discard scones flaky, use very cold butter, avoid overmixing the dough, and fold it a few times before shaping. These steps create layers that produce a light, tender texture.
Sourdough discard scones can turn dry if too much flour is added or if they are overbaked. Measure flour carefully, mix just until combined, and remove the scones once the tops are lightly golden.
Sourdough discard scones are easy to customize with add-ins like fresh or frozen berries, chocolate chips, citrus zest, dried fruit, coconut, or shredded cheese for a savory variation.
Store sourdough discard scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2–3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated to refresh their texture.
Expert Tips
- Keep butter cold for the flakiest layers.
- Do not knead — overworking makes dense scones.
- Fold instead of mixing to create tender layers.
- Preheat your skillet for a better rise and browning.
- Bake just until golden to keep the interior soft.
Storage
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
- Refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Freeze up to 3 months and reheat to refresh texture.
More Quick and Easy Sourdough Recipes
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐ 5-star ⭐ rating below! If you have questions or suggestions – drop a comment!
30 Minute Sourdough Discard Scones
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat + prep pan: Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a cast iron skillet (or baking dish) inside to heat.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Cut in the cold butter: Grate or cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, working it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the sourdough discard, egg, milk, and vanilla just until a shaggy dough forms. If the dough feels dry, add 1 tablespoon milk at a time.
- Fold for flaky layers: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently press into a rectangle, then fold and press 2–3 times to create layers.
- Shape + cut: Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges.
- Bake: Carefully remove the hot skillet, add a small pat of butter to melt (or lightly grease), and arrange the scones with space between them. Bake at 400F for 15–18 minutes until lightly golden.
- Cool slightly: Let the scones rest for 5–10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
- Whisk the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and optional vanilla until smooth and drizzle-able.
- Glaze + serve: Drizzle the glaze over warm scones, sprinkle on toppings of choice, allow it to set briefly, and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
- This recipe uses baking powder for rise, so sourdough discard can be used, active starter is ok too.
- For the flakiest texture, keep the butter very cold and avoid overmixing the dough.
- If using fresh milled hard white wheat, replace flour 1:1 and add 1–2 tablespoons milk if the dough feels dry.
- Dough should look soft and slightly shaggy, not smooth.
- Chill shaped scones for 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm.
- Bake just until lightly golden to keep the interior soft and tender.
- Customize with add-ins like berries, chocolate chips, citrus zest, coconut, or cheese.
- Best enjoyed warm the day they are baked, but they reheat well.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!About the Author
Welcome to Hopewell Heights, I’m Steph – seasoned sourdough baker, homesteader, homemaker, homeschooling mom of 5, and creator behind this Heritage American food blog. I hope you enjoy my family’s favorite, from-scratch recipes!
These are so moist and delicious and not sour at all, I love the vanilla + coconut combo but have made many variations and they’re all amazing!
Tried these and they were SOOO good! Everyone is always asking me to make them again. Thank you for sharing this recipe Stephanie. I appreciate you!
They were the perfect texture for scones, and easy to understand, I made a carrot cake version, and was pleasantly surprised the recipe worked for that too!
These are easy and delicious! So easy!
Really really yummy. I loved the addition of the cup of coconut. Gonna try a little less butter next time.