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Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Scones are a fresh twist on my classic sourdough discard scone, combining the light tang of sourdough with the bright, zesty flavor of fresh lemon. These scones are light and flaky, with a delicate texture that’s perfectly balanced with the flavor of poppy seeds.
Finish these scones with a sweet lemon glaze drizzled on top and you’ll want them as an option for every breakfast!
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Why You’ll Love Lemon Poppy seed Sourdough Scones
- Bright Flavor – You’ll love the zesty lemon flavor that pops in these scones. There is just something special about lemon infused in a scone recipe, just like these Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Scones.
- Special Breakfast – These lemon poppy seed scones are the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch table. If you want to add a savory scone option, then check out my Ham and Cheese Sourdough Scones too!
- Discard Recipe – I have so many great sourdough discard scone recipes (like these Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones). I think scones are the perfect way to use up some sourdough discard in a quick and easy breakfast bake!
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. I use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like these sourdough discard pretzel bites and young/fresh discard in sweet recipes like my favorite sourdough chocolate cupcakes.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – Use a young discard or even active starter if you don’t want sour flavor. If you like the fermented flavor, you can use refrigerated discard up to a week or two old. I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard.
- Lemons – The key to the bright lemon flavor in these scones is freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh lemon zest.
- Poppy seeds – I love the nutty flavor and crunch poppy seeds bring to these scones.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Heavy Cream: You can substitute buttermilk or a mixture of sour cream/milk instead of the heavy cream in this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter: I always prefer to bake with unsalted butter, but you can substitute salted butter if you prefer.
- Poppy seeds: Leave them out if you just want lemon scones, or add white chocolate chips or another flavor combination if you prefer!
How to Make Lemon Poppy seed Scones
Mix Scone Dough
Step 1: Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the lemon zest (Image 1) and then the poppy seeds (Image 2).
Step 2: Grate the cold or frozen butter (Image 3) and whisk into the flour mixture (Image 4). Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir with a fork to combine (Image 5). Combine until just mixed (Image 6).
Shape the Scones
Step 3: Pat the dough into a circle on the counter. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to create eight triangular pieces.
Step 4: Place scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill scones in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking, or let them long-ferment in the refrigerator overnight.
Note: This recipe can easily be made ahead of time. Scone dough can be shaped and frozen for up to a couple of months. Freeze dough in the scone shape. Once fully frozen, place in an air-tight bag in the freezer. When you want to bake, pull a frozen scone out of the bag and bake in a preheated oven, adding a couple extra minutes to the bake time.
Bake Lemon Poppy seed Scones
Step 5: Bake lemon poppy seed scones at 425ºF for 15 minutes until the edges are crispy and the scones are baked all the way through.
Step 6: Whisk together simple glaze of powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Drizzle glaze on warm Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Scones.
How to Store Leftovers
Baked sourdough scones can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for 24 hours. After that I like to freeze them to preserve freshness. Defrost and warm up slighty in the microwave to enjoy.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
Scone dough can be frozen and baked later. Freeze dough in the scone shape. Once fully frozen, place in an air-tight bag in the freezer. When you want to bake, pull a frozen scone out of the bag and bake in a preheated oven, adding a couple extra minutes to the bake time. This makes sourdough scones perfect to make ahead!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold sourdough discard makes these scones extra flaky and delicious. Use your discard chilled when possible – it keeps the butter cold, resulting in lots of layers. I love the fermentation benefits of sourdough, plus adding it to recipes like this minimizes waste.
Yes! Mix up the dough and cut out the scones. Refrigerate for 48-72 hours and bake straight from the refrigerator. Long-fermenting the scones gives the discard time to pre-digest some of the gluten in the flour and makes it easier for some to eat foods made with gluten.
Yes. These are great to make ahead of time. Mix up the dough, separate into pieces and then freeze the scone dough overnight or up to a month. Bake scones immediately from the freezer, adding on a couple of minutes to the bake time.
Favorite Sourdough Scone Recipes
If you tried these Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Scones or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Scones
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Ingredients
Lemon Poppyseed Sourdough Scones
- 380 grams all-purpose flour see recipe notes for freshly milled flour, scant 3 cups
- 90 grams granulated sugar , about ½ cup
- 4 grams salt , about ¾ teaspoon
- 15 grams baking powder , about 1 Tablespoon
- 113 grams unsalted butter , about 8 Tablespoons
- 30 grams poppy seeds, about 3 Tablespoons
- 100 grams sourdough discard , scant ½ cup
- 2 large eggs , about 100 grams
- 30 grams heavy cream , about 2 Tablespoons, see recipe notes
- 30 grams freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 2 Tablespoons
- 10 grams lemon zest, from two medium-sized lemons, about 2 Tablespoons
- 4 grams vanilla extract , about 1 teaspoon
Lemon Glaze
- 100 grams powdered sugar , about ¾ cup plus 1 Tablespoon
- 20 grams lemon juice freshly squeezed, about 1.5 Tablespoons
- 5 grams vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, about 1 teaspoon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- To a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Grate the cold butter and whisk into the flour mixture until the little pieces of butter are spread throughout and coated with flour. Stir in the poppy seeds.Alternatively you can use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the sourdough discard and eggs together until combined. Add heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and incorporated.
- Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir together with a fork or spoon until moistened and sticking together. If you have a lot of flour leftover in the bowl, add a little extra cream a teaspoon or so at a time until it comes together. If your dough feels a little too wet, add a little extra flour as needed. Scone dough will resemble pie dough more than cookie dough. The key to tender scones is to not over-mix it while combining it, so mix until it just comes together.
- Dump the dough onto the counter and pat into an 8-inch circle, about 1-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the scones into 8 triangular pieces. Note: For smaller scones, pat the dough into an 8 or 9-inch rectangle and cut into 12-16 smaller squares. Dough can also be frozen at this point and baked later, see recipe notes.
- Line an 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the scones on top of the parchment, separated so they aren't touching. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. While the oven is preheating, chill the scone dough in the freezer for 10 minutes (or in the fridge for 30). Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are crispy and the scones are baked all the way through.
- While the scones are baking, make the simple glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Drizzle on top of warm scones and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very tasty! I’ll make these again. I baked them to 185° which seems about right.
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad they turned out great.
Your scone recipes are perfection. I always have to add more liquid to the dry bits – following your tips 🙂 Everyone loves them. Gah. So GOOD.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad it turned out great!