Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones

4.98 from 48 votes

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones

Cranberry orange sourdough scones are the perfect blend of sweet orange zest and tart cranberries all baked up into a flaky and delicious scone. Using cold sourdough discard makes them extra flaky and delicious. Drizzle on a sweet orange glaze and you'll have scones for breakfast in no time!

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: scones

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Cranberry Orange Scones

380 grams all-purpose flour about 2 3/4 cups
65 grams granulated sugar about 1/3 cup
13 grams baking powder about 1 Tablespoon
4 grams salt about 3/4 teaspoon
113 grams unsalted butter, cold 8 Tablespoons
100 grams fresh cranberries about 1 cup, roughly chopped in a blender
120 grams sourdough discard about 1/2 cup
2 large eggs about 100 grams
60 grams heavy cream about 1/4 cup
40 grams milk about 3 Tablespoons
4 grams vanilla extract about 1 teaspoon
zest from one large orange reserve a little for the glaze if desired

Glaze

130 grams powdered sugar about 1 cup
15 grams heavy cream about 1 Tablespoon
30 grams orange juice from one orange, about 2 Tablespoons
zest from an orange about 1 teaspoon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
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. Alternatively you can use a pastry cutter.
Pulse the cranberries in a blender until they are roughly chopped. Add the cranberries to the flour mixture and whisk together with a fork.
To a separate bowl whisk together the sourdough discard, eggs, heavy cream, milk, vanilla and orange zest until smooth and incorporated. Add a small squeeze of fresh orange juice if desired.
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. Scone dough will resemble pie dough more than cookie dough. The key is to not overmix it.
Pull out a sheet of parchment paper and flour it. Turn the dough out and pat into a circular shape, about 1 inch thick.
Using a sharp knife or a bench knife, cut the scones into eight triangular slices.
Place the parchment paper with the scones on it on top of a baking sheet. Separate the scones so they aren't touching and bake the scones for 12-15 minutes (depending on how crispy you want the edges).
While the scones are baking, whip up the simple glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, orange juice and orange zest. Add a little more cream if you want a thinner consistency.
Once scones are finished baking, pull them out of the oven and let cool about 5 minutes before pouring on the glaze. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Make-ahead option: Freeze the scones before baking and keep frozen for up to a month. When you're ready to bake them, preheat the oven and bake, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.

Sourdough Discard: In order to avoid a stronger sourdough flavor, use sourdough discard that is fresh or no more than a day or two old. I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard. If your discard is very runny, you may need a little extra flour in this recipe.

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