Fresh Milled Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones
This recipe for sourdough discard cranberry orange scones will be on regular rotation in my kitchen for some time!
The holiday season brings with it certain flavors and flavor combinations that are hard to beat! Cranberry-orange is definitely one of them for me!
The best scones are tender, light, and delicate. The perfect treat for any time of day!
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I look so forward to cranberry season every year! Those tart little nuggets are one of my all time favorite flavors!
Pair these tart cranberries with the sweetness of an orange and you have the perfect combination of flavor that is hard to beat!
I love scone recipes because they are quick and easy. Very hands off, yet so delicious!
Why I love this recipe for sourdough discard scones
Quick to make – This recipe uses sourdough discard making it a quick and easy recipe to make on a busy morning for the perfect breakfast!
Healthy – Made with basic ingredients and no refined sugars, you will feel great about serving these for your family!
What is the difference between active sourdough starter and sourdough discard?
Active starter is starter that has been fed within the last day or so and is bubbly with a pleasant yeasty smell.
Sourdough starter discard is starter that has not been fed recently and may have a liquid on top and an acetone odor.
This recipe is a great way to use up extra sourdough discard!
New to sourdough? Follow my easy instructions for how to make a sourdough starter.
For this recipe, I used fresh milled soft white wheat. To mill my own wheat berries, I use the Nutrimill Grain Mill
Looking for a chocolate chip sourdough scones recipe? Try my Best Sourdough Scones Recipe.
Looking for more sourdough recipes? Browse my big list of sourdough recipes here.
Ingredients you will need to make these cranberry orange scones
- Flour – I use fresh milled soft white wheat, however, you can use hard white wheat or hard red wheat. If you choose to use all purpose flour, you may need to adjust the amount by adding a quarter cup less flour.
- Olive oil
- Sourdough discard – I use cold sourdough discard straight from the fridge.
- Milk – I used whole milk. You can use a dairy alternative or skim milk.
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Fresh Cranberries
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- Date Sugar for glaze – The glaze is optional, but adds some sweetness to the scones that balances the tartness of the cranberries. You may also use powdered sugar if you have that on hand.
For complete ingredient amounts for sourdough discard cranberry orange scones, see recipe card below
How to make this recipe
Mix the dough
First, you will need to mill 1 2/3 cups of wheat berries.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Rinse cranberries and drain. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour over the cranberries and toss. Sit aside.
In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
Pour the olive oil over the flour mixture and mix in with a pastry cutter or fork until coarse crumbs form.
Grate the zest of one orange and cut in half after zesting.
To this mixture, add the sourdough starter, milk, half of the orange zest, and the juice of half of the orange.
Mix just until combined and fold in the cranberries.
Note: Do not over work this dough for best results. For tender scones with a tender crumb you will need to just work the dough until it is combined and no more.
Shape the dough
Turn the scone dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
Tip: I use a piece of parchment paper lightly floured to shape my dough and bake it on to minimize mess.
Gently shape the dough into a circle that is 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
Taking a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the circle in half and the the halves into half for a total of 8 scones.
Brush the top of the scones with milk or heavy cream (optional).
Carefully pull the parchment paper with the unbaked scones onto a baking sheet.
Bake the Scones
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
While baking, make the icing.
In a small bowl add 1/4 cup date sugar or powdered sugar.
Add in the orange juice from the other half of the orange and the remaining orange zest.
While stirring, drizzle in just enough milk to make an icing that can be drizzled but not too thin.
Glaze the Scones
For my icing using date sugar, it took about 6-8 tablespoons of milk.
Put baking scones onto a wire rack and drizzle with the glaze.
Tip: Put a piece of parchment paper under the wire rack to catch the overflow of glaze.
Serve warm with an espresso or a cup of milk!
How to store these cranberry orange sourdough scones
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Store in airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Fresh Milled Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups fresh milled flour I use soft white wheat
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 orange for zest and juice halved
- 1/4 cup date sugar or powdered sugar for glaze
- 6-8 tbsp milk for glaze
Instructions
- Mill 1 2/3 cup wheat berries.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Rinse and drain the cranberries and toss with 2 tablespoons of flour. Sit aside.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Pour the olive oil over the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or fork to mix until coarse crumbs form.
- Add the milk, the juice and zest of half the orange, and the sourdough starter.
- Mix until just combined. Don't over work the dough or you will have tough scones.
- Fold in the cranberries.
- On a lightly flour surface, turn the scone dough and gently shape into a circle that is 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
- Cut the circle in half and the halves in half for a total of 8 scones.
- Brush tops with milk (optional).
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- While they are baking, make the glaze.
- Add the sugar and zest to a small bowl. Add the juice of the other half of the orange and drizzle in just enough milk to make a glaze that can be drizzled.
- Place baked scones on a wire rack and drizzle with the glaze.
