Sourdough Cheddar Dill Scones
These whole wheat cheddar and dill scones with sourdough discard are flaky, flavorful, tender, and moist; everything a homemade scone should be. Enjoy them right out of the oven or warmed in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. They make a scrumptious savory snack, breakfast, or meal accompaniment.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 16 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 1+3/4 cup red fife whole grain flour (230 grams)
- 1 tbsp baking powder (14 grams)
- 1 tsp sugar (4 grams)
- 1/2-1 tsp salt (2-5 grams) *
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper or cayenne pepper if you want spiciness (0.5 grams)
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, frozen and grated (85 grams)
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (16 grams)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp heavy cream, divided (165 grams)
- 1/3 cup sourdough starter discard (100 grams)
- 1-1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (90-135 grams) **
- milk to brush on the top of the scones before baking
Instructions
- 1
Grate the frozen butter and return it to the freezer until ready to use, no need to cover it.
- 2
Wash, pat dry, and chop the dill. Set it aside.
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- 4
Add the grated butter and dill to the flour mixture and stir with a spatula.
- 5
In a second bowl, holding back about 3 Tbsp of the heavy cream, whisk the 1/2 cup heavy cream (120g) with the sourdough starter and egg.
- 6
Drizzle in this mixture while stirring. Add the reserved heavy cream if needed to incorporate the flour.
- 7
Fold the shredded cheese in with your hands. Transfer the dough to a flat surface, flatten it a bit, fold it to make layers, and flatten again in a disk shape. If you plan to make wedge shaped scones rather than use a biscuit cutter, make two equal-sized disks.
- 8
Wrap with plastic and chill the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400°F.
- 9
Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 10
Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin or your hands, flatten the disk to about 9" diameter and use a 2.5" biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Dip the cutter in flour if the dough begins to stick. Re-form the scraps to cut more for a total of about 12 biscuits. If you made two disks for wedge scones, roll them until they're about 3/4" thick and cut 4 or 6 wedges per disk for 8 or 12 scones in total.
- 11
Transfer the scones to a baking sheet, brush the tops with milk or diluted heavy cream, and bake for 16 minutes until the cheese on top begins to toast up. Adjust the baking time upward for larger scones.
- 12
Serve warm or re-heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Store in a closed container for about 4 days or wrap tightly and freeze.