Sourdough Strawberry Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sourdough Strawberry Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect treat for a spring breakfast or afternoon snack. These light and flaky scones have fresh strawberries folded into a dough made with sourdough discard, buttermilk, and cold butter, and are topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting. They capture the best flavors of spring strawberries!
“It tastes just like freshly picked strawberries” – Nancy
“Sweet and soft and tastes just like strawberries” – Jenny
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Sourdough Discard
Sourdough discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter, so don’t throw it away! Instead, use it in delicious Sourdough Discard Recipes where it adds moisture and amazing sourdough flavor. I use 100% hydration sourdough discard in discard recipes.
Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like Easy Sourdough Discard Bread and younger, fresh discard in sweeter recipes like these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Enjoying the seasons is synonymous with the seasonal flavors that go with them. Fall is filled with apples, pumpkin, and cinnamon, whereas spring and summer are full of berries, zucchini, corn on the cob, and rhubarb.
They each have a special place in my heart, and we make the most of them while they’re here. I’m soaking up every bit of strawberry season with my sourdough strawberry bread (this one uses freeze-dried strawberries), mixed berry rhubarb jam, and these homemade sourdough discard scones.Â
Why You’ll Love Strawberry Scones
- Delicious – The fresh strawberries and tangy cream cheese frosting are the perfect balance of flavors for an afternoon treat.
- Real Ingredients -These homemade scones are so good, just like anything you’d get at a bakery or coffee shop. But better because there are no preservatives, just real ingredients!
- Simple – This homemade scone recipe is so simple to make! Everyone, from beginner to seasoned baker, will enjoy making sourdough strawberry scones.
Tools You’ll Need
- Kitchen scale
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Measuring spoons
- Cheese grater
- Pastry cutter
- Bench knife
Sourdough Strawberry Scones Ingredients
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for a light and tender scone.
- Baking powder and soda – Scones get their lifting power from a chemical leavener.
- Salt – Just a pinch to flavor the scones
- Butter – Use cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces. A cheese grater makes it quick and easy.
- Sourdough starter – This recipe is formulated to use up extra unfed sourdough starter. However, you can use an active starter, but be sure to measure it by weight and not volume.
- Milk – Use buttermilk for an added boost of acidity to react with the leaveners.
- Egg –
- Sugar – Use cane sugar or granulated sugar in the scone dough, and a bit of powdered sugar to sweeten the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – A touch of vanilla to flavor the frosting
- Strawberries – Wash, hull, and dice fresh strawberries
- Cream cheese – Allow the cream cheese to warm to room temperature for easy creaming.
Helpful Tips for Strawberry Sourdough Scones
- Use cold ingredients. As the cold butter bakes, it evaporates and creates steam, giving the scones a light and tender crumb.
- When making cream cheese frosting, cream room-temperature cream cheese until it’s smooth before adding any liquid.Â
- Sift the powdered sugar for a smooth, lump-free frosting.
- Mixing cold discard can be tricky to blend with the other ingredients. An immersion blender is a great way to incorporate all of the liquid ingredients fully.
How to Make Strawberry Scones
Prep
Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray.
Grate the butter and place it in the fridge to keep it cold.
Wash the strawberries under cold water. Remove the stems and discard. Dice the strawberries into small pieces.
Mix
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cane sugar into a large bowl, and combine with a whisk. Cut in the grated butter with a fork or pastry cutter until its crumbly. It’s ok if there are bits of butter remaining. Add the strawberry pieces and toss, coating the berries with the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine the sourdough discard, buttermilk, and egg until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir gently with a lifting motion to keep the juicy strawberries intact.
Shape
Turn out the dough onto a work surface dusted with a little flour. Knead the dough once or twice to bring it together. Shape the dough into an 8″ circle, 1 inch thick.
Use a bench scraper or sharp knife and cut the dough into 8 pieces.
Arrange the scones onto the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate the scones while the oven preheats to 400°F/204°C.Â
Bake
Bake the scones for 17-20 minutes or until the edges are light brown. The scones are done when a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the scones comes out clean, or reads 200°F/94°C with a digital thermometer. Place the scones on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.Â
Frost
Blend the cream cheese until smooth with a large spoon. Add the vanilla extract, milk, and powdered sugar and mix until fully combined. Top scones with frosting.
Note: This frosting recipe is enough for a light frosting flavor to pipe over the top of the scones. If you want a bold cream cheese flavor, double the frosting recipe and spread the frosting with a knife.Â
Store
The scones are best the day they’re baked. Place leftover scones in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
To freeze unbaked scones, mix and shape scones as directed. Place the unbaked scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, or until the scones are frozen solid. Remove the scones and place them into a freezer-safe bag. Label with the name, date, and place back into the freezer. No need to thaw when ready to bake; just place frozen scones on a baking sheet and bake. They may need an additional minute or two. For best flavor, use within 3 months.
Variations of Sourdough Strawberry Scones
- Create strawberry lemon sourdough scones by grating lemon zest into the dough. Add a bit of lemon juice to the cream cheese frosting for a zesty lemon flavor.
- Skip the cream cheese frosting and add white chocolate chips into the scones. Brush the tops of the scones with a bit of heavy cream before baking and top with a lemon glaze.Â
FAQs About Strawberry Sourdough Scones
Can You Make Scones with Fresh Strawberries?
Yes! Adding fresh strawberries is a delicious way to flavor scones. Other recipes, like my sourdough strawberry bread, use freeze-dried strawberries to flavor the dough without affecting the hydration.
What is the Secret to Perfect Scones?
Be sure to handle the dough gently for tender scones. Working it too much builds the gluten and results in tough scones. In addition, keeping the dough cold, especially the butter, allows for maximum lift during baking.
I’d love to hear from you! If you made this Sourdough Strawberry Scones recipe and loved it, I would love it if you gave it 5 stars! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Strawberry Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- parchment paper
- kitchen scale
- mixing bowls
- bench scraper
- pastry blender
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
Dry
- 250 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 67 g sugar â…“ cup
- 113 g unsalted butter ½ cup
- 185 g strawberries 1 cup, hulled and diced
Wet Ingredients
- 62 g buttermilk ¼ cup
- 1 lg egg
- 125 g sourdough discard ½ cup
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 90 g powdered sugar ¾ cup
Instructions
Prep
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray.
- Grate the butter and place it in the fridge to keep it cold.
- Wash the strawberries under cold water. Remove the stems and discard. Dice the strawberries into small pieces.
Mix
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cane sugar into a large bowl, and combine with a whisk. Cut in the grated butter with a fork or pastry cutter until its crumbly. It's ok if there are bits of butter remaining. Add the strawberry pieces and toss, coating the berries with the flour mixture.250 g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 67 g sugar, 113 g unsalted butter, and 185 g strawberries
- In a separate bowl, combine the sourdough discard, buttermilk, and egg until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir gently with a lifting motion to keep the juicy strawberries intact.125 g sourdough discard, 62 g buttermilk, and 1 lg egg
Shape
- Turn out the dough onto a work surface dusted with a little flour. Knead the dough once or twice to bring it together. Shape the dough into a 7" circle, 1 inch thick.
- Use a bench scraper or sharp knife and cut the dough into 8 pieces.
- Arrange the scones onto the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate the scones while the oven preheats to 400°F/205°C.
Bake
- Bake the scones for 17-20 minutes or until the edges are light brown. The scones are done when a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the scones comes out clean, or reads 200°F/94°C with a digital thermometer. Place the scones on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost
- Blend the cream cheese until smooth with a large spoon. Add the vanilla extract, milk, and powdered sugar and mix until fully combined. For a light frosting flavor, pipe the frosting over the top of the scones. Otherwise, spread the frosting with a knife for a bold cream cheese flavor.4 oz cream cheese, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp whole milk, and 90 g powdered sugar
Storage Instructions
- The scones are best the day they're baked. Place leftover scones in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Freezing Instructions
- To freeze unbaked scones, mix and shape scones as directed. Place the unbaked scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, or until the scones are frozen solid. Remove the scones and place them into a freezer-safe bag. Label with the name, date, and place back into the freezer. No need to thaw when ready to bake; just place frozen scones on a baking sheet and bake. They may need an additional minute or two. For best flavor, use within 3 months.
Notes
Tips:Â
- Use cold ingredients. As the cold butter bakes, it evaporates and creates steam, giving the scones a light and tender crumb.Â
- When making cream cheese frosting, cream room-temperature cream cheese until it’s smooth before adding any liquid.Â
- Sift the powdered sugar for a smooth, lump-free frosting.Â
- Mixing cold discard can be tricky to blend with the other ingredients. An immersion blender is a great way to incorporate all of the liquid ingredients fully.