Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones {Easy Discard Recipe}
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If you crave scones that are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and loaded with melty chocolate chips, you’re in the right place. These sourdough chocolate chip scones have just the right amount of sweetness with a hint of tang from the sourdough discard, making them seriously hard to resist.
The secret to getting them light and flaky comes down to cold ingredients, a gentle touch, and a few simple tricks. Fresh out of the oven with a little butter or alongside a hot cup of coffee, these scones are about to become a new favorite!
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Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
Crispy Edges, Soft Centers
These scones, just like my Sourdough Maple Pecan Scones, bake up with perfectly crisp edges while staying soft and tender inside. The trick? Ice-cold butter and a quick folding method that locks in those flaky layers.
Sweet Meets Tangy
Melty chocolate chips bring the sweetness, while sourdough discard adds just a hint of tang, making these scones way more flavorful than your average chocolate chip pastry. If you prefer white chocolate, then you’ve got to try my White Chocolate Peppermint Sourdough Scones!
Easy to Make, Even Easier to Freeze
Got extra sourdough discard? This recipe puts it to good use. The dough comes together fast, and you can freeze unbaked scones for fresh, homemade treats whenever you want.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but pastry flour would be an excellent substitute for an extra flaky scone.
- Sugar
- Baking powder: This will bring a little lift to our scones! Be sure that it isn’t expired.
- Salt: Any salt will do, but my favorite is Redmond’s Unrefined Fine Sea Salt for extra natural minerals. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt by 2g (1/4 teaspoon).
- Unsalted butter: It is best to use really cold or frozen butter.
- Chocolate chips: Choose your favorite from milk, semi-sweet or dark to chocolate chips or chunks!
- Heavy cream: It’s important to use heavy cream over milk because the thick liquid brings just the right amount of liquid to these scones. If you add too much liquid or use liquid that is thinner, your scones will bake up flat and dry. Canned coconut milk is fabulous non-dairy substitution!
- Egg: Adds moisture and brings structure to the scones.
- Sourdough discard: I prefer using sourdough discard that is no older than a few days for sweet recipes like these scones. However, you can also use active sourdough starter as well, just make sure to measure by grams instead of volume. Using COLD discard is also another helpful trick to keep your butter cold!
- Vanilla: For the best flavor, use vanilla extract over imitation.
How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until incorporated. If not using a kitchen scale, be sure to fluff the flour and spoon it into your measuring cups and level off with a knife. This will give you a more accurate measurement.
- Grate the cold/frozen butter and add to the flour mixture. Mix with your fingers until the small pieces of butter are coated with flour.
- Next, sprinkle in your chocolate chips or chunks and mix until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, vanilla extract and sourdough discard until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients evenly on top of the butter mixture. Mix the scone dough with a rubber spatula until the cream mixture is combined. The dough will be crumbly with some bites of dry flour. Be careful not to over mix the dough, the flour will be incorporated in the next step.
- Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Then, with a bench scraper, fold the dough in half, then press down to create the large rectangle again. Repeat this 3-4 times.
- With your hands, form the dough into an 8″ disc. Cut the soft dough into 8 equal wedges with a bench scraper or a large knife. Be careful not to slide the bench scraper when cutting the scones! This will close off the dough, which prevents the scones from getting the flaky layers. Simply press straight and pull straight up.
Folding the dough helps to create all of those beautiful flaky layers!
Step 8. Place the unbaked scones on a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper with space in between them. Cover and chill them in the fridge for at least 15 minutes while the oven preheats. This plastic lid fits perfectly over my baking sheets!
9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. With a pastry brush, top the scones with more heavy whipping cream and sprinkle on a layer of coarse sugar, if desired.
10. Bake the scones for 17-20 minutes, or until the top of the scones are lightly golden brown. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Enjoy!
Long Fermentation Tip
If you prefer to long ferment your sourdough scones for easier digestibility, prepare the sourdough scone dough and store them in the fridge covered overnight and bake them the following day!
How to Store
Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If you need to keep them longer, refrigerate them for up to five days. Before serving, warm them in the oven at 300°F for 5–10 minutes to bring back their fresh-baked texture.
How to Freeze Scone Dough
Freeze before baking
To freeze unbaked scones, shape the dough into wedges and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze them for 1–2 hours until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to bake, place the frozen scones on a baking sheet, brush them with heavy cream, and bake as directed, adding 2–3 extra minutes to the baking time.
Freeze after baking
If you want to freeze baked scones, let them cool completely first. Wrap each scone individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to eat, thaw them at room temperature or warm them in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes.
How to Not End Up with Flat Scones
Nobody wants flat and dry scones! For the best results, use these baker’s tips for the most delicious Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones!
Use a kitchen scale:
For the most accurate measurement of your ingredients, use a kitchen scale! Add too much flour, your scones will be dry. Add too much liquid, your scones will bake up dense and flat. This is such a cheap investment and it allows you to properly measure your ingredients.
Use cold/frozen butter:
To get the most light and flakey crust, you need cold butter! When the butter starts to melt while it is baking, it releases moisture. This creates those flakey layers. If you use room temperature or the butter melts before baking, the scones will be flat and dry.
Use cold ingredients:
Furthermore, to help keep the butter cool, use as many cold ingredients as possible, like cold eggs, cold heavy cream, cold sourdough discard, etc.
Work quickly:
As stated above, you don’t want your butter to melt into the dough, so you must work quickly.
Chill the dough before baking:
Chilling the scones before popping them into the oven allows the butter to stay cold, which gives you the best chance for flakey scones.
Variations:
If you are craving a little bit more sweetness and crunch to your scones, try substituting half of the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips or caramel chips, and add some chopped pecans or walnuts!
FAQs
Warm butter is usually the culprit. Keep the butter cold, use chilled ingredients, and refrigerate the dough before baking. Also, avoid overmixing, which can make the dough too dense.
Yes! Active starter works, but since it’s more hydrated (100% hydration vs. discard’s thicker consistency), you may need 1-2 tbsp extra flour to balance the dough. For best results, weigh ingredients in grams, as that’s more precise than volume measurements.
Use fresh baking powder, cold ingredients, and handle the dough as little as possible. Cutting the scones with a sharp knife and pressing straight down (not sliding) also helps them rise properly.
Yes. Swap butter for cold coconut oil or vegan butter, and heavy cream for full-fat canned coconut milk. Expect slightly softer, more tender scones. You’ll want to chill the dough 30+ minutes to help them hold shape.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
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Equipment
- box grater
Ingredients
- 250 grams all-purpose flour about 1 3/4 cups
- 100 grams sugar 1/2 cup
- 10 grams baking powder 2 1/2 teaspoons
- 3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 113 grams unsalted butter, frozen 1/2 cup
- 175 grams chocolate chips 1 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard, cold 1/2 cup
- 1 egg, cold about 62 grams
- 8 grams vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
- 45 grams heavy cream, cold 3 Tablespoons, plus more for topping
- coarse sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until incorporated.250 grams all-purpose flour, 100 grams sugar, 10 grams baking powder, 3 grams salt
- Grate the cold/frozen butter and add to the flour mixture. Mix with your fingers until the small pieces of butter are coated with flour.113 grams unsalted butter, frozen
- Next, sprinkle in your chocolate chips or chunks and mix until incorporated.175 grams chocolate chips
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, egg, heavy cream and vanilla extract until smooth.1 egg, cold, 8 grams vanilla extract, 45 grams heavy cream, cold, 120 grams sourdough discard, cold
- Pour the wet ingredients evenly on top of the butter mixture. Mix the scone dough with a rubber spatula until the cream mixture is combined. The dough will be crumbly with some bites of dry flour. Be careful not to over mix the dough, the flour will be incorporated in the next step.
- Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Then, with a bench scraper, fold the dough in half, then press down to create the large rectangle again. Repeat this 3-4 times. Folding the dough helps to create all of those beautiful flaky layers!
- With your hands, form the dough into an 8″ disc. Cut the soft dough into 8 equal wedges with a bench scraper or a large knife. Be careful not to slide the bench scraper when cutting the scones! This will close off the dough, which prevents the scones from getting the flaky layers. Simply press straight down and pull straight up.
- Place the unbaked scones on a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper with space in between them. Cover and chill them in the fridge for at least 15 minutes while the oven preheats. This plastic lid fits perfectly over my baking sheets!To long-ferment: Store the covered scones in the fridge overnight up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- With a pastry brush, top the scones with more heavy whipping cream and sprinkle on a layer of coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake the scones for 17-20 minutes, or until the top of the scones are lightly golden brown. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Enjoy!
