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A berry-citrus winter bake

These Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones with Brown Butter Orange Icing utilize my seemingly-neverending supply of sourdough discard to create a seriously delicious fall and winter bake! These cozy sourdough scones are flavored with dried sweetened cranberries, orange zest, warm cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla. After baking, they’re drizzled with a sweet brown butter orange icing for an extra burst of citrus. Pair these cranberry orange scones with a warm mug of tea or coffee on a cold morning for brunch!

5 Tips for Perfect Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones

Keep the fat. These scones use real butter, buttermilk, and heavy cream to impart flavor and a tender, flaky texture. Do not be tempted to lighten scones up with milk or margarine (in fact, don’t even say the “m” word in front of me) because you will not yield good results.
Freeze your butter and grate it. Scones work best with cold (Read: COLD!) fat so freezing the butter (and sometimes even the flour) yields the best results. Frozen butter can be difficult to slice and work through the dough properly, so I prefer to grate it using a standard cheese grater/box grater instead. This allows you to better work the butter through the flour while keeping it in its cold, unmelted state.
Do not overwork your dough. It’s important that the gluten in the flour (and sourdough discard) is not overworked, otherwise, you’ll end up with a dense, chewy scone instead of a light and flaky scone. The frozen butter gets worked into the dry ingredients first, which provides a barrier to help prevent gluten in the flour from forming. Then the liquids (which include also contain gluten from the sourdough starter) are added last and you gently work them into the dough by hand — so skip the mixer! I prefer to fold the liquid ingredients in with a sturdy spatula or dough scraper, then finish by hand just until there aren’t any huge streaks of flour; some small flour streaks may remain and that’s totally okay.
Brush the tops with heavy cream. Brushing your scones with heavy cream before baking helps the tops brown properly and provides a subtle, semi-gloss finish.
Freeze the scones before baking. (see below)

WHY SHOULD I FREEZE SCONES BEFORE BAKING?

I always freeze my scones prior to baking for two main reasons. First, cold helps stunt gluten formation so popping the scones in the freezer allows the gluten in the flour and sourdough discard to relax, yielding a lighter scone with a higher rise (compared to the dense blocks that scones sometimes are). Second, it chills the fat (butter), which helps keep the scones from spreading flat when baking and yields a tender, flakier-textured scone. Think of butter’s role in scones similar to how you consider it when making rough puff pastry.

You should freeze the scones for a minimum of 1-hour before baking, but I generally opt to make the dough and freeze the scones the day before (or the night before) and bake the following day.

Also important: Before freezing, make sure that you’ve sliced your scone dough into wedges and separated them (I just freeze directly on a parchment-lined baking tray), otherwise, you’ll need to wait for the scones to partially thaw before being able to slice them and risk the scones spreading slightly. Once frozen, you can also transfer the unbaked frozen scones to an airtight container or bag lined with parchment paper between each layer and continue freezing for up to 3 months, baking one or two scones at a time as desired.

CAN I FREEZE THESE SCONES AFTER BAKING?

Yes, absolutely! These Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones will freeze well in their unbaked state or their baked state for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. To defrost frozen baked scones, pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F / 175 C for about 10-15 minutes, or the microwave for about 30-60 seconds. Frozen unbaked scones can be baked as directed, below, in the recipe card.

Can I substitute the dried cranberries for fresh cranberries or another berry?

Yes, absolutely! Personally, I find fresh cranberries in these scones to be a bit too tart for my liking and instead prefer to use sweetened dried cranberries. However, if you prefer the tartness of fresh, you can certainly use them instead. I like to start with frozen fruit if I'm using fresh so that they keep the dough as cold as possible from the start, but they'll work well even if they aren't frozen.

If you prefer to use another berry, these scones are also gorgeous with dried or fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries — I particularly love using Marionberries and Boysenberries when they’re in season here in the Pacific Northwest — or a combination of multiple types of berries for a mixed berry blend. The orange zest also pairs really well with alternative berries varieties, so no need to omit it.

How to serve these Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones

These scones are super tasty fresh out of the oven on their own or with a smear of clotted cream, heavy whipped cream, or salted butter. Though, I will gladly eat them in their cooled-down state sans toppings too! I’ve also been known to reheat these scones in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to warm them back up again in the morning.

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

A standard cheese grater/box grater
A citrus zester (or if your box grater has a fine grater, you can use that instead)
A large mixing bowl
A medium mixing bowl
A small mixing bowl
A kitchen scale – OR – measuring cups (for less accurate measurements)
Measuring spoons
A sturdy wooden spoon
A bench scraper (nice to have, but you can also use a chef’s knife)
A baker’s half sheet lined with parchment paper
A basting brush and small bowl (for the heavy cream)
A knife
A small saucepan
A whisk
A small sifter / fine mesh strainer

Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.

LOOKING FOR MORE BAKING INSPIRATION?

Love this Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones recipe? Here are some additional sweet baking recipes that you might enjoy!

Sourdough Discard Strawberry Mint Scones
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Scones
Hagrid’s Rock Cakes (a British treat similar to a scone)
Sourdough Discard Spiced Pear Muffins
Sourdough Discard Buttermilk Pancakes
Pumpkin Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Discard Cranberry Orange Scones

Author: Whip & Wander
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Breakfast & Brunch, Breads
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

For the cranberry orange scones:

400 g (about 3 cups + 3 tbsp + ½ tsp) all-purpose flour, plus more to lightly flour your work surface
132 g bout ⅔ cup) white granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp cinnamon
zest of 1 orange (about 1 tbsp)
4 oz (½ cup) unsalted butter, frozen
250 g (about 1 cup, stirred down) 100% hydration cold sourdough discard
60 g (about ¼ cup) buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
120 g (about ¾ cup) dried sweetened cranberries*
2-3 tablespoon heavy cream

For the brown butter orange icing**:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
90 g (about ¾ cup) powdered sugar, sifted
zest of 1 orange (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp heavy cream
1-2 tablespoon orange juice

Instructions

To make the cranberry orange scones:

Line a baker’s half sheet with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest until well-mixed.
Using a standard cheese grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients just until the mixture is uneven and crumbly. It’s okay if some chunks of butter are unincorporated. Transfer the bowl to the freezer to keep cold while you prepare the remaining wet ingredients.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sourdough discard, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix together with a sturdy wooden spoon until fully combined.
Remove the four and butter mixture from the freezer and transfer the remaining wet ingredients to the flour mixture as well as the dried cranberries. Using a sturdy spatula or a dough scraper, combine the ingredients until roughly combined. I prefer to transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface at this point and finish combining by hand but you can continue combining in the bowl if it’s more comfortable for you. You’ll want to work the dough until just combined and there aren’t any huge streaks of flour; some small flour streaks may remain and that’s totally okay.
On a lightly floured work surface, gently work the dough into an 8-inch flat circle. Using a bench knife or chef’s knife, slice the circle in half, then into fourths, then into eighths until you have 8 wedges.
Transfer each wedge to your reserved baking sheet, equally spaced across the sheet so the scones aren’t touching.
Using a basting brush, brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream.
Transfer the sheet of scones to the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour. I prefer to make the dough and freeze the scones the day before (or the night before) baking and bake the following day.
When ready to bake, pull the scones from the freezer and allow the tray to rest on the counter while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees F / 220 C. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until the scones are lightly brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F / 94 C.

To make the brown butter orange icing:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, stirring regularly. The butter will foam at first, then as the foam dissipates it will begin to turn golden and eventually brown and nutty-scented. Watch the butter closely because it can quickly turn from brown to burnt. Once golden, pour the butter into a heat-proof glass bowl.
Set a sieve/fine-mesh strainer over the top of the bowl and sift the powdered sugar into the mixture. Whisk until smooth.
Add 1 tablespoon heavy cream to thin and whisk again. Then add the orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice and whisk to combine. If needed, you can thin with an additional 1 tablespoon orange juice until it reaches your preferred consistency -- However, be careful not to add too much or the icing will never set.
Drizzle icing over the scones and allow to set. Store the scones in an airtight container in the fridge so they don’t dry out. The scones should keep this way for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.

Once frozen, you can also transfer the unbaked frozen scones to an airtight container or bag lined with parchment paper between each layer and continue freezing for up to 3 months, baking one or two scones at a time as desired.

* Personally, I find fresh cranberries in these scones to be a bit too tart for my liking and instead prefer to use sweetened dried cranberries. However, if you prefer the tartness of fresh, you can certainly use them instead. I like to start with frozen fruit if I'm using fresh so that they keep the dough as cold as possible from the start, but they'll work well even if they aren't frozen. If you prefer to use another berry, these scones are also gorgeous with dried or fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a combination of multiple types of berries for a mixed berry blend. The orange zest also pairs really well with alternative berries varieties, so no need to omit it.

** Alternatively to icing, you can sprinkle 3-4 tablespoon of turbinado sugar on top of the scones prior to baking (after brushing with heavy cream) if you prefer.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 scone
Calories: 552
Sugar: 34 g
Sodium: 272 mg
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrates: 92 g
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 10 g
Cholesterol: 70 mg

Keywords: cranberry, orange, brown butter, sourdough discard, scones