These flaky and moist Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones are bursting with bright citrus flavors and tart dried cranberry pieces. You only need 9 ingredients, a big bowl, your hands, and less than 15 minutes of hands on time to make them! This recipe is written to be used with either discard or active sourdough starter, too!
Yippie! Here's how to make cranberry orange sourdough scones!
Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- How to make scones that are not dry
- What to serve with scones
- What ingredients do you need to make cranberry orange scones?
- Instructions
- Recipe
- Long fermented scones
- Variations & Optional add-ins
- How to store scones
- Long fermented scones
- Variations & Optional add-ins
- How to store scones
- What is the best way to reheat scones?
- MORE BREAKFAST FOODS YOU'LL LOVE!
- NEW SOURDOUGH RECIPES!
- Comments
Why this recipe works
Cranberry orange might be my favorite flavor combination of all time. And stir in that into a tender, moist, flavorful scone and you have yourself a morning treat that will knock everyone’s socks off!
Scones are so much fun to bake because once you figure out your basic scone recipe, it's just a matter of doctoring it up with your favorite add-ins. I've compiled a list and stuck it in the 'variations' part of this post if you could use some inspiration! In fact, my Sourdough Lemon Scones are made with this same basic recipe, too!
But we also need to talk about how these scones come together with minimal ingredients and are sprinkled throughout with orange zest and dried cranberries in every bite. These sourdough cranberry orange scones would be perfect for a baby shower brunch, Easter breakfast, or afternoon tea. I promise every single person will be asking you for the recipe!
How to make scones that are not dry
It’s always so disappointing when you put a fresh, hot scone on a plate (and are probably still staring at a sink full of dishes from making said scone) and it’s flavorless, dry, dense or just overall blah.
If you are shaping your scones and they feel very crumbly and aren't holding together, add a little more heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time until the dough ball holds together. Likewise, if the scones are too wet, add a little flour until it holds together nicely.
Here’s my top tips for making perfect scones, every time:
- Freeze your butter! Remember I said cold butter is a must? Chop the butter into tiny pieces and then pop it in the freezer for ten minutes.
- The combo of orange juice and heavy cream are a match made in heaven.
- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, overwork the dough. Lumpy is okay and smooth is bad.
- Over baking is your scone nemesis. Bake until just done for tender scones.
What to serve with scones
If you are in charge of breakfast or brunch, I have plenty of trusty recipes to serve with scones! I like to make things ahead of time so that I'm not rushed, so here is my best hostess menu that won't have you stuck in the kitchen all morning.
- Venison Sausage Breakfast Casserole: This is a potato, egg, sausage and cheese recipe that can be mixed up the night before and popped in the oven the next morning.
- I like to make a few quick breads or muffins to go with my scones. My current obsessions are Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread or Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins. They are so good!
- We're gonna need a juice, too. I love making a spritzer by mixing cranberry juice with sprite or seven up. Here's my Homemade Cranberry Juice recipe if you want to make it from scratch!
- Asparagus Puff Pastry is a savory dish that looks ultra fancy, but is super easy to make! The only downside is that this is best served fresh out of the oven, so go ahead and have your bacon pre-cooked and everything prepped the night before to make it come together faster.
What ingredients do you need to make cranberry orange scones?
- Oranges: Yes, shocker, right? Just kidding. Pick oranges that have a glossy, orange peel. We are zesting these, so grab a few that look as fresh and unblemished as possible. We are going to use these oranges for their juice, zest and in our sweet and tart citrus glaze.
- Dried cranberries: I like to dehydrate bulk cranberries when they are in season mid fall, but you can also use fresh, canned cranberries or frozen. Whatever you use, just chop them into tiny pieces and make sure to let any juice drain off before adding to the dough.
- Sourdough starter: This can be a sourdough starter discard, aka the hungry portion you take out before feeding, or active starter. This recipe is very flexible, so don't stress about it. Whether you use an active sourdough starter or discard sourdough starter, it's gonna come out great!
- Butter: Butter is the key to a tender and moist scone, so make sure you are using a high quality and full fat one! Also be sure that your butter is right-out-of-the-fridge cold. Sometimes I even chop mine into tiny pieces and then throw it in the freezer for ten minutes. Pockets of cold butter are what will give your scones that amazing, buttery texture.
- Sugar: These scones get a lot of tartness from the cranberries, so they do need a little added oomf from a small amount of sugar.
- Heavy cream: cream will bind your scones together and give them that silky, melt in your mouth texture! Have a tablespoon or so handy during the shaping process in case your dough is dry and you need to add a little more.
- All Purpose flour: It’s basic, but works great! My favorites are Jovial All-Purpose Einkorn, The Food Nanny All-Purpose Kamut or just plain organic all purpose flour from the store.
- Baking Powder: Be sure you are using baking powder and not baking soda. And also make sure that it isn't old, because if your powder has been in the pantry (opened) for more than 3-6 months, it might not actually work anymore.
- Salt: All baked goods need a bit of salt for balance. I promise you won’t be making salty cones!
- Last but not least, let's set aside a teeny tiny amount of milk for brushing the top of the scones. You can also just use a bit of heavy cream. I'm not adding this as an official ingredient, because it's more of a garnish, really. This will give your sourdough discard scones their beautiful golden brown color.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, chop the butter. Place both bowls in the freezer for ten minutes. Keeping the ingredients cold will help to produce a thick, fluffy and buttery scone.
3. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse sand. If the butter begins to feel warm, pop the mixture back into the fridge for ten minutes.
4. Add the heavy cream, sourdough discard, zest, orange juice, and vanilla to the bowl and stir with a fork until just mixed.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in the cranberries. Stir until the dough just comes together in a dry and crumbly mass.
6.. Turn the dough onto the parchment lined pan and shape it into a disc that is about 9 inches. This does’t need to be perfect, but a consistent thickness is key. I use my hands instead of a rolling pin to keep from smashing down the dough which would make my scones flat.
6. Cut with a sharp knife or bench scraper into wedges. Separate the wedges to 2” apart.
6. Place a small amount of cream in a bowl and brush the tops of the lemon sourdough scones with the cream. Bake at 400℉ for about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. The scones should be just beginning to brown along the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of a slice comes out clean.
7. Allow the scones to cool on a wire rack. While the scones are cooling, it’s time to make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon juice, zest, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled scones.
8. Enjoy! Scones will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to a month!
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones
Equipment
- bench scraper
- pastry cutter, grater or food processor
- parchment lined baking sheet
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter frozen for 30 minutes
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream and more for brushing
- 1 tablespoon orange zest zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- ½ cup sourdough starter active or discard
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
optional glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon orange juice plus zest
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Place the bowl of flour mixture in the freezer for ten minutes. Keeping the ingredients cold will help to produce a thick, fluffy and buttery scone.2 cups all purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Use a pastry cutter or cheese grater to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse sand. If the butter begins to feel warm, pop the mixture back into the fridge for ten minutes.
- Add the heavy cream, sourdough starter, egg, zest, orange juice and vanilla to the bowl and stir with a fork until well mixed. Fold in the cranberries.3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 tablespoon orange juice, ½ cup sourdough starter, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup dried cranberries
- Turn the dough onto the parchment lined pan and shape it into a disc that is about 9 inches. This does’t need to be perfect, but a consistent thickness is key. I use my hands instead of a rolling pin to keep from smashing down the dough which would make my scones flat. If the dough isn't holding together, add cream, ½ tablespoon at a time. Likewise, if it is too wet, add flour. Cut with a sharp knife or bench scraper into wedges. Separate the wedges to 2” apart.
- Place a small amount of cream in a bowl and brush the tops of the scones with the cream. Bake at 400℉ for about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. The scones should be just beginning to brown along the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of a slice comes out clean.
- Slide the scones with the parchment onto a wire rack to cool. While the scones are cooling, it’s time to make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, orange juice, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled scones.1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon orange juice, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Enjoy! Scones will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to a month!
Notes
Long fermented scones
Long-fermenting scones is easy. You can mix up the scones, shape them into a disc, wrap it in plastic or put it in an airtight glass container and put it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The longer they are in the fridge, the more the sourdough starter will long ferment the dough.Variations & Optional add-ins
Lemon scones: Instead of using orange juice and zest, use lemon zest and juice!How to store scones
The best way to store scones is in an air tight container, preferable glass, on the countertop for 1-2 days. They are still edible for 3-4 days, but they won't taste as flaky or fresh.Nutrition
Long fermented scones
Long-fermenting scones is easy. You can mix up the scones, shape them into a disc, wrap it in plastic or put it in an airtight glass container and put it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The longer they are in the fridge, the more the sourdough starter will long ferment the dough.
Variations & Optional add-ins
Lemon scones: Instead of using orange juice and zest, use lemon zest and juice!
Sourdough blueberry scones: Make the recipe as written, but leave out the cranberries. Then fold in ½ cup of fresh, freeze dried or frozen blueberries with the wet ingredients. If you have access to freeze dried blueberries, you can also add a tablespoon of powdered freeze dried blueberries to the glaze to make it a pretty shade of lavender.
Chocolate chip sourdough scones: Instead of adding the orange juice and zest and cranberries, leave it out. You'll have to increase the amount of cream by 1-2 tablespoons. Fold in ½-3/4 cup of chocolate chips with the wet ingredients and finish the recipe as written. Use melted chocolate chips or shaved chocolate instead of a glaze on top.
How to store scones
The best way to store scones is in an air tight container, preferable glass, on the countertop for 1-2 days. They are still edible for up to 5 days, but they won't taste as flaky or fresh. Make ahead and freeze in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to a month.
What is the best way to reheat scones?
The best way to reheat leftover scones is by placing them in the microwave on a plate, covered with a barely damp paper towel. Microwave for 12-15 seconds.
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Vonda
Thank you for sharing! All your tips were very helpful, especially to freeze the butter, and that the dough would be dry and crumbly. The scones were beautful and delicious! A side note: I soaked my dried cranberries in orange juice while bowls were in the freezer, and then drained and dried them well before mixing into dough.
I'm excited to try your other recipes! Thank!!
Meg
Hi Vonda! I'm glad you found the recipe helpful and easy to follow. Thank you so much for leaving a review and your kind words. Have a wonderful day!
-Meg
Amelia
I can not even begin to say how easy these were to make. I will be making them again for our Easter brunch! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!