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Top view of cranberry orange sourdough scones on a wire rack.

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones

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!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine American
Servings 8 scones
Calories 418 kcal

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
 

  1. Preheat oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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. 
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  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!

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! 
 
Sourdough blueberry scones: Make the recipe as written, but omit 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, zest, and cranberries, leave them out.  Fold in ½-¾ 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 3-4 days, but they won't taste as flaky or fresh.

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 319mgPotassium: 73mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 588IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 111mgIron: 2mg
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