Sourdough Discard Triple Ginger Scones

Jump to Recipe

These delicious and aromatic sourdough discard triple ginger scones make a wonderful breakfast addition on a chilly day. Chock full of ginger in 3 different forms: ground, fresh, and candied, which gives them a warm and robust depth of flavor. The perfect amount of crispiness on the outside and tender crumb on the inside. Your house will smell amazing when these are baking!

I’ve never seen my family so excited about a scone. The smell of these brought everyone into the kitchen, crowding around and asking when they would be done.

Scones have been a favorite in our home for many years. They are perfect to whip up alongside scrambled eggs and some fruit for a well-rounded breakfast. I’ve used many flavors and additions, from berries to chocolate to carrots.

This scone is all about the spicy little root that so many of us love. The flavors of ginger alongside the tangy fermentation of the sourdough discard make them so good.

Don’t let that sourdough discard go to waste! Though I typically keep a small starter, the discard still piles up. I like to add it to a jar in the fridge over a few days, ready to use in various recipes, such as Sourdough Discard Pizza Crust, Sourdough Discard Green Tortillas, or Sourdough Strawberries and Cream Cookies.

Tips for making scones

Use frozen butter – Grating frozen butter straight into the flour mixture and shaping your dough without over-mixing allows the incorporated butter to melt in the oven rather than in the process of preparing the dough. This creates extra little air pockets throughout the dough, a bit of extra rise, and an overall better texture. Once I figured this out and started using this with all my scones, every recipe turned out better! Very cold refrigerated butter also works well if you don’t have frozen.

Double the batch and freeze half – make life easier for your future self by doubling the recipe and then freezing half of the scone wedges before baking. Simply stick one sheet in the freezer after you separate the wedges. When they are fully frozen, transfer them to a freezer ziplock bag. On another day, simply take them out and put them in the oven, adding just a few more minutes of baking time.

How to make sourdough triple ginger scones

Ingredients you will need:

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (These also work well with 50% or 100% whole wheat flour I like to use fresh ground soft white wheat for added nutrients and fiber)

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger

1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated with a microplane

1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, frozen

a large egg

1/2 cup (125g) sourdough discard

1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses (you can also use regular molasses)

1 Tbsp half and half or milk

Steps for making the scones:

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, ground ginger, candied ginger, and fresh ginger. With your fingers, rub the ginger into the flour to incorporate it more evenly.

Using frozen butter (see tip), grate the butter into the flour mixture.

With clean hands, work the butter into the flour until it turns into even, large crumbs. Work it quickly and only until an even crumb is achieved. You don’t want to overwork it and make the butter too soft.

In a separate bowl, combine the sourdough discard, egg, blackstrap molasses, and half & half.

Whisk vigorously until the discard blends in and the liquid ingredients have reached a smooth consistency. This can take a few minutes depending on how stiff of a starter you maintain.

Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir minimally until nearly combined.

With clean hands, bring the dough together and gather it into a ball. If needed, add an additional small splash of milk to help it all come together.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, use your hands to press the ball of scone dough into an 8″ diameter disk.

Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the disk into 8 wedges. Gently but quickly (before the dough gets too warm) separate the wedges on the parchment paper so that there is space around each one (they will expand). If the dough feels too soft to separate, you can place in the freezer for a few minutes and then separate the wedges.

At this point, some of the wedges can be frozen for later (see tips).

Or continue with the next steps to bake them the same day:

How to bake the scones:

Place the cookie sheet of scones in the freezer for 20 minutes.

(Let’s be honest, it’s hard to be patient for this step. I don’t always do this, especially if I work quickly and the dough is still quite cold from the frozen butter. But taking the time to chill them will help each scone hold its shape nicely and not spread too much.)

While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the oven has preheated and the scones have chilled, place the sheet of in the oven and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, until the scones are a slightly crispy at the edges. 22 minutes seems to be the sweet spot for me.

Remove the sheet from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Add an optional glaze to the scones:

In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, maple syrup, and ground ginger. Whisk until it becomes creamy, then stir in the milk.

Adding a glaze to these scones takes them to the next level. Perhaps unnecessary on a weekday morning, but so delicious for a special occasion or fall celebration.

Serve and enjoy!

Want to make the scones a little healthier?

These scones also work well with 50% or even 100% whole wheat flour. I like to use soft white wheat berries for things like scones, biscuits, and coffee cakes.

You can also substitute coconut sugar or rapadura for the granulated sugar.

The batch below was made with 50% fresh ground whole wheat flour.