Blueberry Lemon Sourdough (Printable)

Tender scones with juicy blueberries and bright lemon flavor, ideal for springtime baking.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
06 - Zest of 1 large lemon

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
08 - 1 cup sourdough discard, unfed at room temperature
09 - 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
10 - 1 large egg
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

→ Add-ins

13 - 1 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen unthawed

→ Topping

14 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, optional

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest until evenly distributed.
03 - Add cold, cubed butter to the dry mixture. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together sourdough discard, cream, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until smooth.
05 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
06 - Gently fold the blueberries into the dough until evenly distributed.
07 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick circle approximately 7 inches in diameter.
08 - Cut the dough circle into 8 equal wedges. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly to allow for expansion.
09 - Brush the tops of each scone lightly with additional cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
10 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Sourdough discard becomes something beautiful instead of waste, and honestly, it adds a subtle complexity that plain scones can't touch.
  • Fresh lemon and blueberries together hit that sweet-tart balance that makes people ask for the recipe before they've even finished eating.
  • They come together in under an hour, which means you can pull warm scones from the oven before your Saturday coffee gets cold.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the dough after combining wet and dry ingredients; I learned this the hard way by making them once with a mixer and ending up with something closer to a hockey puck than a scone.
  • Frozen blueberries go in straight from the freezer and that prevents them from staining your dough purple, turning what should be speckled into a muddied blue-gray.
  • Sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature; cold discard straight from the fridge will make your dough hard to work with and the tang won't develop properly.
03 -
  • Keep everything cold until the last possible moment—cold butter, a cold bowl, even cold hands if you have the patience. Cold ingredients are what separate tender, flaky scones from dense, tough ones.
  • If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking so all eight scones brown evenly. I learned this after pulling out a tray where two were golden and three were pale, which felt deeply unfair to the effort involved.
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