Easy Blueberry Scones Recipe

easy blueberry scones RECIPE BY: CECE KIRKWOOD THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.

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The blueberry scone – my first scone love. It’s also the first scone I learned how to bake and if you’ve been following me from the beginning, you’ll know that the first few times I attempted a scone bake did not go well. So I was determined to come up with my own easy blueberry scone recipe.

I found that a lot of scone recipes were hard to follow and not all bakers view scones in the same way. I believe scones should pack a flavorful punch and while the layers are flakey and buttery, you won’t be pulling a Larry David and coughing up a storm because the scone was too dry. 

So in the same way I approach all baking, I went back to the basics. I developed my ideal vanilla base scone. Then, once I mastered that base, I began adding in some beautiful flavors – including my favorite, the blueberry. If you’ve never baked a scone before, I highly suggest starting with the vanilla scone before moving onto this blueberry variety. It is helpful to know the base before you add extra ingredients to the mix.

This easy blueberry scone recipe will surely become your favorite fruity breakfast companion. And don’t worry if you don’t have sourdough on hand, you can swap out the sourdough for buttermilk in a simple 1:1 ratio. 

The Process

As with all baking, the first step is to prepare the baking space by preheating the oven to 350º F and measuring out all ingredients in separate bowls. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Next, add in the cold butter and using a pastry cutter or your hands, rub the butter into pea sized amounts in the flour mixture. Place this mixture in the fridge to chill.

In a separate medium sized bowl, combine 100g of sourdough discard, 1 egg, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract and 2 tbsp of heavy cream. Remove the flour mixture from the fridge and create a well in the center of the mixture to add in the sourdough mixture. 

Begin combining with a fork, starting from the inside, and slowly incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet center.

About three quarters through combining, add in the blueberries and continue working the dough together with your hands. Add in more flour or the extra tbsp of heavy cream as needed until you create a soft shaggy dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough here. 

NOTE – the blueberries add extra moisture to your dough because they are frozen. So don’t be afraid of a little bit of a stickier dough here. Add a bit more flour, don’t panic and just keep slowly combining until things come together.

Next, turn the dough onto a floured surface and push everything together into a circular mound. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide the dough into 8 equal triangles. 

Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place the sheet in the freezer for 15 – 30 minutes. This is an important step as you want to make sure your butter and dough reach the same temperature, otherwise things will get messy in the oven. After 15 – 30 minutes, remove the scone dough from the freezer and place directly into the oven for 20-22 minutes.

Once baked, remove the scones from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. As the scones are cooling – prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the glaze ingredients, ensuring there are no clumps. Then drizzle over the fully cooled scones. 

Finally, it is time to dig in and enjoy!

The Tips

Can I make these scones without sourdough?

Absolutely, simply swap out the sourdough in a 1:1 ratio with buttermilk. This may make your dough a bit stickier given that buttermilk is a bit more liquidy than sourdough, so just add a bit more flour as you are combining the dough, if needed. 

Help! I don’t have vanilla bean paste!

Totally understand. This isn’t the most common ingredient and it can be a little pricey at the store. You can simply swap the paste for more vanilla extract in a 1:1 ratio. But as with the sourdough replacement, the vanilla extract is more liquidy so you might need to add a bit more flour while combining the dough to get your desired texture. 

A few notes on the temperature of this dough…

In order to help the sourdough discard scones keep their shape, you cannot skip the chilling before the bake. The butter must stay in a very cold state until they are placed into the oven. 

Make sure your butter is cold! I like to prep my butter by cutting it into cubes and then placing it back into the fridge or even freezer while I prep the rest of my ingredients. 

How active should the sourdough be for this recipe?

For these scones, it is important to note that the Sourdough Discard in this recipe is a “fresh” discard, meaning that it is not a discard that has been stored in the fridge and solidified over time – I use a discard that was recently fed.

Can I prep these scones ahead of time?

Definitely! Assemble the dough the night before and shape into the scones and then place into the freezer overnight! The next morning, pop the scones straight from the freezer into the oven and voila! Breakfast is ready.

You can also bake these a few days in advance. They will stay well in an airtight container for 2-3 days or you can tightly wrap the scones, once they are cooled, and store in the freezer for up to a week. The best way to defrost the scones is to leave them on the counter to defrost at room temperature. 

Why is this recipe in grams? 

Baking is a science and in science you want things to be exact and precise. The best way to do this is by weighing out your ingredients using a simple scale. Ever baked a cookie using the same recipe, yet somehow it turns out slightly different each time? That is because when measuring by volume, you can’t be as precise. It is vital that your ingredient ratios are accurate for a reliable bake every time.

The Easy Blueberry Scones Recipe

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