Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with Maple Glaze Recipe by: Cece Kirkwood. This post may contain affiliate links.

We all know how much I adore scones and since I also love pumpkin and all things fall, of course my first fall recipe this year had to be the Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with Maple Glaze.

The scones use canned pumpkin mixed with hints of cinnamon and spice to give your taste buds the flavor of fall. Then, top them off with maple glaze, using pure maple syrup and melted butter… and oh my goodness – you will be dancing to all the Fall Fairies.

As with my other scone recipes, while I like to use sourdough to give the scones a subtle tang flavor, you can easily substitute buttermilk for the sourdough in a 1:1 ratio. This way, we can all enjoy the flavors of fall! But if you do want to bake with sourdough and are not sure how to get started – I’ve got you covered with my Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough.

So grab your cozy sweaters and let’s get to baking!

The Process

Prepare the ingredients

There are a couple steps you’ll want to complete before getting to the Pumpkin Sourdough Scone dough. I find its best to do the prep work upfront, that way you can just focus on creating the dough and not worrying about whether you forgot to measure out an ingredient.

First up, cube the cold butter into small pieces and place in the fridge, then pre-measure the rest of your ingredients and place them into small bowls.
Prepare the Pumpkin: Don’t skip this step! Prepare the canned pumpkin by measuring out 65g of puree.

Grab a couple paper towels or a cheese cloth, place the puree inside and blot/squeeze the pumpkin to remove excess liquid.

You’ll want to remove most of the liquid so you are left with something that resembles more of a paste than a puree.

Prepare, Chill & Bake the Pumpkin Scones

Okay, now that everything is prepared, let’s get to the baking!

Dry ingredients first…

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your hands to rub the butter into pea sized pieces in the flour mixture. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill.

Now onto the wet ingredients…

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 100g of sourdough, egg, prepared pumpkin, vanilla extract and 3 tbsp of heavy cream.

Then, combine everything together.

Remove flour mixture from the fridge and create a well in the center of the mixture to add in the sourdough pumpkin mixture.

Combine with a fork and your hands, adding more flour or the extra tbsp of heavy cream as needed until you create a soft, rather smooth dough.

Turn onto a floured surface and form the dough together into a circular mound.

Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 8 equal parts.

Don’t skip this step either! Place scones on a parchment lined baking sheet and place sheet in the freezer for 15 – 20 minutes.

Creating a well in the dry ingredients in a large glass bowl

Wet ingredients added to the dry for Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with a Maple Glaze

Flattened scone dough ready to be divided into 8 pieces

And bake!

Remove scones from the freezer, sprinkle with sugar and place directly into the oven for 20-22 minutes.

Remove scones from the oven and cool on a rack. Make sure they fully cool to room temperature before placing any glaze on them!

Glaze & Devour

While the scones cool, whisk the glaze ingredients in a separate bowl. You may need to add a bit more maple syrup until you reach a nice thick, but still “runny” glaze consistency.

Once cooled, spoon the glaze over each scone and allow 5 minutes for the glaze to set. Then, it’s time to enjoy your Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with Maple Glaze!

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.

How do I prepare my canned pumpkin?

You’ll want to remove most of the moisture from the canned pumpkin before adding it to your scone ingredients. If you skip this step, the pumpkin will cause the scone batter to be sloppy and wet. So don’t skip this one!

Prepare the canned pumpkin by measuring out 65g of puree.

Then grab a couple paper towels or a cheese cloth, place the puree inside and blot/squeeze the pumpkin to remove excess liquid.

You’ll want to remove most of the liquid so you are left with something that resembles more of a paste than a puree. See my video above for more information!

Do I have to chill the dough before baking?

Yes! Don’t skip this step. The important piece to scones is cold butter! That gives them their flaky, yet moist texture. So you want to make sure the butter and all the other ingredients are nice and chilly before hitting the hot oven. If you skip this step, the scones won’t hold their shape and the texture will be off. So make sure you keep things nice and chilly!

How active should the sourdough be for this recipe?

For these Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with Maple Glaze, 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.

Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with Maple Glaze