Yield: 8

Best Glazed Orange Cranberry Sourdough Scones

Best Glazed Orange Cranberry Sourdough Scones

These delicious orange cranberry sourdough scones combine tangy sourdough, fresh cranberries and orange zest and are topped with an orange glaze for a perfect Christmas breakfast or special afternoon tea or hot cocoa.

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
  • 1 tsp grated orange zest
  • Wet Ingredients:
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing on top
  • ½ cup sourdough discard
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • Orange Glaze:
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • Sugar crystals (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into the dry ingredients until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mix the dry ingredients and butter. Stir in cranberries and orange zest.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: cream, sourdough discard, and egg. Pour into the flour mixture and stir gently until the dough begins to come together. 
  4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and fold the dough over a few times to finish mixing. Don’t over knead the dough. 
  5. Using your hands, form the dough into a square about 1 ¼ inches thick. Using a bench scraper, cut the square into 4 smaller squares. Cut each smaller square in half to form eight triangles. Place the triangles onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.
  6. Brush the top of each triangle with heavy cream. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the scones from the baking sheet to a baker’s rack. 
  7. Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla in a small bowl. 
  8. While scones are still warm, drizzle them with the orange glaze and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Notes

  • You can make these cranberry scones with sourdough discard or active sourdough starter. You don’t need the starter to be active because the scones will rise with the addition of the baking powder.
  • Make sure to use cold butter, cold cream, and cold eggs straight out of the fridge for this recipe. This results in a flakier pastry and helps to prevent the scone from spreading out during baking.
  • If you use frozen cranberries instead of fresh, be sure not to thaw them as this will cause the juice to bleed into the dough.
  • One large navel orange will give you enough zest and juice for this recipe.