Soft, light, and just sweet enough, chocolate chip sourdough scones have a delicious slight tang from added starter and can be fermented overnight. You can use either active sourdough starter or discard. These scones are always a hit and it's a great way to add some more sourdough into your baking!
For more sweet sourdough recipes, try our sourdough chocolate chip cookies, easy sourdough chocolate cake, or try your hand at making homemade sourdough donuts.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Starter: this can be either active starter or (recent) discard. It's best to weigh the starter.
- Butter: the butter should be either very cold, or you can grate frozen butter.
- Chocolate: dark chocolate chunks, chips, or chopped baking chocolate can all be used. Other types of chocolate, like milk, can be substituted if you want a sweeter scone.
- Buttermilk: while true buttermilk will give you the best results for both flavour and rise, in a pinch you can use the same amount of whole milk with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Method
Step 1: whisk the dry ingredients together to combine.
Step 2: add the butter, making sure it's still cold.
Step 3: cut the butter into the flour mixture until it's about the size of peas.
Step 4: mix in the chocolate chips or chunks.
Step 5: stir the buttermilk into the bowl.
Step 6: working quickly, shape the dough into a disc.
Step 7: cut into 8 wedges.
Step 8: transfer to a lined baking sheet, brush with milk, and bake until lightly golden.
Top Tips
- Chill the butter quickly: if your butter isn't cold, place the mixing bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes after mixing it into the flour then proceed with the recipe as written.
- Weigh the starter: this recipe can be made with active starter or discard, and they have different volumes. We recommend weighing it to ensure you're getting the right amount.
- Keep it cool: if the scone mixture warms up, they won't rise as well in the oven. Cold butter forms pockets in the scones as they bake and adds height.
Recipe Notes
To ferment your scone dough for a stronger sourdough taste, it can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours before baking. Mix the dough as usual, then cover the bowl tightly and place into the fridge overnight or for a few hours. Divide and bake as instructed.
If your home is warm and the dough warms up while shaping and cutting the triangles, simply freeze the scones on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes before baking. If you don't have room in the freezer, refrigerate for 30-40 minutes instead.
Don't use really old starter that's been sitting in the fridge for months – it will be too strong of a flavour. If you use the levain method, just mix up a bit of fresh starter to use in the scones.
How to Store
Storage: keep the baked scones in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They're best the day they're baked.
Freezing: transfer fully cooled scones to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. It's best to freeze them the day they're baked.
Before baking: freeze the unbaked scones, cut into triangles, on a parchment-lined baking sheet or board. Once frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container. Bake as instructed directly from frozen, adding 2 minutes on to the baking time.
If you make this Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones recipe or any other sourdough recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter cold or grated frozen
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk plus extra for brushing the scones
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- Coarse sugar optional for garnish
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the butter to the bowl. Quickly break up any large chunks with a pastry blender or your hands. The butter mixture should be coarse and crumbly and the butter should be about the size of green peas.½ cup salted butter
- Stir in the chocolate chunks, then make a well in the middle of the flour. Add the buttermilk and sourdough starter. Use a fork to whisk the buttermilk and starter together, then start incorporating the flour. Once the dough is rough and shaggy and mostly sticking together, quickly gather it into a ball with your hands, making sure to incorporate any dry bits of flour in the bottom of the bowl.1 cup chocolate chunks, 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, ½ cup sourdough starter
- Sprinkle a bit of flour on a work surface. Dump the dough out. Use your hands to quickly and gently press it into a circle about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and 1 inch (2 ½ cm) thick. Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into eight wedges. Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each.
- Brush the top of each scone with buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using. Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake the scones for 20 to minutes or until pale gold on top. Transfer the tray to a wire rack and cool the scones for 15 minutes before serving.Coarse sugar