These blackberry sourdough scones have a rich and tender crumb brightened by pops of delicious blackberry flavor! Brushed with cream and sprinkled with sugar, they gain a lovely golden top, and are the perfect complement to your breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

Plus, you can switch out the blackberries for other varieties of fruit or add-ins to create your own flavor creation! (I’ll include some ideas below.)

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blackberry sourdough scones on parchment paper

Kitchen Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Cheese grater – I use a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter; however, you can easily pulse the butter in a food processor instead if you prefer.
Baking sheet
Parchment paper (I like this unbleached option.)
Bench scraper, sharp knife, or metal server for cutting scones

Ingredients to Note for Blackberry Sourdough Scones

flour, butter, blackberries, and sourdough starter on a counter

Unsalted , frozen butter – Using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe. However, I have tested this recipe with salted butter, and it did taste just fine; it just may depend on which salted butter you use. Using frozen butter helps keep the scones from spreading as much.
Sourdough starter – I like using active starter and allowing the blackberry sourdough scone dough to ferment for better nutrition; however, you can use discard in this recipe, as there is baking powder to assist in the leavening. (See my tip below regarding chilling if you use discard starter.)
Heavy cream – You can also substitute for whole milk, but the cream is delicious!
Blackberries – You can easily switch these out for some other variety of berries, or even experiment with other add-ins to mix things up! I’ve included a list of substitute ideas below.

Tips for Blackberry Sourdough Scones

Add the blackberries before the wet ingredients – Adding the blackberries before adding the wet ingredients allows you to disperse the berries more evenly in the dough, and with much less mixing to the dough. Believe me, I made the mistake of not putting them in till the very end of mixing the ingredients, and it was much more difficult to evenly incorporate them.
Don’t overmix the dough – Overmixing scone dough can develop more gluten than you need, resulting in a tough or dense scone.
Chill before baking – This really applies if you decide to try this recipe with discard, as your dough won’t have been fermenting in the refrigerator. Chilling helps the butter in the dough harden up, helping your scones not spread as much when baked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scone dough should ideally be right in between: not so dry that it crumbles, but not too wet to easily shape.

Scones spread overly much when the ingredients are too warm before baking. This is why you want to use frozen butter and cold milk and eggs. In addition, I ferment the dough in the refrigerator (for active starter) or recommend chilling for thirty minutes ahead of baking (for discard starter) for additional coolness.

Absolutely! The baking powder will help the scones rise, so you can use discard starter. However, be sure to chill the dough for thirty minutes before baking, as this helps the butter harden up and prevents over-spreading.

Frozen butter helps the dough stay cooler, helping the scones not spread out as much.

Flavor Variations for Sourdough Scones

Instead of adding blackberries, try adding one (or more) of these ingredients to mix things up:

Chocolate chips
Chopped pecans
Blueberries
Lemon zest
Cranberries
Orange zest
Peach chunks (small)
Raisins

Storage Instructions for Blackberry Sourdough Scones

To store these sourdough scones, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.

More Sourdough Scone Recipes

If you like these scones, check out these!

Cheddar and Chive Sourdough Scones

Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones

Maple Pecan Sourdough Scones

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones

Pumpkin Sourdough Scones with Maple Glaze

Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Scones

Cherry Sourdough Scones

Step-by-Step Instructions and Pictures

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the grated frozen butter, toss in the flour mixture, and then use your hands to break up the butter into pea size pieces.

3. Add the blackberries and toss to distribute evenly.

sourdough blackberry scone dough in bowl

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and in the well, add the sourdough starter, egg and egg yolk, vanilla, and milk. Mix the wet ingredients together and then stir them in with the dry ingredients until just combined, avoiding overmixing.

flour, eggs, flour, and blackberries in a bowl

5. Shape the scone dough into an 8-inch round disk. Cut it into eight equal pie-shaped pieces, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the unbaked scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Cover the scones (with plastic wrap or something air-tight) and allow to ferment in the refrigerator for 8-72 hours.

7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator, uncover the scones, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden on the tops and edges. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Blackberry Sourdough Scones

These amazing blackberry scones are tender, delicious, and easy to make! Plus, the sourdough adds in extra nutritional benefits.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 8 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 8 50

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Servings 8

Calories 315 kcal

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick, frozen and then grated
1 cup blackberries
½ cup active sourdough starter or discard
1 egg + 1 egg yolk cold
1½ tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp whole milk cold
2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp sugar

Instructions

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add the grated butter, toss in the flour mixture, and then use your hands to break up the butter into pea size pieces.
Add the blackberries and toss to distribute evenly.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and in the well, add the sourdough starter, egg and egg yolk, vanilla, and milk. Mix the wet ingredients together and then stir them in with the dry ingredients until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
Shape the scone dough into an 8-inch round disk. Cut it into eight equal pie-shaped pieces, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the unbaked scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Cover the scones (with plastic wrap or something air-tight) and allow to ferment in the refrigerator for 8-72 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator, uncover the scones, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden on the tops and edges. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Notes

Don’t overmix the dough – Overmixing scone dough can develop more gluten than you need, resulting in a tough or dense scone.

Chill before baking – Chilling helps the scones not spread too much.

Adjust milk if needed – Depending on the moisture content of your sourdough starter, you may need to adjust the amount of milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Cheese grater – Use a cheese grater to get the frozen butter in the right size pieces.

Keyword blackberry, scones, sourdough, sourdough scones

Blackberry Sourdough Scones – Easy Discard Recipe