This classic buttermilk scone is given a little flavor boost with sourdough "discard".
Sour-dough starter: https://scratchonly.blogspot.com/2020/03/sour-dough-starter-information.html
Prep Time 30 minutes Bake Time 15 minutes Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup) cut into 1" chunks
1 cup buttermilk*, plus more for brushing
1 cup sourdough discard
2 eggs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar. Toss in butter chunks. Mix in the butter until mixture is the size of a pea. (I use a pastry blender.)
Whisk together the buttermilk, sourdough starter and eggs. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and mix until just barely combined. Some loose flour may remain at the bottom of the bowl. DON'T OVER MIX.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface and finish kneading by hand just until all the loose flour is absorbed. Use your hands to pat the dough until it is 3/4" thick. Use a 2.5"-3" biscuit cutter to cut scones. For a higher scone, press cutter into dough, don't twist. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until all the dough is used.
Line the scones onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1" space between. Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk.
Bake on the middle racks of the oven, swap baking sheet position after 10 minutes (be careful to NOT burn the bottoms). The scones are ready when they are golden brown and sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. Total baking time 15-20 minutes.
*To make your own buttermilk: 1 cup milk (I used whole milk but other dairy milk works well too) & 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (like Real Lemon) OR 1 Tbsp. white vinegar. Combine milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Let set 5-10 minutes, it will curdle/thicken and is then ready to use.
If the bottoms of the scones are browning very fast you can slide another sheet pan under the pan half way through baking.
To make ahead you can bake and freeze the scones. Defrost and warm in the oven to serve.