Just picture enjoying a lemon poppy seed sourdough scone with the warm summer breeze and birds chirping. They really are such a wonderful springtime treat. These are a light treat filled with a sweet and tangy lemon flavor. The poppy seeds add a bit of crunch and the lemon glaze on top completes it with a little bit of extra tang.
My family and I love to enjoy these in the morning with a cup of tea, as part of breakfast, or even as part of a picnic for a little treat. These can be made ahead of time and even frozen and baked off as soon as a craving arises. Once you try this easy recipe, you will keep making it again and again!
Why Sourdough?
My story
Sourdough has been around for thousands of years, but it really started gaining popularity again around 2020 when everyone was stuck inside. personally, I did not start experimenting with it until after my son was born in 2022. I needed something to do that was not just taking care of the house and tending to a newborn. I explained to my husband that I did not want to become one of those moms who immediately lost themselves in motherhood. It was important to keep my interests and hobbies, even if they looked a bit different with him on my hip.
I revived a starter that I had shoved into the back of my fridge and read a bunch of recipes online. I had baked a sourdough bread before when I was in culinary school, but never did it after the class ended. Once I found a recipe I liked, I started baking. The first few loaves were terribly dense and flat. But then I started learning about how to use the wild yeast properly and fell in love with it.
Since then, I have incorporated my starter into everything from tortillas, to muffins, to donuts, and of course, sourdough scones. White chocolate raspberry sourdough scones were actually the first recipe I ever added to the blog. Whenever I have extra sourdough discard, I look for a way to incorporate it into a recipe, so it doesn’t go to waste.
So many reasons
There are so many reasons I fell head over heels with the process of sourdough. I love the fact that it is natural bacteria so when a recipe is longer fermented, it is easier to digest making it gut healthy. The subtle tang it can bring to any recipe just enhances the flavor so much. It also forces me to slow down and enjoy the process. With recipes requiring commercial yeast, it is a very quick process. But I like how there are several hours in between steps with some sourdough recipes.
If you have been wanting to get started with sourdough or have tried and just don’t have the hang of it, check out my sourdough e-book, “The art of sourdough”. It walks you through the whole process, breaking it down so it is easy to understand and not stressful. And if you have been doing sourdough for weeks, or years and are confident in the process, then enjoy this recipe!
Tools
Bench scraper – This is my favorite tool for cutting them and then it makes clean up a breeze.
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Parchment paper
Ingredients
Scones:
Flour: I use organic, all-purpose flour. If you substitute whole grain or another flour the texture and taste may change.
Baking powder: Since we are not relying on the yeast from the sourdough starter, this is what gives the scones their signature rise.
Sugar: Organic cane sugar is my go-to, but I have also used date and coconut sugar. The sweetness is a bit different for both so taste the dough as you go.
Salt: No good recipe is complete without a bit of salt to tie everything together.
Poppy seeds: This is a mix in that provides just the tiniest bit of crunch and good flavor.
Butter: Good butter, the key to soft, and tender scones while adding such an incredible depth flavor.
Sourdough: For this recipe I use sourdough discard. Even if doing the long ferment option, the recipe provides enough for the yeasts to ‘eat’ in order to make it gut healthy.
Lemon zest: For a deeper lemon flavor without making them overly tart. It really adds such a bright lemon flavor to these scones. However, lemon extract can be used in a pinch.
Lemon juice: Fresh is always better, but store-bought works too.
Vanilla extract: I like a hint of vanilla to enhance the sweetness of the scone, and it pairs nicely with the lemon.
Heavy cream: This is what binds the dough all together and helps to hold in moisture, so they do not end up dried out and tough.
Icing:
Powdered sugar: The base for this simple glaze.
Vanilla extract: Again, vanilla just adds a bit of extra flavor, but it can be left out if a bolder lemon flavor is desired.
Lemon juice: The tartness of the lemon is balanced by the sweet sugar and makes the perfect glaze that is neither too sour nor too sweet.
Substitutions and optional ingredients
Chia seeds: Not everyone can have poppy seeds, so chia seeds can be substituted. Do not soak them first, just add in with the dry ingredients and prepare as normal. And they can still be called a lemon poppy seed sourdough scone, even if they have chia seeds.
Lemon extract: If you do not have fresh lemon zest, add a 1/4 tsp of lemon extract to the dough when adding the wet ingredients. This ensures the scones have that fresh lemon flavor that we all know and love.
Let’s make lemon poppy seed sourdough scones!
Making the dough
Start by preheating the oven.
If using fresh lemons, zest and juice it and set both aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and poppy seeds.
Slice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Using your hands break the butter into small chunks. The best way I have found to do this is to take my hands and make the “money, money, money” motion with my hands until the butter is in large pea sized pieces.
There are many people who use a pastry cutter, food processor, or a cheese grater to mix in the cold butter. However, I find that all these methods cause the butter chunks to get too small. When done quickly by hand the butter can be left in large enough chunks that result in lighter scones.
Add in the sourdough discard and lemon zest. Using the same motion to break up the butter, incorporate the discard into the flour. It should be as evenly distributed as possible.
Add in the lemon juice, vanilla, and half the cream. Gently mix and add more cream as needed until the dough pulls together. It should be soft but not overly sticky.
Turn the lemon poppy seed sourdough scone dough out onto a floured counter and divide into two equal parts.
Shaping and baking
Shape each part into a disk that is just over 6 inches across.
Dived each disk into 8 equal slices, cutting it the same way you would cut a pie.
Place the lemon poppy seed scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the tray and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until they are just starting to turn golden brown.
Keep a close eye on them during those few extra minutes so they don’t overbake.
Wait until they are cool before glazing. They can cool on a wire rack if desired.
Glazing
To make the delicious lemon glaze, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth.
Using a spoon place a small dollop of glaze in the center of the scone. Using the spoon encourage it to spread to the edges of the scone. It will relax and spread a bit on its own so do not push the glaze all the way to the very edge or it will drip over the sides.
Store covered in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
Enjoy!
Long ferment scones
Follow all the instruction for the quick bake recipe. But instead of putting them into the oven, wrap the sheet tray and store it in the fridge overnight or for up to 48 hours. The disks can also be wrapped to save on space in the fridge.
Make sure to use double acting baking powder or else they will not rise when baked.
Freezing sourdough scones
The dough can be frozen for up to six months. Prepare the dough, and divide each disk into 8 parts, but do not take the disks apart. wrap them in plastic wrap. Then tuck them into a freezer bag and place flat in the freezer.
To bake them place them from frozen directly on a sheet tray and bake them. Add about 5 minutes to the bake time and check every minute or two after that until they are lightly golden. This time varies depending on the freezer and oven being used.
Tips for success
Don’t overwork the dough: Once the liquids are added it should be mixed until it just comes together. If it is mixed for too long the resulting scones will be tough and dense. Bits of butter and minimal mixing are needed for these to get their soft texture.
Keep them cold: Since chunks of butter aid in the perfect texture of these lemon poppy seed sourdough scones, keeping the butter cold is so helpful. If the butter is room temperature when it is worked in, it will easy become mashed into the dough leaving no chunks. If working by hand to break in the butter, work quickly so the heat from your hands does not melt the butter. That doesn’t mean you need to work as fast as possible or use frozen butter. Just don’t leave hands in the dough longer than necessary.
Don’t over bake them: These don’t have fruit mix ins to help hold in extra moisture so they will get fry if overbaked. Check frequently after about 15 minutes. The tips of the triangles should just be starting to turn golden brown. The center will be soft but not gooey when done.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you have a moment to leave a comment, I would love to hear about how you enjoyed them! It truly brings me so much joy to see your creations. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with friends and family, it really helps our little family!
Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Scones
These scones are bursting with fresh lemon flavor from the scone and the tangy glaze. They are so fast and easy to whip up and are a perfect treat for warm summer days!
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 Tbsp. Baking powder
- 3 Tbsp. Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 4 tsp. Poppy seeds
- 5 Tbsp. Butter (cold)
- 1 cup Sourdough discard
- 2 Tbsp. Lemon zest (about two lemons)
- 4 tsp. Lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 3 oz. Heavy cream
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup Powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 1 1/2Tbsp Lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- If using fresh lemons, zest and juice them and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and poppy seeds.
- Slice the butter and add it into the flour mixture.
- Break the butter into small chunks, working quickly so as not to soften the butter.
- Once the butter is in marble sized pieces, add in the sourdough discard and the lemon zest and mix in the same way. It should be evenly distributed without any large pieces of sourdough.
- Add in the lemon juice, vanilla, and half the cream.
- Mix gently to combine and add in more cream as needed until the dough comes together. It should be soft but not stiff or overly sticky.
- Turn the dough onto a floured counter and divide into two equal parts.
- Shape each part into a disk that is just over 6 inches across.
- Divide each disk into eight equal pieces.
- Transfer all the scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for ten minutes. Rotate the tray and bake for another 5-8 or until the edges are just turning golden brown.
- Wait until they are fully cool before glazing them.
- To make the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.
- To ice, simply take a spoon and put a small dollop of glaze in the center of the scone. Using the spoon encourage it to spread toward the edges.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to five days.
Notes
Long ferment scones:
Follow directions as above to make the dough. Shape and divide them into 16 then wrap each disk and place into the fridge for up to 48 hours. Bake right from the fridge and do not warm to room temperature first.
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