Sourdough Chai Scones – So Cozy, Spicy, and Simple

These are a cozy chai latte turned into a delicious pastry. Sourdough chai scones are soft and perfectly flavored with warm spices. Each one robed in a thick layer of sweet vanilla bean glaze. They are easy to put together and can be in the oven in less than 20 minutes. There are options for making ahead to freeze or long fermenting the dough for the health benefits. They are a delightful treat to enjoy this time of year and are best with a mug of tea, coffee, or cider. Enjoy all autumn long! 

Sourdough

I love sourdough. So much that I add it to just about every baked good I make and even wrote a book on the art of sourdough. The discard goes in tortillas, scones, muffins, coffee cakes, and quick breads. The active starter is perfect for rising bagels, breads, donuts, and so much more. 

It is great for more than just replacing yeast in a recipe. When a recipe is long fermented the wild yeasts break down the flour making it easier to digest. The fermentation process also lowers the glycemic index of the item making less of a change in our blood sugar. 

But my favorite reason for loving sourdough so much is that it forces us to slow down. Commercial yeast causes bread to rise so fast and can be done in an hour or two. But I love the fact the sourdough is a longer process. It allows you to enjoy the art of it and not feel so rushed. It is also much more forgiving because the window of time is longer. 

Tools

Small pot or pan – This is just used to boil water for tea. If desired a tea kettle may also be used. 

Bowls – I like that this set has so many different size options.

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Liquid measuring cup – A kitchen scale can also be used.

Bench scraper – This is one of my favorite and most used kitchen tools!

Sheet tray

Parchment paper

Ingredients

Scones

Black tea – I tried making these with just the spices, but they taste so much better with those notes of tea. It is steeped in a small amount of water to make a concentrated cup of tea then added with the wet ingredients. 

Flour – I use an organic and unbleached all-purpose flour. 

Baking powder – This is what gives the scones their rise since we are not using the starter to puff them up. 

Sugar – I like organic cane sugar the best. It has a great flavor and adds just the right amount of sweetness. 

Salt – No recipe is complete without a little salt to balance and enhance the other flavors. The scones taste flat without it. 

Spices

These chai spices are the ones that are common in a store bought chai concentrate. Each one compliments the others and all together they create a beautiful medley of flavors. If you have whole spices run them through a spice grinder so they are a nice fine powder. 

     Cinnamon

     Cardamon

     Allspice

     Clove

     Nutmeg

     Ginger

Butter: Both salted and unsalted butter will work well in this recipe. The butter gets broken into chunks and those little bits of cold butter melt when baked and yield soft fluffy scones. 

Sourdough discard – Adding discard into sourdough chai scones is a great way to use it up and keep it from going to waste. And that slight tang it adds? Oh so delicious!

Vanilla extract – I like adding vanilla to every sweet recipe I make for that extra pop of flavor. If I have a batch of homemade vanilla, I will add that.

Icing

Powdered sugar – Makes a fantastic base for any glaze or icing. I use organic when I can.

Vanilla – It adds that layer of flavor so it adds more than just sugar to the scones. It also keeps the icing from tasting like straight powdered sugar. 

Milk – Water can easily be used instead, but milk adds a nice creaminess to the icing and makes them taste more like a chai latte. 

Additional ingredients and substitutions

Homemade chai tea – If you want to use this instead of the black tea you can. It will add more spice flavor for sure. It will not be as concentrated as the black tea in the recipe though. If you wanted it to be stronger it could be simmered a little first to concentrate it before adding it into the scones. 

Chai tea concentrate – The concentrate you can get at the store is usually very sweet and heavily spiced. I would not add much and remove the sugar from the dry ingredients. It would add a nice pop of flavor though! I would try to find a high quality chai tea that is not filled with fillers and additives if possible.

Active sourdough starter – If active starter is used instead of discard, a little more cream may be needed so they are not too dry. 

Let’s make sourdough scones!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the black tea bags. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes then remove the tea bags, squeeze them, and set the tea aside to cool. 

Scone dough

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and spices.

Slice the butter into the dry ingredients. Break the cold butter in by hand until the chunks are the size of peas. This step can be done with a pastry blender, food processor, pastry cutter, or a cheese grater if using frozen butter. However, I find that the scones turn out the best when it is done by hand because the butter chunks do not end up being too small. Keeping those chunks creates little air pockets while baking which results in really tender scones.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and two tablespoons of the cooled black tea.

Pout the cream mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix or the scones will be tough. Stop as soon as the dough comes together. It will be soft but not sticky. Add a little bit of flour or cream if needed to achieve the proper texture. 

Shaping

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a log. 

Divide the log in half and shape both pieces into a disk that is 6 inches across. 

Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut each disk into 8 equal pieces. 

Baking

Place the scones onto a parchment lined sheet tray. 

Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 4-6 minutes, or until the top of the scones are golden brown. 

Allow to cool before icing. 

Icing

To make the icing, place the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and milk into a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Spoon globs of icing onto each scone and gently spread it over the tops. 

Enjoy!

Storing

Store any leftover scones covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing

The scone dough can be frozen and baked off quickly for a sweet treat for last minute get togethers or to make mornings easier. Make the dough as directed above and cut the disks into pieces. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and place them into a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

When ready to bake, place the frozen scones onto a prepared baking sheet and place them into a preheated oven. Do not let the scones thaw before baking. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the tray, and bake for another 6-8 minutes. Ice when cooled and enjoy!

Long ferment sourdough chai scones

To enjoy the gut healthy benefits of these scones, the wild yeasts in the starter need time to work their magic. Prepare the sough as directed above, shape the disks, and divide them. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap or a beeswax wrap. Store in the fridge overnight or up to 48 hours. 

When ready to bake, place the scones onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake. Do not allow them to come to room temperature first. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the tray, and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Ice when cooled with freshly made icing. 

Tips for success

Cold butter – For best results keep the butter in the fridge until you are ready to add it into the dough. using other cold ingredients also helps. This is so the butter chunks do not melt and become one with the dough before it goes in the oven. These little bits of butter create flaky scones verses mealy or tough ones.

Work quickly – The heat of your hands can also melt the butter. This does not mean you have to panic, but working quickly will help to keep things cold.

Thank you!

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. It is always such a delight hearing about how much you enjoyed a recipe or what you think could be improved. So, thank you for leaving a comment! Don’t forget to share with friends and family so they too can enjoy making sourdough chai scones. Thank you!

Yield: 16 small scones

Sourdough Chai Scones

Print

These scones are a cozy chai latte transformed into a scone. They are soft and packed with warm spices. The icing is a creamy vanilla bean glaze to complete the flavors and make this the best treat for a crisp fall day.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Glazing time 10 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Scones

• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 Black tea bags (or 2 tsp of loose leaf black tea)
• 2 cup Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (ground)
• 1/2 tsp. Cardamon (ground)
• 1/4 tsp. Allspice (ground)
• 1/4 tsp. Clove (ground)
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg (ground)
• 1/4 tsp. Ginger (ground)
• 6 Tbsp. Butter (cold)
• 1/2 cup Sourdough discard
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 5 oz. Heavy whipping cream

Icing

• 1 1/2 cup Powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla bean paste
• 7 tsp. (2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp) Milk

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the black tea bags. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes then remove the tea bags, squeeze them, and set the tea aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and ginger.
4. Slice the butter into the dry ingredients. Break the butter in by hand until the chunks are the size of peas. Work quickly as to not soften the butter.
5. In a separate bowl whisk together the sourdough discard, vanilla extract, cream, and two tablespoons of the brewed black tea.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or the scones will be tough. Stop as soon as the dough comes together. It will be soft but not sticky, add more flour or cream if needed.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a log.
8. Divide the log in half and shape both pieces into a disk that is 6 inches across.
9. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife cut each disk into 8 equal pieces.
10. Place the scones onto a parchment lined sheet tray.
11. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 4-6 minutes, or until the top of the scones are golden brown.
12. Allow to cool before icing.
13. To make the icing place the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and milk into a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
14. Spoon globs of icing onto each scone and gently spread it over the top.
15. Store any leftover scones covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
16. Enjoy!

Notes

Long Ferment Scones

Prepare the dough as directed above. Shape and divide the dough and wrap each disk in plastic wrap or a beeswax wrap. Store the wrapped disks in the fridge overnight or up to 48 hours.

When ready to bake, take the scones and place them onto a prepared sheet tray and bake. No need to let the scones come to room temperature before baking. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. Ice when cooled and enjoy!

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