Sourdough Cherry Scones (with fresh cherries)

Imagine this: you’re sitting in a cozy spot on a warm summer morning, sipping coffee, and nibbling on a fresh sourdough cherry scone. With each bite, you get the delicious tang of sourdough and bursts of sweet cherry. It’s the moment you’ve been looking forward to since the alarm rang. That’s why you need to make these scones! If you’re looking for an easy recipe to use up fresh cherries, you’ve come to the right place.

These sourdough cherry scones have a special place in my husband’s and I’s hearts. When we first met, one of the first things we bonded over was our mutual love of cherry pie. So of course, with our wedding anniversary just around the corner, I had to develop a scone version of our favorite dessert. I know you’ll love them just as much as we do!

Ingredients you’ll need

• all-purpose flour
• cane sugar
• sea salt
• baking powder
• cold butter (not margarine)
• milk
• sourdough starter (fed or discard)
• pure vanilla extract
• large egg
• fresh sweet cherries (pitted and halved)

Choosing the right cherries

The best cherries for this recipe will be sweet cherries or bing cherries. You want a sweet fruit that complements the sourdough flavor rather than a tart variety.

Scone making tool kit

If you love baking sourdough scones, make sure you’ve got the kitchen tools in your tool kit to make the process simple and easy. Here’s what’s in mine:

This section contains affiliate links to products I know and love

• large baking sheet
• unbleached parchment paper
• mixing bowl
• box grater
• bench scraper
• cooling rack

How to make cherry scones with sourdough

Begin by combining flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Incorporate butter by using a cheese grater (large side) or cutting it into the mixture with a fork until pea-sized pieces form.

Add milk, sourdough starter, vanilla, and egg. Mix gently using a spoon then use your hands to completely incorporate the flour if necessary

If you haven’t already pit your cherries and cut them in half.

Use the spoon or your hands to mix the halved cherries into the dough. Do this quickly so the cherry juices don’t begin to run.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead the dough gently for about 30 seconds.

Shape dough into a 2-inch high, 6-inch diameter circle.

Slice dough into 8 pieces like a pie, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake for 18-20 minutes

Tips for cherry scones

• Grate the butter: Use a box grater like you would for cheese to grate your butter into the dough. This is much easier than using a fork.
• Pit the cherries: Make sure you pit the cherries and cut them in half before tossing them into the dough.
• Incorporate cherries quickly: When you fold the cherries into the scone dough, do it quickly so they don’t bleed lots of color or release excess liquid.

How to store sourdough cherry scones

Store these scones at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container. After that, place them in the fridge for 3–4 more days so they’ll last longer.

More summer sourdough scone recipes

• Sourdough Peach Scones with Fresh Peaches
• Sourdough Strawberry Scones (with chocolate chips)
• Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
• Sourdough Espresso Chocolate Chip Scones

Recipe: Sourdough Cherry Scones

Sourdough Cherry Scones

Molly LaFontaine

Imagine this: you're sitting in a cozy spot on a warm summer morning, sipping coffee, and nibbling on a fresh sourdough cherry scone. With each bite, you get the delicious tang of sourdough and bursts of sweet cherry. It's the moment you've been looking forward to since the alarm rang. That's why you need to make these scones! If you're looking for an easy recipe to use up fresh cherries, you've come to the right place.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 28 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Sourdough

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 7 Tbsp cold butter not margarine
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter fed or discard (IMPORTANT: starter should be a thick pancake batter consistency for this recipe)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup fresh sweet cherries pitted and halved

Instructions

 

• Begin by combining flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
• Incorporate butter by using a cheese grater (large side) or cutting it into the mixture with a fork until pea-sized pieces form.
• Add milk, sourdough starter, vanilla, and egg. Mix gently using a spoon then use your hands to completely incorporate the flour if necessary
• If you haven't already pit your cherries and cut them in half. Use a paper towel or a cloth to tab off any excess liquid before adding them into the dough.
• Mix the halved cherries into the dough with a spoon.
• Important: This dough will be sticky no matter what. If your fresh cherries are extra juicy and ripe, making your dough extra wet, add 1/4 cup extra flour and place the bowl of dough into the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill. It’ll be a lot easier to work with after this.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a 2-inch-high, 6-inch-diameter circle.
• Slice dough into 8 pieces like a pie, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake for 18-20 minutes

Notes

If you prefer you can add a simple glaze to the top:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk or cherry juice

NOTE: I don’t recommend doing a long ferment in the fridge like most sourdough scone recipes. The cherries will release juice, making the dough very wet. If you need or want to long-ferment, leave the cherries out of the dough and fold them in right before you’re ready to bake them. 

 

IMPORTANT STARTER TIP: Anytime you bake with a fresh fruit scone, you’ll want to thicken your starter before using it. Feed it a 2:1 ratio of flour to water or just add flour to get your starter to a thick pancake batter consistency. 

Keyword cherry scones, sourdough cherry scones