Sourdough Apple Cheddar Scones
My sourdough apple cheddar scones are the perfect balance between sweet and savory! They're inspired by the way my grandpa used to eat apple pie, with a slice of cheese. My husband has always thought I was weird for enjoying cheese with apples, but these scones changed his mind! I hope you find them as fun and enjoy them as much as we do!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 8 Tbsp cold salted stick butter
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup peeled & diced apples (about 1 large or 2 small apples)
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
Make Scone Dough
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with butter and a dusting of flour.
- Rinse apple(s) with water and pat dry. Then peel, core, and dice them into small chunks. Set aside.
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Grate butter with a large holed cheese grater or use a fork to cut butter into pea-sized pebbles in the flour. Stir to evenly distribute.
- Add in shredded cheese and diced apples. Stir to evenly distribute.
- Add in sourdough starter and milk. Mix the ingredients until a dough forms then use your hands to combine the excess flour into dough. (If dough is too wet, your starter is more hydrated than mine. Add a few tablespoons of extra flour. If dough is too dry, your starter is less hydrated than mine. Add a few tablespoons of extra buttermilk.)
Shape Scones
- Turn scone dough out onto the countertop. Use your hands to knead the dough for 10-15 seconds to incorporate any excess flour. Don’t over knead it.
- Lightly dust the workspace with flour (under the dough as well). Then use your hands to shape it into a 2-3-inch tall disk.
- Take a knife or bench scraper and cut disk into 8 pieces, like a pie.
Bake Scones
- Place scones on the prepared baking sheet one by one, about 2 inches apart.
- OPTIONAL: If you’d like more fermentation benefits or to give yourself more time before baking, you can place this sheet pan of scones into the fridge up to 24 hours before baking. The cultures from the sourdough starter will ferment the other ingredients during this time. Cover the top with another sheet pan or parchment paper to prevent drying out. When you’re ready to continue, bake straight from the fridge. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until fully baked through. The bottom of the scones should be golden brown.
Notes
For more information about storage, freezing, and serving please see the blog post.
Sourdough Baking Disclaimer
I regularly feed my sourdough starter a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water, this creates a 50% hydrated starter even when I use discard. If you feed your starter differently, results may vary due to a different hydration which will cause a different consistency. No matter how you feed your starter just ensure it’s a thick consistency when you use it for my recipes even if you’re using discard.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment below or share a photo on social media! If you share a photo be sure to tag me @plumbranchhome
This recipe was developed from scratch in my kitchen by me, Molly LaFontaine, and tested many times by my husband and me to ensure success. Just like all of my recipes on Plum Branch Home. They’re created with purpose, cherished in our own home, and developed with my experiences, trial and error, and skills. NEVER AI (artificial intelligence).
Here at Plum Branch Home, we’re loving our families and serving our God one recipe at a time!