Sourdough Peach Scones with Fresh Peaches
My sourdough peach scones are made with fresh peaches, giving them the best flavor! They're made with wholesome ingredients and simple steps so anyone can whip up a batch. And don't worry, I've included steps to help combat moisture from the fresh fruit! Every bite is full of fresh peaches and a cobbler-like dough. I know they'll become a summer favorite for you, just like they have in our house!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (cold) salted stick butter
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1/3 cup sourdough discard (aka unfed starter)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3 ripe peaches (medium-sized) (approx. 2 cups when diced)
Instructions
- Rinse the peaches with water, pat them dry, and slice them into small chunks.
- Place the peach chunks into a strainer sitting over a bowl to let excess juices drain off while starting the scone batter.
- While the peach chunks sit, add flour, cane sugar, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
- Incorporate cold stick butter by using a cheese grater (large hole side) or cutting it into the mixture with a fork until pea-sized pieces form. Stir to evenly distribute butter pieces.
- Dump peach chunks on to a paper towel or kitchen rag then pat them to get off excess moisture.
- Add peach chunks to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to evenly coat each chunk.
- Add milk, sourdough discard, vanilla, and egg. Mix just until combined. Use your hands to completely incorporate the flour(this may take 30 seconds to 1 minute). The dough will sticky.
- Optional – At this point you can either continue the recipe or place the batter covered in the fridge for 12-24 hours to long ferment for more sourdough fermentation benefits.
- To continue the recipe, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cover a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place the bowl of dough into the freezer (not the fridge) for 15-20 minutes to chill before shaping into scones. (You need to do this even if you did the optional overnight fermentation). If you skip this your scones will be hard to shape.
- Once chilled, turn dough out on to a floured surface and shape it into a 2-inch-high, 6-inch-diameter circle. Don't overwork the dough. The dough will be sticky!
- Slice the dough into 8 pieces like a pie, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack then enjoy!
Video
Notes
Please note the scone texture will depend on how juicy your peaches are. It is very important to follow the full instructions as they are written to achieve a good peach scone. These scones are a little more flat than scones without fresh fruit.
My 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.
Information for if Your Dough is too Sticky to Shape
Make sure you didn't skip the steps of letting the peach chunks sit in a strainer and pat them dry. Also, make sure you put the dough in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before shaping. It's got to be in the freezer, not the fridge. This makes shaping easier.
If you've done all of those things, you could be running into an issue with extra juicy peaches, overworking the dough, or your starter may just be a little more runny than mine.
You can add a little more flour (up to 1/4 cup) if this is the case, but don't add too much. Also note that the dough is supposed to be sticky no matter what, so adding tons of flour won't get rid of the stickiness all together. You dough should be sticky but shapable.
This recipe was developed from scratch in my kitchen by me, Molly LaFontaine, and tested many times 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).