Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe

A scone cut in half stacked on top of each other.

4.48 from 23 votes

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe

Fluffy, crumbly and sweet, these buttery chocolate chip scones are the most delicious, most decadent breakfast. Long ferment them or make and bake them right away.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Sourdough

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate chip scones, sourdough scones

Servings: scones

Author: Lisa Bass

Equipment

1 Stand Mixer

Ingredients

8 oz roughly chopped semi-sweet bakers chocolate plus 2 tbsp of flour to coat the chocolate
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold butter diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup heavy whipping cream or cold coconut cream from a can
4 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sourdough starter active or discard

To top the scones

1 large egg whisked for egg wash
Sprinkle of coarse sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Give the chocolate a rough chop, toss it in 2 tbsp of flour to coat it (this prevents the chocolate from sinking to the bottom while baking), and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, quickly mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut up very cold butter into 1⁄2 inch cubes. I would recommend putting the butter in the freezer, after cutting it, for five minutes if you’re not sure if it’s cold enough. Add the cold butter and run the mixer on low until the butter is broken down to the size of peas, but no smaller. Be careful not to over mix at this stage.
In a medium separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream or coconut cream, eggs, granulated sugar, and sourdough starter.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Then add the chocolate and stir again. There may still be some dry flour at the bottom.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured cold counter and knead the dry flour until incorporated, being careful not to over knead. You want to see small pieces of unincorporated butter visible in the dough. if the dough is sticky at all feel free to add flour a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be easy to handle and not sticky.
Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface in a sheet approximately one inch thick.
Cut the dough with a round cutter sized approximately three inches across. I used a kitchen glass for this.
You will need to re-roll the dough a few times to cut more scones. Arrange the unbaked scones across the two prepared baking sheets and brush scones lightly with whisked egg wash, then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
Bake for 20-22 minutes in a preheated oven and turn the baking sheet in the oven halfway through the bake time to ensure the scones brown evenly.

Notes

You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you don't have bakers chocolate on hand.
The trick here is to make sure the butter is very, very cold (if you’re unsure if the butter is cold enough, you could put it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes). This cold, not quite frozen butter is the secret to a light and fluffy scone.
Keep your cream and eggs in the fridge until ready to use.
For the dairy free option, make sure you get coconut cream and not coconut milk.
Maple syrup can also be subbed in for this recipe if you would like a refined sugar free option. Use 3 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of sugar. I also use coarse sugar to sprinkle on the tops of the scones before baking, but regular granulated sugar will also work.
You can use active sourdough starter or discard for this recipe. Either will work.
These scones are not overly sweet, so they can be enjoyed with jams and sweet spreads.

Nutrition