Lavender Sourdough Scones are easy to make and delicious. The floral lavender flavor and lemon glaze make them perfect for a party or an everyday treat. You can also make these Lavender scones without a sourdough starter and they are just as delicious!
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How to make Lavender Scones
Combine all of the dry ingredients and cut in the COLD butter with a pastry cutter. If you don't have a pastry cutter you can use a fork or food processor (note: a food processor might result in overmixing the dough).
Mix the wet ingredients together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined, the dough will be slightly sticky.
Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flatten the ball with your fingers into a disc about 8" in diameter or 1" thick.
Cut the disc into 8 pieces and brush with more heavy cream. You can sprinkle the top with coarse sugar and/or more lavender buds before baking.
The scones take about 16-20 minutes to bake and are best when served warm with the delicious lemon glaze on top!
What if I Don't Have a Sourdough Discard?
Don't worry, you can still make these delicious Lavender Scones without a Sourdough Discard! Just add another ½ cup of all-purpose flour and another ½ cup of heavy cream in place of the 1 cup of sourdough starter. That's it!
Butter Tips and Tricks for Scones
My trick to incorporating cold butter with a pastry cutter is to grate the butter first! It makes cutting in cold butter so much easier.
And, you will read this a few times, make sure your butter is SUPER cold. This helps the scones rise and become nice and flaky.
Cold butter also prevents them from spreading too much while baking. After grating the butter, you can pop the bowl into the freezer for a few minutes if needed. Also, keep the butter in the fridge right up until you are ready to grate it and incorporate it into the dough.
How to Make the Lemon Glaze
The Lemon Glaze for these Lavender scones is so easy to make and can be used on all kinds of sweet treats from scones to muffins to cookies and more! Just take 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, and ½ cup of confectioners powdered sugar. Whisk everything together and you have a beautiful and delicious glaze in seconds!
What Lavender to Use in Baking
All lavender is edible, however, I recommend culinary lavender because it has the best taste and is sweeter than regular lavender. Regular lavender is more bitter.
Most of the dried lavender for cooking you find in-store and online are culinary, but double-check the description or ask if you are not sure. I've found dried culinary lavender at my local grocery store in the bulk section and on Amazon.
You can also grow culinary lavender. I have a culinary lavender bush in my garden that I purchased at my local nursery!
Expert Tips to Make the Best Scones:
- Make sure the butter is COLD! I know I keep saying this but it's one of the most important things to remember when making scones. This will ensure your scones rise and are slightly flaky or crumbly as scones should be.
- Don't overmix the dough or your scones will be tough and dense.
- Since everyone's oven is different, keep an eye on the scones as they bake. You want them to be slightly brown around the edges and on top. If you leave them in too long, the bottoms will burn. If the scones move easily on the pan and are no longer doughy, they are done.
- I cut my scones into triangles because it's easy but you can make any shape you want! Make sure you give them enough room on the pan to rise and spread slightly.
- Some people freeze their scones before they bake them to ensure the butter stays cold and the gluten has time to relax. This helps keep the scones from spreading and flattening. I skip this step because I'm impatient and usually make these for breakfast, but you can add this step in if you want.
- You can freeze these ahead of time and then pull them out when you are ready to bake them.
- Scones are always best when served right away, however, you can keep them in an airtight container and they will be good for another day or two before they become dry.
Other Ingredient Options For These Scones
These Lavender Sourdough Scones are not super sweet because of the sourdough and the lavender is the highlight of the pastry. If you like sweet scones, here are some other ideas for making these scones exactly the way you want them!
- For a sweeter glaze, omit the lemon juice and add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Another sweet option is to add white chocolate chips to the dough. They will become warm and melty in the oven and add an extra surprise to these delicious treats.
- For additional crunch, add some walnuts to the dough before baking.
- If you want more lemon flavor to balance the lavender, add some lemon zest to the dough and cut the lavender down to 1 tbsp.
If you get a chance to make these Lavender Sourdough Scones, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes right in your inbox.
Lavender Sourdough Scones with Lemon Glaze
Equipment
- grater
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds (extra for topping)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter, COLD
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (plus more for brushing on top)
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar/Demerara sugar (optional)
Lemon Glaze
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup confectioner powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a mixing bowl place the flour, sugar, lavender, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine.
- Grate the cold butter and add it to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter to create a crumbly mixture, just enough to combine everything but don't overmix or your scones will be dense.
- In another mixing bowl, add the sourdough discard and heavy cream and stir together. Add the discard mixture to the flour mixture, and stir just until the dough comes together.
- Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface (not too much flour or your scones will be dry) and knead a few times until everything comes together into a ball. The dough will be just slightly sticky. Gently pat the dough into a circle about 8" in diameter and about 1" thick.
- Cut the circle into 8 wedges. Place the scones on your prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of the scones with heavy cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar and more lavender buds if desired.
- Place the scones into the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes until the tops and edges are just starting to brown. Allow the scones to cool on the pan for a few minutes after baking.
- While the scones are baking or cooling, make the lemon glaze by combining the lemon juice, powdered sugar, and zest in a small bowl. Whisk together and drizzle on top of the warm scones. You can always add more juice or powdered sugar for your desired sweetness and consistency.
Notes
-
- For a sweeter glaze, omit the lemon juice and add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Another sweet option is to add white chocolate chips to the dough. They will become warm and melty in the oven and add an extra surprise to these delicious treats.
- For additional crunch, add some walnuts to the dough before baking.
- If you want more lemon flavor to balance the lavender, add some lemon zest to the dough and cut the lavender down to 1 tbs.
- Make sure the butter is COLD! I know I keep saying this but it's one of the most important things to remember when making scones. This will ensure your scones rise and are slightly flaky or crumbly as scones should be.
- Since everyone's oven is different, keep an eye on the scones as they bake. You want them to be slightly brown around the edges and on top. If you leave them in too long, the bottoms will burn. If the scones move easily on the pan and are no longer doughy, they are done.
- I cut my scones into triangles because it's easy but you can make any shape you want! Make sure you give them enough room on the pan to rise and spread slightly.
- Some people freeze their scones before they bake them to ensure the butter stays cold and the gluten has time to relax. This helps keep the scones from spreading and flattening. I skip this step because I'm impatient and usually make these for breakfast, but you can add this step in if you want.
- You can freeze these ahead of time and then pull them out when you are ready to bake the scones.
- Scones are always best when served right away, however, you can keep them in an airtight container and they will be good for another day or two before they become dry.
- Don't overmix the dough or your scones will be tough and dense.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Brenda says
I made these today and although they were good not fabulous It's like something's missing not sure what it is ..could they be a little sweeter ,would almond extract, nuts ???I don't know but to me it needed something.
Emily says
Hi Brenda, I'm sorry these scones weren't your favorite. Did you use culinary lavender or regular lavender? Sometimes regular lavender can make things a little bitter. I think your ideas sound good or you could add some white chocolate chips if you are looking for more sweetness. If you do make them again with substitutions or additions, let me know!
Michelle says
I made these yesterday. They are simple and have a wonderful texture, but the lavender flavor was so overwhelming i ended up throwing them out, so I’m wondering if there is possibly a misprint? I am going to make again using 2 teaspoons of lavender rather than the 2 tablespoons the recipe calls for.
Emily says
I’m glad these were easy to make but it’s a bummer to hear the lavender was too much. I definitely used tablespoons. Maybe the lavender was fresher or the sourdough was milder... I hope you do try again with less lavender and let me know how they turn out.
Debra says
Totally into the lemon goodies this year. This is a keeper!
Marina says
Fantastic scones recipe, love it for breakfast and afternoon tea
Amy says
So many of my favourite things in the one recipe! Love the addition of lavender. So good!
Jar of Lemons says
I love scones! I need to try this lavender/lemon combination! Sounds like perfection!
Sanna says
These scones look absolutely delicious. Perfect companion to a cup of coffee.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This looks so so good. My husband will love this Lavender Sourdough Scones.
Chef Dennis says
These Lavender Sourdough Scones are absolutely mouthwatering!
Estelle Forrest says
This looks so yummy. I bet it is just delightful with a nice cup of tea on back patio enjoying the sunrise!
Alexandra says
Love the delicate flavour of lavender in these scones - perfect with my morning coffee!
Emily says
These are so good with coffee, I'm so glad you liked them!
Sue says
You inspire me! I need to find some culinary lavender!
Emily says
I think you will be surprised how easy it is to find, and there is always Amazon!
ALLISON says
my sister loves to bake and after recently having a delicious lavender cake, I'm going to start being her to make this lol