CK's KITCHEN: Sourdough blueberry scones

Now that my daughter is a sourdough enthusiast, baking lovely round loaves with the active starter and everything from fluffy pancakes, pizza dough, crackers and even chocolate chip cookies with the daily discard, we are always looking for new recipes to put it to delicious use. Did I mention that I'm trying to lose weight, which is clearly a losing battle now? We are both fans of a homemade scone so we were all in when she discovered these Sourdough Blueberry Scones from pantrymama.com that we could whip up in less than an hour! Discard what? Sourdough bread has been a fave at our house for about two years. We love its flavor first, which is enhanced by it being considered one of the healthiest breads. Sourdough promotes gut health with its prebiotics and improved digestion as well as lower gluten content and lower glycemic index and that means it causes a slower rise in blood sugar. It is also a good source of fiber, protein and antioxidants. What's not to love?! Now that we have sourdough starter sitting on our kitchen counter at all times, we have constant discard which is the portion of the starter that is removed before feeding it fresh flour and water. Discarding is an important element to keep the sourdough starter performing optimally. This discard is a wonderful addition to all kinds of baked goods. Cakey scones A couple notes on what we did, we used frozen blueberries which bled into the dough making it a blue color, which was a bit off putting at first. The dough itself was extremely dry and I was a bit concerned as I formed it on the parchment paper. I didn't have the best feeling as I tucked into the 390-degree oven but I had a touch of hope. At 30 minutes, our eight scones were a nice golden brown. From the first bite (we didn't wait long), these sourdough scones exceeded our expectations in every way. Cakey and tender, they were buttery and full of yummy berries. I had two the first night and promised to save a couple for my boyfriend for him to enjoy with his coffee. He was eternally grateful. If you have sourdough discard, make these scones as soon as possible! Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net. Sourdough Blueberry Scones Makes 8 scones 300 g all purpose flour 100 g butter (cubed and super cold) 8 g baking powder (2 tsp) 2 g salt (a good pinch) 50 g brown sugar 70 g white sugar 200 g blueberries (can be fresh or frozen — see notes) 1 egg 150 g sourdough starter (or sourdough discard) 50 g heavy whipping cream 5 g vanilla extract (1 tsp) 30 g heavy whipping cream (for brushing scones before baking) 20 g granulated sugar (for sprinkling on top before baking) White chocolate topping 200 g white chocolate chips (melted) — see notes for alternatives 1. Preheat oven to 390F/200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside (one with no lip is best). 2. Add the all-purpose flour and cold, cubes of butter to a large mixing bowl. Use your finger tips to rub the flour into the butter. You can use a curved dough scraper if you prefer. 3. Once the butter is fully coated in flour, add the baking powder, salt, brown and white sugars and blueberries to the bowl. Gently combine all of the dry ingredients so that they are well mixed through and the blueberries are well distributed. 4. In a small mixing jug, combine the egg, sourdough starter, heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Whisk together until well combined. 5. Now pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to bring the mixture together to a very shaggy, dry dough. It's ok if it's lumpy and has spots of flour through it - the main thing here is not to overwork the dough! 6. Grab your baking tray lined with parchment paper and tip the shaggy dough out onto it. Use your hands to gently press the dough into a round disk (mine is around 11" or 30 cm across). 7. Use your dough scraper or a sharp knife to cut the disc into quarters and then each quarter in half, so you end up with 8 equal wedges. Gently move them apart, so they have room to bake. If you don't give them enough room, the edges of the scones will be soft and they will stick together. 8. Gently brush the scones with the heavy whipping cream (pastry brush is best for this). Sprinkle with granulated sugar if you want to. 9. Place the scones into a 390F/200C oven for around 30 minutes — or until the scones are golden brown. 10. When they're cooked, remove the tray from oven and allow the scones to cool on the tray for around 10 minutes before you enjoy them! Drizzle with melted white chocolate or choose a flavored glaze from the recipe notes. Alternative topping options: White chocolate ganache — combine 120g of heavy whipping cream and 200g of white chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave in short bursts until the chocolate is melted. Whisk vigorously until well combined and glossy. Drizzle over cooled scones. Lemon glaze — combine 120g of powdered sugar and 40g of lemon juice and stir until it forms a smooth glaze. Drizzle over cooled scones (can double quantity if you like a lot of glaze). Maple glaze — combine 120g of powdered sugar, 70g of maple syrup and 20g of butter and stir to form a glaze. Drizzle over cooled scones (can double quantity if you like a lot of glaze). Nutritional facts per scone: calories: 503kcal; carbohydrates: 69g; protein: 7g; Fat: 23g (saturated fat: 14g, polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, monounsaturated fat: 6g, Trans Fat 0.4g) cholesterol: 64mg; Sodium: 319mg; potassium: 160mg; fiber: 2g; sugar: 35g; vitamin A: 510IU; vitamin C: 3mg; calcium: 134mg; Iron: 2mg. Source: pantrymama.com