Sourdough Maple Bacon Scones

Maple bacon sourdough scones topped with maple icing and bacon bits are flaky and delicious. The perfect flavor pair of savory and sweet.

Servings: 8 scones

Prep Time:1 30

Cook Time:15

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 300g
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons maple (or granulated) sugar 40g
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons of frozen grated butter
1/3 cup sourdough discard (or active sourdough starter) 75g
1 egg
1 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 cup heavy cream 105g
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 slices of low or no sugar bacon cooked crispy and crumbled into small pieces or 1 cup of bacon bits of choice (1/4 cup set aside for topping)
2 tbsp brown sugar (to candy bacon- optional)

First, you want to start by putting your baking pans and bowl in the freezer for at least 20-25 minutes.

To a rimmed prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out your bacon in a single layer.
Bake the bacon at 400 for 10-20 minutes until desired crispness. It's easy to burn bacon so keep an eye on it after 10 minutes to avoid burning.
Remove the bacon from the oven and immediately transfer the slices to a paper towel lined plate or a wire rack with parchment paper underneath for easy clean up.
A delicious addition to this bacon is to slightly candy the bacon by sprinkling a little bit of brown sugar over the top of the raw bacon before baking.
After the bacon is fully cooled, chop finely to incorporate into the recipe and top your scones.

Next, using a cheese grater, grate in 6 tablespoons of frozen cold butter into the flour. The very cold butter should be about the size of peas.
Mix (or pulse in the food processor) until the butter is covered in the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl add in the egg, sugar, cold sourdough discard (or active starter), maple extract, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Whisk until well incorporated.
Then, remove the bowl of flour from the freezer and add in the wet ingredients. Stir until well incorporated being careful to not over work the dough. The dough should look shaggy, yet have no dry parts remaining.

After 15 minutes in the freezer, remove the discs from the freezer and cut each into 8 equal triangles. I like to use a bench scraper but a sharp knife will work as well. This will result in 8 regular sized scones.

Then, place scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the entire sheet into the freezer for 15 more minutes. This will allow the pan to stay cold. If you skip this step, it could result in the butter melting too much too soon in the oven.

Remove pan from the freezer, brush the tops with a light layer of heavy whipping cream, and place into the 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. The scones will be ever so slightly golden brown around the edges.
After taking the pan out of the oven, allow the scones to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Then, move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

To a small bowl, sift in the powdered sugar.
One at a time, add in the maple and vanilla extracts. Whisking well between additions.
Next add in the maple syrup. Whisk until no dry bits of powdered sugar remain.
Finally, add in the heavy cream to your desired consistency. I like using just a teaspoon for the thicker icing to rest on top of the scone. If you like more of a thin drizzle, add in an additional 1/8th of a teaspoon of heavy cream at a time mixing well until you have reached your desired consistency.

Add the icing to your scones, sprinkle with the remaining bacon bits, and allow the icing to set. If you wait too long to add the bacon bits, they may not stay on top of the scones well. It's best to add them immediately to set with the icing.

These scones will be good on the counter in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Alternatively, place them in the fridge for up to a week.
If you want to freeze these scones, they freeze well at the dough disc stage or after being baked. Just save the icing step for after removing the baked scones from the freezer or after baking the dough.

First, remove the frozen unbaked scones from the freezer.
Then, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for easier cutting.
Next, cut scones to the desired shape and size and bake as directed.
Finally, add maple glaze to the cooled baked scones, top with bacon bits, and serve.
Happy baking!

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Keyword: baking, sourdough, sourdough baking, sourdough desserts, sourdough discard recipes, sourdough scones

Author: nourishedlifeandhome