How to Make The Best Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Scones

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Sourdough Discard scones, swirled with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon, are the perfect wintry breakfast treat. These pinwheel scones are light, fluffy and soft, and sticky with caramel flavour. Let the dough rest overnight, or simply mix and bake – it’s up to you.

Do I have to let the dough ferment overnight?

These Sourdough Pinwheel Scones are made from sourdough discard, and can be made the night before you intend to eat. I love doing this, because not only does it reduce the mixing and measuring in the morning (which can be taxing, especially if you want them for breakfast), but it allows the dough to improve it’s nutrient profile.

Leaving the Sourdough Discard Scone dough to ferment for at least seven hours breaks down the anti-nutrients (phytates) in the flour, which releases the nutrients so they are more readily absorbed. Not only this, but the texture of the dough is more tender, fluffy, and soft.

But you definitely do not need to ferment the dough for this recipe to work. You can simply mix all the ingredients in the morning, roll, cut, and bake – just like a regular scone recipe.

Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Scones Ingredients:

For the Dough:

• Flour – this recipe uses 3 cups of white flour. I use my bread flour, because I cannot be bothered having 2 types of flour taking up space in my pantry. But, the proper way to make scones, I believe, is to use all-purpose cake flour.
• Sourdough discard – this scone recipe is a sourdough discard recipe, and a great one to pull out for when you need to feed your starter. The recipe uses 2/3 cup, which is a decent amount (more than a regular loaf of bread), and will make sure your starter gets lots of food.
• Milk – you could use any type of liquid (except oil), really. Nut or oat milk, yoghurt…I have even used whey with great results.
• Sugar – I use 2 tablespoons of sugar in this Sourdough Scone recipe because it is a sweet scone. Having the extra sweetness in the dough reinforces that!
• Butter, diced – the butter needs to be rubbed into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. For this purpose, it is easier when the butter is cold, as it crumbles rather than melts.
• Baking powder – baking powder is the main rising agent in this recipe. It activates when added to liquid, so it’s best to add it after the fermentation process (if doing). If you are skipping fermentation, just add it to the flour, salt, and sugar before rubbing the butter in.
• Salt – salt is an essential ingredient in baking. It prevents blandness and enhances flavour. 1 teaspoon goes a long way, and it’s not going to hurt your health.
• Vanilla essence – I added Vanilla essence to the scone dough to enhance the sweetness and give it more flavour.

For the filling:

• Butter – about 25g of butter is needed to make the filling. The butter serves as a vehicle to disperse the cinnamon and the sugar to all four corners of the dough, plus it enriches the scones and makes them utterly delicious.
• Sugar – only 1/4 cup of sugar is needed for the filling. Use whatever you have on hand – brown sugar gives a deeper caramel flavour, but white sugar is also fine.
• Cinnamon – 2 teaspoons of cinnamon are needed to bring a hit of spice without the heat or earthiness.
• Vanilla – the vanilla mellows the cinnamon and brings out more of a caramel flavour.

Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Scones Method:

The Night Before:

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and cold butter. For better results, sift the flour into the bowl. I definitely makes a difference to the final scone – it’s lighter, airier, and more pillowy.
2. Rub the butter into the flour, making sure it is thoroughly blended in. The mixture should resemble fine biscuit (cookie) crumbs. Don’t worry if there are still bigger lumps of butter…if anything, this helps improve the texture on baking.
3. Next, add the sourdough discard and the milk. Be sure not to over mix, as this can make the dough tough. Just ensure that all the dry bits are incorporated.
4. Cover, and leave overnight or for a maximum of 10 hours. Note, if you do not wish to ferment overnight, you can just do all this in the morning. Be sure to preheat the oven before you start, and add the baking powder to the rest of the dry ingredients.

In the Morning:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Sprinkle the baking powder over the biscuit dough, and carefully work it in until fully incorporated.
3. Melt the butter, sugar and cinnamon together. Whisk until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should be a little but thicker than melted honey.
4. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 40 cm by 20 cm.
5. Pour the cinnamon sugar mix over the dough, and spread it out till evenly covered. Leave one centimeter of the top and bottom long sides free.
6. From the bottom long side, roll into a large log and cut into 12 even sized portions.
7. Arrange the wheels on a baking sheet or flan tin, and pop into the pre-heated oven.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve warm with butter and a drizzle of maple syrup, if you’re feeling lavish!

Tips and Tricks for Sourdough Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheel Scones:

• I usually do not fully incorporate the butter into the flour. Retaining good sized chunks of butter in the dough will make it look lumpy, but when cooked, that is what will give the biscuits their flakiness and subtle layers.
• On Timing: You could start this dough in the early morning. If you get it done by 6.30 am, then it will be ready by 4.30pm to add the baking powder, and bake. Just in time for dinner!
• If you do not have time to pre-mix the dough and leave it for extended fermentation time, you can simply mix all the dough ingredients together and bake. The extended rest time does not help with the rise – the baking powder does that job!
• On the Rising agent: To incorporate the baking powder, I usually have to use my hands. I will do this via a series of folds and turns, which streaks the rising agent into the dough and helps with those buttery layers and flakes!
• Pinwheel scones are usually served with a cream cheese glaze, which I did not do (being out of cream cheese). If you are wanting to make a glaze for this recipe, simply mix it together while the scones are baking. Pour it over them while still fresh from the oven.