If COVID-19 had you join the sourdough-bread-baking craze, it’s time to take your starter to the next level.

Whitehorse-based chef and cookbook author Michele Genest, who blogs at the Boreal Gourmet, has been walking people through the basics via her Sourdough Bootcamp: “How to build your own sourdough starter and then use it for the rest of your life.”

Here, she shares her recipe for Sourdough Buttermilk Cranberry Scones, which appears in Boreal Gourmet: The Boreal Gourmet, Adventures in Northern Cooking.

You can swap out the cranberries for fresh B.C. blueberries or raspberries.

The beauty of scones is that they’re just as enjoyable on a wintry weekend as they are on a bright summer morning. Whip up a batch before a walk along the seawall or a Deep Cove paddleboarding session. They’ll keep you going. You keep the starter going.  

Sourdough Buttermilk Cranberry Scones

Adapted from The Boreal Gourmet cookbook
Makes 16 wedge scones, 15 large drop scones and about 30 small drop scones

These scones are dense and soft, great fresh on the first day and toasted on the second. The leavening comes from baking powder and baking soda; the sourdough starter is there to add flavour and moisture.

Ingredients

200 g (about 1 cup) sourdough starter
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt (not Greek---you need a more liquid yogurt; if you only have Greek, use ¾ cup yogurt and ¼ cup milk)
175 g (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbsp melted butter, cooled
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
additional 250 to 325 g (1½ to 2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 cup berries—low bush cranberry, blueberry or raspberry, fresh or frozen

Method

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir the starter and the buttermilk or yogurt together until combined. Stir in the first 175 g (1 cup) flour.

Whisk together the cooled melted butter and egg, and add to the dough.

In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into the dough—you will probably notice some leavening action as the baking soda reacts with the buttermilk or yogurt.

Stir in 250 g flour (1½ cups), reserving the final 75 g (½ cup)—you may not need it, especially if you used yogurt rather than buttermilk.

The flour should be fully hydrated, and the dough cohesive and elastic and still somewhat sticky, clinging to the spoon but easy to remove with a floured hand.

Add more flour only if the dough seems too wet and sticky.

Stir in berries.

To make the classic wedge-shaped scones, divide the dough in two with a spatula or dough scraper. With floured hands, gather one half and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. With a floured knife, cut into 8 even sized wedges. Repeat with remaining dough.

For large drop scones, scoop half-cup portions of dough and drop onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. For small drop scones (handy for hikes or mid-afternoon snacks), drop dough from a dessert spoon, leaving about 1 inch of space between. (Sometimes I mix it up and make a combination of wedges, large drop scones and small drop scones.)

Bake small scones for 15 minutes, large drop scones for 20 minutes, and wedges for 25 minutes.