Let's make some dough!

"Sourdough" scones have an honest ingredient, and a dishonest label.

Most of these recipes use sourdough. It's usually discard from someone's starter jar.

Read the rest of the ingredients. You'll find baking powder, sugar, butter, heavy cream, and an egg.

The baking powder does the rising. The sugar and cream cover up the tang. Most recipes give the sourdough no time to do anything at all.

That's window dressing. The sourdough is in the bowl. It just isn't doing anything, and if it's discard, it's only filler. (See also: Mother Dough Method, and stop feeding and discarding your starter.)

Real sourdough is a wild culture that is critical for making bread. It's yeast and bacteria that live in your dough. It's all natural, and given half a day to several days, it's a process with significant health benefits. (See also: Health.)

A scone mixed and baked in 30 minutes doesn't get that time. And my preference is that the sour flavor doesn't work with scones, or cinnamon rolls.

So what are those scones really? They're regular scones with a fancy name.

Scones vs. biscuits

A scone is a biscuit's sweeter cousin, and as such, the sour is out of place.

Both start with flour, cold butter and baking powder. Both bake hot and fast.

A biscuit stays savory, and it's amazing with that sour tang. It's tall, flaky and tender. You split it and fill it with butter, gravy or ham. (See also: The Sourdough Biscuit Sleight of Hand.)

A scone, on the other hand, is sweet. It adds sugar and an egg, and often cream. It's richer, denser and finer-crumbed. You eat it with jam, tea or coffee. A sourdough scone needs extra sugar just to cover up that sour tang.

Same family. Different table.

Why cream

Cream is the classic scone liquid. Its fat makes a rich, tender, fine crumb. Baking powder does the lifting. An egg adds richness and holds it together. A little sugar sweetens it. Nothing sour fights the jam. There's no starter jar, no discard, and no unnecessary ingredients.

Want it simple? Shape the scones, freeze them, and bake them straight from the freezer any morning you want them.

Breaducation Scones

Makes 8 scones.

Ingredients

• 240 g all-purpose flour

• 50 g sugar

• 12 g baking powder

• 3 g salt

• 85 g cold (or frozen) butter, grated

• 50 g egg (1 large)

• 120 g cold heavy cream, plus a little for brushing

• Coarse sugar for the tops (optional)

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. Toss in the grated butter until every shred is coated with flour.

4. Whisk the egg and cream together. Stir them in until the dough just holds together.

5. Turn it out on a floured counter. Pat it into a 7-inch round, about 1 inch thick.

6. Cut it into 8 wedges, like a pie.

7. Set the wedges on a lined pan, a little apart. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

8. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden.

Sources: popular "sourdough" scone recipes reviewed

• Sugar Spun Run – Sourdough Scones

• MasterClass – Sourdough Scones

• Amy Bakes Bread – Sourdough Discard Scones

• Crave the Good – Sourdough Discard Scones

Until next time, let's give thanks for our daily bread…