The time of year has arrived where I roast up at least one pie pumpkin per week and savor the flavor of the season with baked goods, soups, pasta dishes, and the like. I’ve even put a bit of pumpkin puree in my morning coffee, and I am not ashamed! Ha!

I accidentally killed off my sourdough starter, Beatrice, several weeks ago. When we started the supper club for The Prairie Kitchen, I became so busy that I completely forgot to feed her for an embarrassingly long time. It happens to the best of us. Good thing I had saved and dried some of her to share with friends so I was able to revive my old starter and get back into the swing of sourdough all over again.

With sourdough comes much sourdough discard. There are so many ways to use this delicious treat, including growing an additional starter called a levain… But that’s a different story! Here is a truly yummy recipe for pumpkin sourdough discard scones that I sell in our little farm shop during the autumn and winter seasons.

ingredients & recipe:

• 2 1/3 cup all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp ginger

• 1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

• 1 egg

• milk and raw sugar for brushing/dusting

ICING:

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 3 tbsp milk

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg,, and ginger.

• Cut in the cold, cubed butter with a pastry blender or fork.

• Add the sourdough starter discard, pumpkin, and egg. Mix together with a wooden spoon or your hands until a soft dough is formed. Do not over kneed, simply bring it together even if it is still a bit shaggy.

• Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

• Preheat your oven to 425° F.

• Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out the scones in any shape you like. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.

• Bake for about 15 minutes or until set and lightly golden.

• Mix all of the icing ingredients together in a small bowl. Allow the scones to cool completely before drizzling with the icing. Dust with more raw sugar.

These scones are super soft and moist but not overly sweet. You could potentially bump up the amount of sugar, if you prefer a sweeter scone, or remove some of it for a more biscuit-like flavor. The addition of icing makes it the perfect morning treat with your coffee. I like to pair it with a light creamy cup of coffee or even a simple black cup, as the sweetness paired with the bitter flavors is really just delightful.

Enjoy!