Once I began milling my own grain, I began playing with all different types of wheat. I have tried lots of whole grains like kamut (khorisan), soft white, hard white and red, spelt, and of course einkorn! I love einkorn in any baked goods and this freshly milled flour banana bread is no exception. It’s soft and delicate and does not even taste like it’s whole grain! This whole food snack or breakfast is perfect if you’re trying to add additional nutrition to your diet.

You’ll find that it’s a super easy one bowl banana bread that comes together quickly and tastes perfectly delectable! The whole grain gives this quick bread recipe a nutty flavor. While you can use some of the modern wheat flours in this recipe, using einkorn, which is an ancient variety of wheat that hasn’t been tampered with, is absolutely delicious.

This recipe doesn’t need a hand mixer or a kitchenaid mixer. You just need a bowl and a whisk. Super easy and very old school! You’ll love this einkorn flour banana bread!

Ingredients for freshly milled einkorn banana bread

It only takes a few ingredients to make this einkorn banana bread with freshly milled flour. Here’s what you’ll need:

Wet Ingredients

• 600g or 4-5 overripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 10g or 2t. vanilla extract
• 2/3c melted butter (or melted coconut oil) and cooled to room temperature

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Dry Ingredients

• 170g or 3/4c. brown sugar (can substitute coconut sugar)
• 360g or 3c freshly milled einkorn flour (or soft white wheat or spelt)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 8g or 2t. baking soda

Instructions for einkorn banana bread

Combine wet ingredients:

First, mash overripe bananas in a large bowl.

Next, add the large eggs one at a time and whisk together. Add the rest of the wet ingredients – vanilla extract and melted butter or coconut oil. (you could also replace the melted butter with a light tasting olive oil). Mix together well.

My very favorite way to combine the ingredients is using a danish whisk. I feel like it incorporates all the ingredients and they don’t get stuck like in a traditional whisk.

Combine Dry Ingredients:

The next step is to combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 

I often sift these directly over the wet ingredients so that I can just use one large mixing bowl instead of having extra dirty dishes. If you have a large mesh strainer like this one, you can just set it on top of the bowl and sift all the dry ingredients right on top of the wet ones.

Mill your flour:

First, mill your einkorn. Here’s what the einkorn berries look like before they are turned into einkorn flour. They contain so many nutrients and because the flour will be used before those vitamins oxidize, it makes this einkorn banana bread a healthy whole food.

Mill the einkorn or other low gluten grain like soft white wheat, kamut or spelt. I use either a dry container for my Vitamix, or my Mockmill 200. Here, I show what the einkorn flour looks like after mixing the berries in my Vitamix dry container for 1 minute. It makes a gorgeous fine flour.

If you already have a Vitamix and would like to delve into milling your own flour, this is a very affordable alternative to a mill. I used mine to grind grain for over 15 years before I took the plunge into buying a mill!

Add the rest of the dry ingredients:

Next, add in the rest of the dry ingredients – brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. You could add one teaspoon ground cinnamon to the mix if you’d like to add a little more flavor. Whisk it up! This would also be a great time to add a good dose of walnuts if you want a little crunch in your einkorn banana bread!

Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the banana bread batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  This will keep the crumb light and delicate.

Prepare 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray or parchment paper. I normally do this by cutting the parchment paper as wide as the long side of the loaf pan. This way it doesn’t cover the ends, but it does give you excellent handles to lift it out. Divide the batter in half and pour each half into a prepared loaf pan for a total of two pans.

Bake your freshly milled einkorn banana bread:

The next step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The banana bread batter needs to sit for 15 minutes minimum in order for the freshly milled einkorn to absorb the liquid and soften the grains and that’s why I choose to preheat the oven at this stage of the baking process. Then once it’s preheated, the batter had time to sit and absorb the moisture and it’s ready to go in the oven. 

Now, bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

Finally, take einkorn banana bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Eat immediately with plenty of butter on top. Store leftovers in an airtight container – if you have any!

Banana bread freezes well – I love to wait until the banana bread cools and wrap one tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer Ziplock bag and freeze for the next time I want freshly milled flour banana bread but don’t want to bake! It’s a great quick snack!

FAQs

Do I have to use freshly milled flour in this einkorn banana bread recipe?

While it’s a good idea to use fresh milled flour in this freshly milled flour banana bread recipe, it’s not a necessity. I have made this with regular flour (all purpose flour) from the grocery store, freshly milled einkorn, and freshly milled soft white wheat berries. Any of them work perfectly and will make a delicious banana bread. You could also try traditional whole wheat flour as well.

Additionally, they do sell whole wheat einkorn flour or einkorn wheat flour which has less gluten than modern wheat varieties. While this is not as nutrient dense as milling it freshly, it does have a lower gluten content and may be a better option over all purpose flour for those with gluten sensitivities.

The most nutritious way to make this bread is with freshly milled flour because it has the highest nutritional content. But any way you make this will be better than a store bought version, so bake away! Homemade banana bread ALWAYS wins out over the preservative laden variety you buy at the grocery store.

Can I use liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup?

There are definitely health benefits to using a less processed sugar in baked goods. While you could substitute something like honey granules or coconut sugar, it is a bit harder to substitute a liquid sweetener because it messes with the amount of liquid in the recipe.

If you decide to use maple syrup or honey, I’d play with it and make a half recipe until you figure it out. Cut back on some of the wet ingredients to compensate for the additional liquid and make sure there’s not too much moisture in the batter.

Variations:

Put a healthy dose of walnuts in the banana bread batter for crunch and Omega 3s for additional health benefits!

Add dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for a sweeter treat.

Top the loaves with raw sugar before you put it in the oven to give your einkorn banana bread a bit of a crunch on the top for a great snack!

Turn these into einkorn banana bread muffins by putting into cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Fill 2/3 full and lower the baking time to 18-21 minutes.

Remove 1/4c of flour and 1/4c of butter and replace with sourdough discard or fed sourdough starter for an einkorn sourdough banana bread. It’s even better when you pop the batter in the fridge in the evening and bake it the next day for the added health benefits of fermented sourdough.

Add a streusel topping for an extra decadent freshly milled flour banana bread.

How to ripen bananas for einkorn banana bread

If your bananas don’t have brown spots and aren’t ripe enough for banana bread, they won’t be very sweet. You need to wait until they have black dots all over them – the riper the better! However, if you’re ready to make einkorn banana bread, but your bananas aren’t ready, you can ripen them in the oven!

If you want to try to ripen them in the oven, just pop them into a preheated 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. You don’t even need to peel them! Leave them whole and when the skins turn black, you’re ready to go!

Next time you have over-ripe bananas and you’re looking to have a delicious snack or an easy breakfast, this is perfect and will become one of your favorite recipes. With a light crumb, the nutty flavor of whole grains and a rich banana flavor, look no further than this einkorn banana bread with freshly milled flour! THIS is real food! Follow along for more einkorn recipes!

Einkorn Banana Bread Printable Recipe Card

Freshly Milled Flour Banana Bread

This is absolutely the best banana bread I've ever tasted! Light, fluffy, moist, and so delicious!

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Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 600g or 4-5 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 10g or 2t. vanilla
• 2/3c melted butter

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 170g or 3/4c. brown sugar
• 360g or 3c freshly milled einkorn flour
• 2 pinches of salt
• 8g or 2t. baking soda

Instructions

1. Mash bananas and combine wet ingredients together.

2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.

3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.

4. Prepare 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The batter needs to sit for 15 minutes minimum in order for the freshly milled einkorn to absorb the liquid and soften the grains and that's why I choose to preheat the oven at this stage of the baking process. Then once it's preheated, the batter had time to sit and it's ready to go in.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

7. Take out of pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

The post Easy One Bowl Fresh Milled Einkorn Banana Bread appeared first on Little Reasons.

Once you try this and fall in love with at home espresso drinks, you’ll have a hard time going back to coffee shops because you’ll always be disappointed! So next, try my creamy tiramisu latte, cold brew latte, lemon latte, and cardamom latte! They are all delicious either as a hot latte or in an iced version.

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Ingredients for Banana Bread Latte Syrup

This banana bread latte takes only 3 simple whole food ingredients: ripe bananas, brown sugar, butter pecan flavor and half and half!

• 1 mashed banana (VERY ripe)
• 1/2c. brown sugar (you could also try maple syrup for a less refined sweetener)
• 1 1/2 t. butter pecan extract
• 1/2c. half and half (or a non dairy milk like oat milk)

How to make Banana Bread Latte Syrup

Mix first 2 ingredients:

First, begin with a very ripe banana. The more black spots it has on it, the sweeter and more banana flavor it contains! Mash the banana and add it to a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. If you like your coffee a little less sweet, you can take down the sugar content to 1/4c. 

Essentially, you’re making a simple syrup without the water. However, if you’d like the syrup a little thinner, you can always add a cup of water to it.

Caramelize the bananas:

The method I use gives it a little caramelized banana twist and adds the best flavor. After you get them mashed and mixed with the brown sugar, it’s time to caramelize the banana and brown sugar mixture by cooking at a gentle boil for about 10 minutes on low to medium heat. Make sure to watch it closely so it doesn’t burn! You may need to turn it down to medium-low heat if it’s getting too hot.

You’ll love the smell of baking – even though you aren’t baking!! But that sweet banana bread scent will permeate the house!

Add the last 2 ingredients:

As the bananas begin to caramelize, the mixture changes from thick to thinner with bubbles as shown above. When it begins to become a caramel-like syrup, take the saucepan off the heat and add 1 1/2t. of butter pecan flavoring and 1/2c. half and half.

After adding the flavoring and half and half, whisk the mixture well and let the syrup cool. Next, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. (I use a mason jar for this)

This will be a thicker, chunky syrup from the real food ingredients. If you’d like to thin it out, you can add a cup of water and then use an immersion blender, or high-powered blender to make it silky smooth.

Make your banana bread latte

To make your iced latte, combine 2T. of banana bread latte syrup with 2 espresso shots, ice, and your milk of choice for a delicious iced latte for iced coffee lovers! You can also make this warm by adding steamed milk instead. You may want to play with the amount of banana bread latte syrup to get the right amount for your taste.

First, brew espresso shots into a small cup. I use a double shot. Then, mix the homemade banana bread syrup into your 2 espresso shots until it’s fully incorporated. I love this tiny whisk for that! It’s the best part!

I use an inexpensive Shardor espresso maker and I absolutely love it! However, if you don’t have an espresso maker, you can use my cold brew latte method. It tastes super yummy with a rich, deep flavor.

Once your banana bread latte syrup is fully incorporated into the espresso shots, add that to a mason jar with ice. I love THIS SIZE mason jar. It’s the perfect size for an iced latte. Put on a lid and shake that baby until it gets foamy. This gives you that super creamy shaken espresso latte at home!

After it’s shaken well, take off the lid and pour in your milk of choice. I love whole milk, but oat milk, coconut milk, or any other alternative milk will work perfectly. And that’s it! You’ve got your banana bread latte at home without the coffee shop price!

To make a hot banana bread latte, just mix the banana bread latte syrup into the espresso shots. Then add steamed or warmed milk. It will be the most delicious warm version of the banana latte!

FAQs

Can I make a non-dairy version of this banana bread latte syrup?

Absolutely! I’d replace the half and half with oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. However, if you use a sweetened non dairy milk, you’ll need to cut back on the brown sugar so the syrup isn’t too sweet.

Variations:

If you want hints of cinnamon, add a sprinkle of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick while cooking to give it a warm cozy flavor.

Add ice and milk (or non dairy milk) for an iced banana bread latte, or heat the milk and skip the ice for a hot latte version.

For less refined sugar, swap out the brown sugar for maple syrup or coconut sugar.

To give it a perfect creamy texture, you can use a high-powered blender, an immersion blender, or a regular blender before adding it to the mason jar for storage. Your warm caramelized banana syrup will be even smoother but will taste the same. You can even add a cup of water to make it thinner and then put it through a fine mesh strainer to make it smoother.

Add a hint of vanilla for additional flavor by putting 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste into the banana bread latte syrup.

Mix 1T of homemade banana bread syrup with 1T of heavy cream and 1T of half and half. Whip with a blender stick for an outstanding banana bread cold foam to make a very rich banana latte.

If you’re out of brown sugar, you can mix white sugar with a little molasses and mix well. You’ll end up with perfect brown sugar!

If you don’t have an espresso machine to brew your shots of expresso, try my cold brew latte method!!

Replace the butter pecan flavoring with almond extract.

Add a pinch of salt for a tiny bit of sweet and savory in your banana cream latte.

Add to regular coffee with a splash of milk or half and half.

Non Coffee Variations for Banana Bread Latte Syrup

Add to a tall glass of milk for out of this world banana milk!

Add vanilla protein powder, milk, and homemade banana syrup for a delicious protein smoothie. You could also add a few perfect espresso shots for a banana bread latte protein drink!

Add to a cup of hot chocolate for banana bread hot chocolate!

Use in your next matcha drink if you’d like a banana-forward matcha. Or use it to make a delicious banana matcha latte!

Use as a syrup alternative on top of pancakes or waffles and add toasted pecans for crunch! You’ll never want to go back to traditional syrup again!

Serve alongside a warm slice of banana bread for a double banana treat!

For an amazing dessert, use your homemade banana syrup as an ice cream topping. Pour it on vanilla ice cream and top with chopped pecans.

This banana bread latte syrup lasts for about a week in the fridge…if you don’t eat it all first! So if you’re ready for banana bread in a syrup form that has the most perfect flavor, you’ll be so happy you made this! On your slow mornings, whip up a batch and let me know how you like it!

Printable Recipe Card

Banana Bread Latte

This Banana bread latte tastes like you're literally drinking banana bread! No artificial flavors. Just cozy and delicious banana bread in the form of a latte!

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Ingredients

• 1 very ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2c. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t. butter pecan extract
• 1/2c. half and half

Instructions

1. Use a very ripe banana. The more black spots it has on it, the sweeter and more banana flavor it contains! Mash the banana and add to a small saucepan with 1/2c. brown sugar. If you like your coffee a little less sweet, you can take down the sugar content to 1/4c.

2. Carmelize the banana and brown sugar mixture by cooking for about 10 minutes on low to medium heat. Make sure to watch it closely so it doesn't burn!

3. Take the saucepan off the heat and add 1 1/2t. of butter pecan flavoring and 1/2c. half and half. Whisk the mixture well and store in an airtight container in the fridge. (I use a mason jar for this)

4. Combine 2T. of banana bread latte syrup with 2 shots of expresso, ice, and your milk of choice for a delicous banana bread latte! You can also make this warm by adding steamed milk instead.

Notes

This banana bread latte syrup lasts for about a week in the fridge...if you don't eat it all first!

The post Recipe For Easy And Delicious Banana Bread Latte Syrup appeared first on Little Reasons.

If you’ve been around for long, you’ll know that I LOOOVVVEEE pumpkin everything! You can find recipes on my blog for pumpkin sourdough pancakes, or chocolate chip sourdough pumpkin cookies, or spiced sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin sourdough waffles with discard. So. Many. Pumpkin. Options. And now there’s one more!

You won’t believe how easy scones are to make. Once you cut your butter into the dry ingredients, you pour in the wet ingredients, mix gently, and shape. They are super simple and before long you’ll be able to serve your friends the best scones they have ever had! I think you’ll find it to be the perfect fall treat.

Ingredients for sourdough pumpkin scones

It’s that time of year for pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin everything! Whether you need a quick breakfast, a Thanksgiving brunch, or a fast treat, this is a great way to get the pumpkin flavor in a new way! Furthermore, a big plus is that you’ll also have a new way to use up the extra sourdough discard you have sitting around!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Dry Ingredients

• 240g. all purpose flour (I use fresh milled flour made from soft white wheat)
• 60g. dark brown sugar
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2t pumpkin pie spice

Cut in the butter!!

• 1 stick of butter, cubed or grated

Wet Ingredients

• 100g sourdough starter (active sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard)
• 1 egg
• 100g pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

Instructions

Dry ingredients

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together – flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. If you use freshly milled flour, it needs to cool because it comes out of the mill a bit warm. Pop it into the freezer for a while until it cools down. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.

I usually mix all my ingredients with a whisk, or my new favorite kitchen tool – a danish whisk!!

Cut in the butter

Add cubed unsalted butter into the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry cutter until the chunks of butter are the size of peas. Make sure you have very cold butter. If you have room temperature butter, it won’t make tender scones with flaky layers. My very favorite pastry cutter has solid sides like THIS one so it’s sturdier.

As an alternative to the pastry blender, you can use grated butter that has been frozen or is very cold. Just add the grated frozen butter and you won’t need to use the pastry blender. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I’ve never done that, but I heard it works well.

Wet Ingredients

In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients – sourdough starter, egg, and fresh or canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).

Give it a good stir! Once you add it to the flour mixture, you don’t want to work it too much, so it’s good to have it all completely incorporated at this point.

After that, add wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until it just comes together. Do not overmix or it will develop the gluten and make the scones tough. You’ll end up with a shaggy dough.

Shaping the sourdough pumpkin scones

Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren’t sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. Certainly you can use a rolling pin, but it’s easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.

Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1″ thick. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. Surprisingly, when you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.

When you cut the butter in well, you end up with these flecks of butter that will give you the flakey layers. SO good!

Baking the pumpkin spice scones

Finally, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the sourdough pumpkin scones onto the parchment lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk.

Put scones into the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees. It is especially important to preheat the oven AFTER you make the scones when you’re using freshly milled flour. When working with flour that you mill at home, you need to let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes before baking so it has time to absorb all the liquids. Even if you’re using all purpose flour, you’ll want to let them rest in the freezer to get nice and cold so they keep their shape better in the oven.

Bake the sourdough pumpkin scones on the prepared baking sheet for 18-20 minutes until they are golden brown.

Cool sourdough pumpkin scones on a wire rack.

Overall, for best results, eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

FAQs for pumpkin sourdough scones

Can you freeze sourdough pumpkin scones?

Absolutlely! These are a great make-ahead option. You can freeze the leftover scones after they are baked. I put them on a parchment lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once they are fully frozen, place the frozen scones into a zip top freezer bag or an airtight container and store in the freezer. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave.

Alternately, you can freeze shaped scones on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Once they are frozen, take the unbaked scones and store in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container in the freezer. Next time you’re ready for a fall treat, simply bake them. Follow the baking instructions and add a few extra minutes on to the bake time for the frozen scones.

Variations:

Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips into the dough before shaping.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. Bake the next day for fermented sourdough pumpkin scones.

Top with a maple glaze.

Add streusel to the top of the scones for an extra decadent treat!

Drizzle with cream cheese frosting for an extra sweet treat!

In conclusion, these sourdough discard pumpkin scones are an excellent addition to your sourdough discard recipes. If you love quick breads, you’ll love this scone recipe. It’s easy and makes the most delicious scones full of pumpkin and warm cinnamon fall flavor!

Recipe Card for Sourdough Pumpkin Scones

Sourdough Pumpkin Scones

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Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 240g. all purpose flour (I use fresh milled flour)
• 60g. dark brown sugar
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2t pumpkin pie spice

The rest of the ingredients!

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 stick of butter, cubed (or grated)
• 100g sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 100g pumpkin puree

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together - flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soday, salt and pumpkin pie spice. If you use freshly milled flour, it needs to cool because it comes out of the mill a bit warm. Pop it into the freezer for a while until it cools down. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.
2. Add cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until it is the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated cold or frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I've never done that, but I heard it works well.
3. Add wet ingredients - sourdough starter, egg, and pumpkin puree. Mix with a wooden spoon until it just comes together. Do not overmix or it will develop the gluten and make the scones tough.
4. Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren't sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it's easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.
5. Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1" thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the sourdough pumpkin scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.
7. Brush the top of each scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk.
8. Put scones into the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
9. Bake the sourdough pumpkin scones for 18-20 minutes until they are golden brown.Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

The post The Best Easy Sourdough Pumpkin Scones with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

While regular cornbread muffins are great, when you add either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard and let it have time for fermentation to occur, it gives a deeper flavor. Additionally, there are also more health benefits when you allow the wild yeast to eat the sugar and gluten in the sourdough corn muffins.

This is a super easy recipe. Sourdough discard makes healthier muffins and is a great idea to use up older discard.

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Ingredients for sourdough corn muffins

Wet ingredients

• 225g or 1c sour cream
• 75g or 1/4c sourdough discard or active starter
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 30g or 2T avocado oil or melted coconut oil

Dry ingredients

• 100g or 3/4c white cornmeal, yellow cornmeal, OR coarse cornmeal
• 120g or 1c all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour or freshly milled flour)
• 50g or 1/4c sugar
• 2t baking powder
• 3/4t. pink Himalayan salt
• ADD LATER: 1/2t baking soda

Instructions for sourdough corn muffins

Wet and Liquid Ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients together and stir to combine. That will be the sourdough discard or active sourdough starter, 1 large egg, and oil (avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or vegetable oil), and sour cream. Surprisingly, this is really the secret ingredient because the sour cream helps keep the cornbread recipes from drying out!

If you want to try to make your own sourdough starter, check out my guide HERE>

Dry Ingredients:

Next, in a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients – cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, all purpose flour or whole wheat flour or freshly milled flour. If you use all purpose flour, I love this King Arthur one.  

(DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! Let it sit overnight. Because both the sour cream and the baking soda work together as a leavening agent to help it rise, I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.)

Mix

Put the liquid ingredients and dry ingredients together and use a wooden spoon or whisk to combine. I am absolutely loving the danish whisk for thick batters like this one. It works like a whisk but the thick batter doesn’t get stuck in the middle. It’s much easier for cleanup!

Do not overmix. If you mix the batter too much, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. Consequently, make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together. 

Always ferment sourdough recipes for best results – even a few hours will help the yeast to go to work on the sugar and gluten. As a result, I usually make this the night before and cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on. Write on the plastic wrap like I did below to help you to remember to add the baking soda in the morning! Trust me on this. Unfortunately, I have forgotten one too many times and it’s SO disappointing!!!

The Next Morning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the morning, add the baking soda and give it a gentle mix.

The next thing you do is to prepare the muffin pan by either spraying with cooking spray, or using muffin liners. Divide the batter between the muffin cups in the prepared muffin tin, filling each 2/3 full.

Then, bake in the preheated oven set at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes until golden brown. Finally, when they come out of the oven, you can brush them with a bit of melted butter or melted unsalted butter if desired. I really love a silicone and wood pastry brush like THIS ONE.

Take sourdough cornbread muffins out of the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Eat immediately for the best result. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

These muffins are absolutely delicious. They are not overly sweet like you’d find in Jiffy muffin mix. They also aren’t dry like many cornbread recipes are. The sour cream keeps them moist. If you’re looking for something that tastes more like it came out of a box, you may want to kick up the sugar a bit to give that flavor.

But I think you’ll find these cornbread muffins with the deeper flavor of sourdough and the homemade taste will beat a box mix every time! There’s nothing like being able to control the ingredients that go into your family’s bodies!

FAQs

Do I have to let it sit overnight?

Nope! Letting the sourdough corn muffins ferment will give it the biggest health benefits. But you could make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until you bake them for dinner, or you can whip them up and cook immediately.

Variations and toppings for sourdough corn muffins:

*My personal favorite is to top the sourdough cornbread muffins with a little bit of butter and jam

*Swap out dairy products for oat milk, coconut milk, or another non-dairy milk and sour cream for a dairy free version!

*Use whole wheat flour or fresh milled flour for an even healthier option.

*Use the sourdough corn muffins in cornbread stuffing

*Skip the muffin liners and pour in a 9×13 baking dish for 15-30 minutes

*Make into what my mom called “ho-cakes” or “Johnny cakes” and cook them on a hot skillet or cast iron skillet like pancakes instead of in muffin tins. It makes them cook SO fast!

*Use gluten-free flour or almond flour for a version that has no gluten in it!

*Pour into a greased loaf pan for a sourdough corn quick bread -lengthen baking time and cook 45min-1hour

*Place dollops of cornbread on top of an oven proof pot of chili and cook as directed for cornbread topped chili! Or just serve the moist cornbread muffins next to a bowl of chili!

*Add vanilla extract and a little more sugar for a sweet cornbread version.

*Serve with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey

*For a very savory side, omit the sugar, and add chopped jalapeños and cheddar cheese before baking for a cheesy and spicy perfect side dish.

*Swap out the white sugar for maple syrup for a refined sugar free sourdough cornbread recipe

*Add fresh corn cut off the cob for an even sweeter sourdough corn muffin with a delicious texture and even more corn flavor.

*Brush the tops with a melted butter mixture to make them even softer.

How to store sourdough corn muffins

Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag for 3-5 days.

Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for 3-6 months.

Heat leftover muffins in the microwave or toaster oven.

I hope you try this cornbread muffin with a sourdough twist! It will become one of your new favorite sourdough muffin recipes I’m sure! It’s the perfect addition to a cozy fall or winter dinner and it’s a great way to use up older discard that you have sitting in the back of your fridge. If you try any of the variations, please let me know. I always love to hear how your ideas turn out. Happy baking!

Printable Recipe Card:

Sourdough Corn Muffins

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Ingredients

Wet ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 225g or 1c sour cream
• 75g or 1/4c sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 30g or 2T avocado oil

Dry ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 100g or 3/4c cornmeal
• 120g or 1c all purpose flour (or freshly milled flour)
• 50g or 1/4c sugar
• 2t baking powder
• 3/4t. salt
• ADD LATER: 1/2t baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wet ingredients together. 2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. (DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! This reacts with the sour cream to help it rise, so I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.) 3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  4. Sourdough recipes are best if they have a chance to ferment, so I usually make this the night before and cover with saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on.

5. Prepare muffin tins with liners. Divide the batter between the liners, filling each 2/3 full. 6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes.  7. Take out of pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

The post Easy Sourdough Corn Muffins Your Family Will Love appeared first on Little Reasons.

I love recipes I can make up in advance and have ready to go in the morning. It’s even better when making it in advance enhances the health benefits – and that’s exactly what happens in this recipe! The sourdough discard is not used as a leavening agent in this recipe. Instead, it’s used as a way to make it more healthy, by giving the wild yeast time to essentially “eat up” the gluten and sugars present in the flour during the overnight fermentation. This makes the flour more digestible and makes the pancakes easier on your gut.

You’ll find the fluffy texture of these sourdough banana pancakes will rival the best restaurant pancakes, but in a way that benefits your family’s health! So read on for the super simple instructions on how to make this delicious fall breakfast.

Ingredients for Sourdough Banana Pancakes

The ingredients for sourdough banana pancakes are super simple and are usually found in a well stocked pantry. This is a perfect way to take those pantry staples, pair them with a few overripe bananas and end up with a delightful fall breakfast! You can use up all the extra sourdough starter discard you have in your fridge from making sourdough bread. Plus, finding another great way to use up your overripe bananas can’t be a bad thing, right?

So, if you’re ready to go beyond the classic sourdough pancakes, and to have less work in the morning follow along!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Wet ingredients

• 2 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2c extra starter ( active sourdough starter or sourdough discard)
• 1 egg
• 1T melted butter, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
• 1t. vanilla extract
• 1c cultured buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/4c all purpose white flour, fresh milled flour, or whole wheat flour (do not use bread flour)
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1T raw sugar, white sugar or brown sugar
• pinch of Himalayan sea salt, or any salt you have on hand
• 1t baking powder
• ADD LATER! 1t baking soda

Instructions for Sourdough Banana Pancakes

The night before:

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl or medium bowl. Add the active sourdough starter (or extra sourdough discard), egg, melted butter or oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and baking powder (DO NOT ADD THE BAKING SODA AT THIS TIME! IT WILL BEGIN TO REACT IMMEDIATELY)

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is just combined. Any time you are working with things like pancakes, cakes, and cookies, you’ll want to make sure to stop mixing as soon as it’s all coming together. If you overmix the pancake batter, you’ll work the gluten in the flour and it will make the pancakes tough.

Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. If you’re like me and you have an ADHD brain, you may want to write “add 1t. baking soda!” to the top of the plastic wrap so you don’t forget in the morning!

The next morning:

After you’ve had the batter rest overnight, heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. While that is preheating, take the batter out of the fridge and add the baking soda, mixing with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk (this is my new favorite kitchen tool!!!) until it is just combined.

Turn the hot pan down to medium heat and use fresh butter, cooking spray, or a little oil on the pan to prevent sticking. Then use a 1/4 cup batter to make medium pancakes and 1/3 to 1/2 cup measure for larger pancakes.

Let the pancakes cook until you see bubble on the surface begin to pop. Flip them over and allow the second side to cook until it’s golden brown. Take the cooked pancakes off the pan and put on a serving platter. Cover them with a tea towel to keep in the heat while you finish cooking the pancakes.

Serve immediately.

FAQs

How do I store banana sourdough pancakes?

I store these either in my refrigerator or the freezer. To store in the fridge, put them in an airtight container or zip top bag. You’ll want to use them over the next 3-5 days.

I often make a double batch and put the extras in the freezer for longer storage and for quick meals in the future. When I do that, I freeze them on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. Put them in a single layer and freeze until completely frozen. Put the frozen pancakes into a Ziplock freezer bag or an airtight container.

By freezing them individually, it keeps them from freezing together and allows you to pull out one at a time. Then you can pull out fluffy sourdough banana pancakes any time your heart desires without having to make them fresh!

How do I reheat sourdough banana pancakes?

I find the best way to reheat these is in the toaster oven. It makes them a bit crispy on the exterior, but if you want them super soft, you can just wrap them in aluminum foil first. Alternately you can heat them up in the microwave!

What kinds of toppings do you recommend for sourdough banana pancakes with discard?

Here are some of our favorite things we use as toppings, plus some ideas I want to try here at home:

*pure maple syrup and butter

*brown sugar and pecans

*butter and cinnamon sugar

*chocolate chips and whipped cream would be amazing!!!

*cinnamon chips would be sooooo good

*I think my warm caramel buttermilk syrup would be divine on these!

*My recipe for cream cheese whipped cream would take these to the next level!

*Maybe a bit of natural peanut butter with more fresh bananas on top

*Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter for a little fluffer nutter pancake?

I’d love to hear your favorite toppings or what other ideas you come up with!

Do I have to make them the night before?

No you can absolutely make these right before cooking them! Leaving them in the refrigerator overnight is just to give the wild yeast time to have a long fermentation and give the health benefits of sourdough. Additionally, it gives the slight tang of the sourdough to add to the flavor. However, these are just as yummy if you mix them up and cook them right away!

Can I use something instead of cultured buttermilk?

Yes absolutely! I love using cultured buttermilk because it makes such fluffy pancakes! However, in a pinch, you can put a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of the measuring cup before you pour in the milk. Then after you pour the milk in, give it a stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes for it to begin to curdle.

That acidity from the lemon juice or vinegar will react with the baking soda to create the chemical reaction that allows the pancakes to rise.

So, if you’re looking for an easy recipe and different ways to use up overripe bananas outside of the typical sourdough banana bread before you add them to your food waste, this is the recipe for you!

Printable sourdough banana pancake recipe card below:

Sourdough Banana Pancakes

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Ingredients

Wet ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2c sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 1T melted butter
• 1t. vanilla
• 1c cultured buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 1/4c all purpose flour (or fresh milled flour)
• 1t cinnamon
• 1T raw sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1t baking powder
• ADD LATER! 1t baking soda

Instructions

1. Combine wet ingredients together. 2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. (DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! This reacts with the buttermilk to help it rise, so I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.) 3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  4. Sourdough recipes are best if they have a chance to ferment, so I usually make this the night before and cover with saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on. 5. Preheat a cast iron skillet, then turn down to low.

6. Put butter on the skillet and then drop batter by spoonful (or using a 1/4c measuring cup).

7. Flip after the pancakes have bubbles that begin to pop.

8. Let cook on second side until they are golden brown.

9. Serve with whipped cream, syrup and pecans or walnuts, or just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

The post The Best Sourdough Banana Pancakes with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

My daughter went on a girls trip and came home with an iced tiramisu latte to share with me. It was “the best latte she ever had!” and so she splurged and ordered one for me with no ice so she could bring it home. I was so thrilled she thought of me, and even more thrilled to have a new recipe to develop — because it was THAT good! I just had to recreate it!

Bold espresso. Creamy mascarpone. Chocolatey flavor. Crunchy ladyfinger cookies. It’s everything you love in the classic dessert but in drink form!

Ingredients for an Iced Tiramisu Latte

Latte

• 1T. mascarpone
• 1-2T. chocolate sauce
• 2 shots espresso
• 1c whole milk

Cold Foam

• 2T heavy whipping cream
• 1T maple syrup
• 1T mascarpone cheese
• dusting of cocoa powder
• lady finger biscuits (optional)

Iced Tiramisu Latte Instructions

While this is a tiny bit involved for a workday latte, I don’t think the total time would be longer than 10 minutes. However, I think you’ll find that it’s one of those perfect coffee recipes to make for those lazy weekend mornings!

Latte Instructions:

Begin with mascarpone cheese. It’s kind of like cream cheese but has a different flavor. Place 1T into your espresso glass.

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Then put 1T of chocolate sauce in the bottom of cup and brew two shots of espresso over it. I’ll have a recipe for the easiest chocolate sauce for coffee coming out so soon. I can’t believe I was buying it when it was SO easy to make!

espresso instructions:

We use this Breville espresso machine to brew our shots, but before that, we had an inexpensive $150 machine my kiddos bought for my birthday and it worked really well! I’d say use what you can get!

If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can try my cold brew espresso HERE. I think the only caveat would be that you would need to heat it up in order to combine the mascarpone and chocolate sauce together.

You could also make the shots of espresso in a moka pot or in an aero press. I’ve done both and I’ll be posting about how to do that soon! I’ve even heard you can use instant coffee to make espresso, so I’ll have to play around with that and add a couple tablespoons of hot water over the instant coffee and see how it is!

After the espresso brew, mix everything well to combine

For the iced version, pour the espresso, mascarpone and chocolate over ice in a tall glass to cool it off. Then add about 1 cup of cold milk to the glass.

You can also pour the cold milk over ice in a tall glass and then pour the classic tiramisu double espresso shot over the top. If you like a layered look, though, I’d do it the opposite way (even though I showed it different here!). It’s completely personal preference but doesn’t change the flavor.

This would be amazing, but don’t you want it even more decadent? I thought so!

Mascarpone Cold Foam Instructions:

Combine heavy cream, maple syrup, and mascarpone cheese in a cup. Use milk frother to combine ingredients and whip air into them. If you want it a little thinner, you can add a tablespoon of milk to give it soft peaks instead of more stiff peaks. Pour the mascarpone cream cold foam over the iced tiramisu latte.

Now let’s make it beautiful! Sprinkle the top with a little dusting of cocoa powder. You could even add a little bit of chocolate shavings if you really wanted to get fancy! But the classic Italian dessert has a dusting of cocoa powder, so that’s what I use 🙂

Then just top it with ladyfinger biscuits. Is this necessary? No. But does it add just that touch to make it more like the traditional tiramisu in drink form? Yes! So order the ladyfinger cookies. You won’t regret it!! I found them really inexpensive on Amazon HERE.

And that’s it! The drink form of my favorite dessert. Creamy, rich, decadent, and perfect for a lazy morning at home.

FAQs

I don’t have an espresso machine – what can I use in place of a shot of espresso in my tiramisu latte?

I think this would be equally as good with my cold brew latte espresso dupe. The only issue with that is that the coffee will not be hot, so it won’t melt the mascarpone.

I’d try heating a bit of the cold brew espresso in the microwave or a small saucepan and then adding the mascarpone cheese. Once it’s incorporated, you can follow instructions the same way.

How do I make this a hot tiramisu latte?

It’s super easy to make it a hot latte. Instead of pouring cold milk over ice, just warm up your milk, either in the microwave, in a small saucepan, or with the steam feature on the espresso machine. I also have a hot milk frother I use that works great! You can find it HERE.

Pour that over your tiramisu coffee double shot and you’re good to go! Top the same way with a dusting of cocoa powder and a lady finger and you’ve got all the comforting flavor in a warm mug!

Mascarpone cheese is expensive. Can I use cream cheese in the iced tiramisu latte recipe?

I think that would be a great substitution. While it won’t have the exact flavor of mascarpone cheese, I think it would give a similar flavor and would work well.

Can I use alternate milk options in this tiramisu latte?

Sure! I bet coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk would be great. While I do think that would impart a different flavor, I think using your milk of choice would be just as decadent!

Do you have any other recommendations to give this even more of a tiramisu latte taste?

Oftentimes, classic tiramisu has rum or rum extract in it. If you’re having a lazy morning at home, or an after dinner latte, you could add a splash of real rum, or even a couple drops of rum extract.

To bump up the vanilla flavor, you could add a couple drops of vanilla extract to the mascarpone cold foam, or you could even add a tablespoon of vanilla syrup or some simple syrup to the double shot if you like it sweeter.

Click below for a printable Iced Tiramisu Latte Recipe Card:

Tiramisu Latte

Print

Ingredients

Latte

Toggle ingredient group

• 1T. mascarpone
• 1-2T. chocolate sauce
• 2 shots espresso
• 1c whole milk

Cold Foam

Toggle ingredient group

• 2T heavy whipping cream
• 1T maple syrup
• 1T mascarpone
• Cocoa powder for dusting
• 1 ladyfinger (optional)

Instructions

1. Put mascarpone and chocolate sauce in bottom of cup and brew espresso onto it. Mix well to combine.
2. Put over ice and swirl to combine. Add milk.
3. Combine heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, and mascarpone in cup and use milk frother to combine ingredients and whip air into them. Pour over latte.
4. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
5. Top with ladyfinger.

The post How to Make a Creamy Tiramisu Latte (Hot or Iced) appeared first on Little Reasons.

Cozy fall mornings are one of my very favorite things! It’s pumpkin season, and I I love ALL the autumn recipes and warm spices and pumpkin flavor! If you haven’t seen a pattern in my blog yet, you can look back to my pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or pumpkin waffles… So many fall favorites! And here’s a new one to add!

Why Use Sourdough in Pumpkin Pancakes?

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Sourdough is for more than just sourdough bread! I love to add sourdough to all my baked goods! Sourdough starter is full of gut healthy bacteria that break down the sugar and gluten in the pancakes.

While you can make the pumpkin sourdough pancake batter and use it right away, it’s best to make this the night before and pop it in the fridge to let the batter ferment. Overnight, the yeast and bacteria goes to work breaking down the phytic acid, gluten and sugar in the batter. It’s the best way to make these even healthier.

When you pull it out the next morning, not only are these fluffy sourdough pancakes a super delicious fall breakfast, but it has had a long fermentation that makes them a healthy breakfast full of fall flavors.

Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe:

Wet Ingredients:

• 3T. melted butter or coconut oil
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin purée
• 2 eggs
• 2c. cultured buttermilk
• 1/2c. active sourdough starter (or leftover sourdough discard)
• 1 1/2t. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8t. salt
• 2t. baking soda
• 2t. baking powder
• 2T. raw sugar or brown sugar
• 2 1/2c. all purpose flour, whole wheat flour or my favorite – freshly milled soft white wheat

Instructions:

These fluffy sourdough pancakes with pumpkin have minimal ingredients, so they are super simple to throw together before you go to bed at night. Then the next day they are waiting for you to make!

Combine dry ingredients:

The night before you want to make pancakes, combine dry ingredients into a large bowl (except for baking soda – the baking soda makes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk to help rise the pumpkin sourdough pancakes, so we will keep this out until we are ready to make them)

So mix the raw sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and flour. I use freshly milled soft white wheat flour (see the above photo – I have ground my flour for years in my Vitamix dry container).

I find that it gives the best taste, and it’s full of fiber and vitamins. If you don’t mill your own flour, you can use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour. I’ve used many kinds of flour to make these and they all work well.

Combine wet ingredients:

Combine wet ingredients into a separate bowl or glass measuring cup – melted butter, fresh pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, active starter or sourdough starter discard, and vanilla extract. (Because you’re not using the sourdough as a leavening agent, it doesn’t matter if you use discard or active starter. Either is fine.)

In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients. Mix until they are just combined. You don’t want to overmix pancakes because it will make them tough as the gluten in the flour is developed. So as soon as you see it come together, stop.

Let the batter rest:

Cover the pancake mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the next morning. I always write “add 2t. baking soda” to the tight plastic wrap so I don’t forget to do that in the morning.

The next day when you pull the large mixing bowl out of the fridge, add 2t. of baking soda and begin making pancakes. Heat cast iron skillet on medium high heat for a few minutes. Apply butter liberally just before you add the batter to the hot pan.

(You could also use a non-stick pan. I just don’t have one! You can also use non-stick spray instead of butter.)

I almost always use a cast-iron skillet to make my pancakes. In these photos, I’m using a piece of steel my brother in law gave me that he used to use in his sourdough bakery. He passed it along to me to use as a pizza steel, but I often use it like this for pancakes, French toast, quesadillas, grilled cheese, and more.

You can get a similar pizza steel HERE.

Bake:

Measure about one quarter cup of batter onto the hot pan. Turn heat down to medium heat – the cast iron skillet holds onto that heat and can burn the pancakes fast.

As you’re cooking the first side, keep a close watch. Once you see little bubbles forming and popping on the pancakes, use a metal spatula to flip them over. This usually takes a few minutes. When the second side is golden brown and they have crispy edges, take them off the pan. This side cooks much faster!

Continue until you use up the rest of the batter. Make them all because they save really well!

Serve immediately or store in the fridge or freezer for quick and healthy fall breakfasts.

Variations on pumpkin sourdough pancakes:

Variations:

• Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes – Add 1-2 tablespoons of espresso powder to the batter. Make whipped cream with a dash of expresso powder, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice for topping!
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes – Fold in dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate lover! Top with homemade whipped cream.
• Nutty Pumpkin Pancakes – Add chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nuts for a crunch.
• Cranberry Pumpkin Pancakes – Fold in fresh or dried cranberries for a tart twist.
• Maple Glazed Pumpkin Pancakes – Cook down your real maple syrup to make a maple glaze, then drizzle with the maple glaze instead of syrup.
• Thanksgiving Pancakes – Top with candied pecans and a dollop of whipped cream.
• Mini Pancake Stacks – Perfect for brunch boards or a special breakfast for kids.
• Peanut butter Pumpkin – My family loves to top any kind of pancake with natural peanut butter and real maple syrup.
• Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pancakes – Swap regular milk for oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk and butter for coconut oil. Just make sure to add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in with your alternate milk in order to react with the baking soda correctly.
• Egg-Free Pumpkin Pancakes – Use 2T. of ground flax and 6T. of water to replace the eggs. Whisk together mixture and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Alternately, you can use applesauce as a binder in place of the eggs (about 1/4c per egg).

Syrup & Favorite Toppings:

• Pure Maple Syrup – This is my preference! We use maple syrup from our maple trees. SO delicious! If you want to learn how to make real maple syrup at home, check out THIS blog post.
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle – Like a pumpkin roll in pancake form. Combine cream cheese, a little brown sugar and cinnamon, and milk or half and half to thin it out. Use a hand mixer to mix until it’s the perfect drizzle consistency.
• Salted Caramel Drizzle – Use your favorite Carmel sauce and top with flaked salt. Sweet and Salty!
• Apple Compote Topping – Cook apples down with cinnamon, sugar, and a little butter and spoon it over the sourdough pumpkin pancakes.
• Whipped cream and fresh fruit – A classic!
• Buttermilk syrup – This homemade buttermilk syrup would taste AMAZING on them!
• Pumpkin Roll Topping – My very favorite way to make these pancakes taste like a pumpkin roll!!! Just take a look at how delicious these look with this topping!!! (photo below) Get the recipe HERE!

Freezing Fluffy Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes

I freeze these pancakes on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the sourdough pancakes in a single layer and freeze for a few hours. Then put into an airtight container or zip top bag in the freezer. I find that freezing them this way makes them easier to pull out of the freezer instead of having them freeze together.

FAQs

Do I have to make the batter for sourdough pumpkin spice pancakes in advance?

While you can make these pancakes immediately, you get the most health benefit by letting them sit about 8 hours or overnight. However, I have made them right away after mixing the batter lots of times! Sometimes, best isn’t always possible, so I do what I can! Feel free to make these right away or make the batter the night before. Either works fine.

If you choose to make them right away and not let the batter rest overnight, that’s just fine. But if you are using freshly milled wheat flour, the batter does need to sit for at least 15 minutes in order to allow the flour to absorb all the liquid. This definitely helps the texture of the pancake to be really fluffy pancakes that are light.

Do I have to use buttermilk for sourdough pancakes?

No. While I love using cultured buttermilk for the best flavor and texture, you absolutely don’t have to use it! You can simply use whole milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to make sure it’s acidic enough for the baking soda to react with.

I don’t have any sourdough starter. Can I leave it out?

Yes, if you don’t have any active starter or sourdough starter discard on hand, you can leave it out and cook the pumpkin pancakes right away. However, if you’d like to get started with sourdough recipes, you can learn to make your very own sourdough starter HERE.

I hope this one makes it into your favorite sourdough recipes for the fall. It’s really a great way to use simple ingredients in order to eat healthy, and enjoy all the warm spices and pumpkin goodness that autumn offers! So for your next Saturday morning big breakfast, grab a hot cup of coffee and this recipe and you’ll be in fall heaven!

Printable recipe card for Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes:

Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes

If you're looking for a light and fluffy pancake that's full of gut healthy sourdough and tastes like fall, you've found it!

Print

Ingredients

• 3T. melted butter
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2c. cultured buttermilk
• 1/2c. active sourdough starter or sourdough discard
• 1 1/2t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8t. salt
• 2t. baking soda
• 2t. baking powder
• 2T. raw sugar
• 2 1/2c. flour

Instructions

1. The night before you want to make pancakes, combine wet ingredients into a bowl - melted butter, pumpkin, eggs, buttermilk, sourdough starter, and vanilla.
2. Combine dry ingredients into a separate bowl (except for baking soda - the baking soda makes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk to help rise the pancakes, so we will keep this out until we are ready to make them)
3. Gently mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together until they are just combined. You don't want to overmix pancakes because it will make them tough as the gluten in the flour is developed. So as soon as you see it come together, stop.
4. Cover the pancake mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the next morning. I always write "add 2t. baking soda" to the tight plastic wrap so I don't forget to do that in the morning.
5. When you pull the mixture out of the fridge, add 2t. of baking soda and begin making pancakes.
6. Heat cast iron pan and apply butter liberally.
7. Using a 1/4c measure, put pancakes onto the pan.
8. Once you see bubbles forming and popping on the pancakes, use a spatula to flip them over.
9. When the second side is browned, take them off the pan.
10. Serve with maple syrup (learn how to make it from your maple trees here!), whipped cream, or this amazing cream cheese whipped cream!

Notes

While you can make these pancakes immediately, you get the most health benefit by letting them sit about 8 hours or overnight.

The post How to Make Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes With Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

The base of this recipe has been in my recipe cards for probably 20 years. My best friend passed it along to me, but I have no idea where it came from originally. Without a doubt, I have loved making it every year! I keep changing it and adding to it each year and eventually it became this unbelievable sourdough recipe with freshly milled flour and a soft, cakey texture. It’s similar to the original recipe, but with my changes it has become a whole food autumn dessert that can actually be called healthy pumpkin cookies!

Seeing that I love all things pumpkin, this recipe is such a great way to give a pumpkin lover a cookie that is full of fall flavor, and uses gut healthy sourdough and vitamin and fiber rich freshly milled flour. Of course, if you don’t mill your own grains, this makes a perfect cookie if you choose to use all purpose flour, so don’t worry!

If you’re a pumpkin lover like me, you can also try my sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls and my sourdough pumpkin waffles for the best fall breakfast flavors!!

*note: these are not chewy cookies like a regular chocolate chip cookies. They are soft and delicate and cakey, more like a sourdough pumpkin bread. Undeniably, this will be one of your new favorite pumpkin recipes!

Ingredients for sourdough pumpkin cookies

Dry Ingredients

• Pinch salt
• 200g (1 cup) brown sugar (you can substitute white sugar if that’s all you have)
• 10g (2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 7g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
• 240g (2 cups) freshly milled soft white wheat, spelt or einkorn (you can also substitute all purpose flour and it works perfectly)
• 3g (1 teaspoon) cinnamon (for extra pumpkin pie flavor you can substitute pumpkin pie spice)

Wet Ingredients

• 1 room temperature egg
• 8g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
• 70g (1/4 cup) sourdough discard or active starter
• 1 small 15oz can of pumpkin puree (be very sure you are not using pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted (can substitute a neutral tasting oil)

While this post contains affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site, it is at no additional cost to you.

Add Ins for sourdough pumpkin cookies

• 200-400g (1-2 cups) dark chocolate chips

Instructions for sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies:

In the following recipe, I provide regular measurements, as well as scale weight. I think it’s well worth it to purchase an inexpensive kitchen scale to make sure your baked goods have a consistency to them by always having the correct measurement of ingredients. While I use scale weights now, I grew up in a measuring cup / teaspoon household so I’ve provided both. In either case, you’ll end up with delicious sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

1. Combine wet ingredients

In a small bowl, combine wet ingredients – room temperature egg, vanilla extract, sourdough starter discard (or active sourdough starter), pumpkin puree.

2. Combine dry ingredients

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients – salt, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, freshly milled flour (or all purpose flour), and cinnamon. NOTE: for a richer fall flavor, you can add pumpkin spice to add a depth of flavor and a taste of warm spices.

*I use a Mockmill 200 to grind my wheat berries. You do not need to use freshly milled flour, but it does add nutrition and fiber. I purchased my Mockmill grain mill HERE. I buy all my wheat berries from Azure Standard.

3. Make browned butter for sourdough pumpkin cookies

In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter on medium heat. If you’d like to give the sourdough discard pumpkin cookies a nutty flavor, you can make it into brown butter by cooking it until it gets golden brown and begins to foam up. So, make sure to use a large enough saucepan because it tends to fuzz up and bubble over. Sadly, I did that today as I made these!! Regardless whether you use brown butter or just melted butter, they will be amazing.

4. Mix wet and dry ingredients

In the large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients, dry ingredients, and butter mixture (browned butter) with a wooden spoon, danish whisk, or hand mixer. I absolutely love my danish whisk because I don’t get a ton of cookie batter stuck in it. It’s perfect for brownies, cookies, pancakes, and batters that are a little thicker.

For best results, mix it until it is just combined so you don’t overwork the gluten in the flour and end up with tough cookies. You can also place the ingredients for the sourdough cookies in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix gently with the paddle attachment.

5. Add in chocolate chips

Once it’s just combined, add in the chocolate chips and gently mix in. For a rich flavor that’s not too sweet, my favorite thing to use is dark chocolate chips. So good! 

6. Rest the batter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Freshly milled wheat needs to rest so it can soak up all the moisture in the wet ingredients.

Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Furthermore, this sourdough cookie batter can be put in the fridge for as much as 24 hours to allow the sourdough discard to begin to eat the sugar and gluten and make the sourdough pumpkin cookies more gut healthy. 

7. Scoop the sourdough pumpkin cookies

After that, scoop small balls of cookie dough (I use a medium sized cookie scoop which gives me about 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of dough) onto prepared baking sheets. I use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I can fit 24 cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet. A cookie scoop that is similar to what I use is HERE.

8. Bake

Bake cookies in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. I tend to take mine out at exactly 12 minutes for my oven. Play with the time to make sure you adjust it to your oven’s temperature. 

9. Storing sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Place the baked sourdough chocolate chip cookies to cool on a wire rack and serve immediately. Once they are cooled, take them off the cooling rack and store in an airtight container, Ziploc bag, or glass jar on the counter. Alternately, you may keep them in the freezer for longer storage.

***makes about 48 small cookies***

FAQs

Do I have to use fresh milled flour to make sourdough pumpkin cookies?

Although freshly milled flour adds nutritional density to these cookies, it’s not necessary. As a matter of fact, I made these with traditional all purpose flour for years before I started milling my own flour.

Can you freeze sourdough pumpkin cookies?

By all means, freeze these cookies! Due to the fact that I haven’t tried to use frozen cookie dough and bake them from frozen, I can’t recommend that. Normally, I bake them and then store in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers of cookies. That works perfectly.

Above all, these little palm sized sourdough cookies that are full of pumpkin flavor and rich chocolate will be one of your favorite fall sourdough discard recipes! It’s such a perfect way to use leftover starter and create a cookie that is healthier and doesn’t make you feel guilty to eat it! So add this to your sourdough pumpkin recipe arsenal. All in all, you won’t be sorry.

Printable recipe card below:

Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies

Print

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• Pinch salt
• 200g (1 cup) brown sugar
• 10g (2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 7g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
• 240g (2 cups) freshly milled soft white wheat, spelt or einkorn (you can also substitute all purpose flour and it works perfectly)
• 3g (1 teaspoon) cinnamon (for extra pumpkin pie flavor you can substitute pumpkin pie spice)

Wet Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 room temperature egg
• 8g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
• 70g (1/4 cup) sourdough discard or active sourdough starter
• 1 small 15oz can of pumpkin puree (be very sure you are not using pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted (can substitute a neutral tasting oil)

Add Ins

Toggle ingredient group

• 200-400g (1-2 cups) dark chocolate chips

Instructions

In the following recipe, I provide regular measurements, as well as scale weight. I think it's well worth it to purchase an inexpensive kitchen scale to make sure your baked goods have a consistency to them by always having the correct measurement of ingredients. However, I grew up in a measuring cup / teaspoon household so I've provided both.

1. Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl - room temperature egg, vanilla extract, sourdough starter discard, pumpkin puree.

2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients - salt, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, freshly milled flour (or all purpose flour), and cinnamon. NOTE: for a a change you can add pumpkin spice to add a depth of flavor and a taste of warm spices

3. In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter on medium heat. If you'd like to give the sourdough discard pumpkin cookies a nutty flavor, you can make it into brown butter by cooking it until it gets golden brown and begins to foam up. Make sure to use a large enough saucepan because it tends to fuzz up and bubble over. Sadly, I did that today as I made these!!

4. In the large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients, dry ingredients, and butter mixture (browned butter) with a wooden spoon, danish whisk, or hand mixer. Mix it until it is just combined so you don't overwork the gluten in the flour and end up with tough cookies. You can also place the ingredients for the sourdough cookies in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix gently with the paddle attachment.

5. Once it's just combined, add in the chocolate chips and just mix in. For a rich flavor that's not too sweet, use dark chocolate chips. So good!

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Freshly milled wheat needs to rest so it can soak up all the moisture in the wet ingredients. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. However, this sourdough cookie batter can be put in the fridge for as much as 24 hours to allow the sourdough discard to begin to eat the sugar and gluten and make the sourdough pumpkin cookies more gut healthy.

7. Scoop small balls (I use a medium sized cookie scoop) onto prepared baking sheets. I use a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I can fit 24 cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake cookies in a 375 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. I tend to take mine out at exactly 12 minutes for my oven.

9. Place the baked cookies to cool on a wire rack and serve immediately. Once they are cooled, take them off the cooling rack and store in an airtight container, ziplok bag, or glass jar on the counter. Alternately, you may keep them in the freezer for longer storage.

***makes about 48 small cookies***

Pin for Later!!!

The post Super Easy Chocolate Chip Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies appeared first on Little Reasons.

How to Develop a Great Cold Brew Latte Concentrate

Cold brew latte concentrate is so smooth because heat is not used to brew the coffee. When heat is used to make hot coffee that is cooled to use for lattes, it’s not as delicious and smooth. Cold brewed coffee, on the other hand, has less acidity and bitter flavors.

Because of this, we will be using a method that steeps the coffee slowly over a long period of time. This is similar to a regular cold brew, but significantly stronger in order to give it the true latte flavor.

My cold brew recipe process:

I began to develop this cold brew latte recipe using my usual cold brew concentrate recipe I’ve used for years. Unfortunately, coarsely ground coffee makes good iced coffee, but not great lattes. The coarse grind just doesn’t release enough flavor. I wanted a true coffee shop flavor without the expresso machine with that classic cold brew latte taste.

The second thing I tried was to finely grind the coffee beans in my coffee grinder. This got me much closer to the taste I was aiming for. However, it still wasn’t as strong as it needs to be to make a true latte.

My normal cold brew coffee recipe just used regular coffee beans and worked well, but for these lattes, I needed to change out the main ingredient to be espresso beans so I could get the super strong flavor to make lattes in the comfort of your home without an espresso machine. I buy mine at Costco, but this is the brand I buy there.

The last change I made to my cold brew coffee recipe was to change the coffee-to-water ratio. I usually use 4oz coffee for 1/2 gallon of filtered water. To get a very strong concentrate with a smooth coffee flavor that is perfect for lattes, I chose to raise the coffee ratio by 50% and use 6oz of finely ground espresso roast for 1/2 gallon of filtered water. This was amazing!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Ingredients for Cold Brew Latte Concentrate:

You need only 2 ingredients and a little bit of time to make the best cold brew latte concentrate. Your next at home iced latte is just waiting for you to combine these and make a super simple latte!

• 6 oz finely ground espresso beans
• 1/2 gallon filtered water

Instructions for Cold Brew Latte Concentrate:

Step One:

In a 1/2 gallon container (I use a 1/2 gallon mason jar), combine the 6oz finely ground espresso beans and 1/2 gallon of filtered water.

Don’t use plastic for this, as it can leech chemicals into your cold coffee. I find that glass is safer overall, especially for long periods of steeping.

Step Two:

Once you’ve mixed the coffee grounds and cold water, stir the cold-brew coffee mixture well and allow it to sit on the counter at room temperature for about 24 hours.  I tend to give it a stir with the handle of a wooden spoon whenever I pass it during that 24 hour period.

Alternately, if you feel uncomfortable with it on the counter, you can throw it in the fridge during that 24 hour period.

Step Three:

Once it has been sitting for about 24 hours, strain the mixture through a few layers of thick cheesecloth. I like to use a really fine one to get all the sediment out like THIS ONE to make a smooth cold brew coffee. You can also use a cheesecloth bag or a nut milk bag for the straining. I use this to make plant-based milk, so I always have it on hand.

As a side note, if you need a good almond milk recipe, I have the very best one HERE. I also have a review of the Almond Cow HERE. I have used it to make the following milks: coconut milk, cashew milk, pecan milk, oat milk. It’s an alternative to store-bought plant-based milks but it would be a good idea to read that blog post before investing in one!

Step Four:

Once you’ve made your cold brew latte concentrate, it’s super easy to use. Just combine:

• 1/2c. espresso cold brew concentrate

• 1 cup ice

• 1c whole milk (or your favorite milk of choice)

• Coffee syrup of your choice

…and create a delicious iced latte!

Feel free to adjust the amount of steeped coffee concentrate or the amount of milk to suit your particular taste buds! Some people prefer a strong coffee flavor and others prefer it sweeter and milkier.

Cold Brew Latte Concentrate Storage:

Store the strained coffee in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. I keep it in the half gallon mason jar in the fridge and love storing it that way.

FAQs

What sweeteners can I use in my cold brew latte?

There are SO many ways to serve this! Above, I used a cinnamon vanilla syrup to give it a delicious vanilla flavor with a touch of cinnamon. But you can use any prepared coffee syrup, liquid sweetener, simple syrup, or sugar substitute. I also love mine with maple syrup and a sprinkle of sea salt for that sweet and salty cold drink flavor.

I do have a ton of flavors I’ve been developing and sharing on my blog, so I think this would be a delicious cold brew latte using my lemon latte syrup or my banana bread latte syrup. You’ve got to try them! They are spectacular.

You could also make a cinnamon brown sugar simple syrup, since brown sugar won’t dissolve in cold-brewed coffee. You’d just need to make a simple syrup using brown sugar instead of white sugar and throw a few cinnamon sticks in! It would be a perfect way of making a shaken brown sugar cinnamon oat milk latte!

Lastly, if you like a honey cinnamon latte, you could make a honey syrup with cinnamon in it, since the honey won’t dissolve in the cold drink. You’d need to make it into a simple syrup using honey rather than sugar.

Can I make this in a French Press?

If you didn’t want to make such a big batch, I think you could make a small batch in a French press. If your French press is 32oz (4 cups of water), that’s 1/4 of a gallon.

Just use 3oz of fine grinds and follow the same directions. To strain it, you can use the plunger to press it, but I would still recommend running it through cheese cloth or a nut milk bag to get the remaining fine sediment out of the cold brew coffee concentrate.

Can I use cold brew latte concentrate to make coffee ice cubes?

Of course! Just fill an ice cube tray with the cold brewed coffee. Let it freeze and store the coffee ice cubes in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. Then just use the coffee ice cubes in regular iced coffee, or a cold brew latte for a stronger flavor that is not diluted as the ice melts!

Can I make a cold brew latte with plant-based milk?

Absolutely! You could make this with my super creamy Vitamix Almond Milk – recipe HERE, soy milk, oat milk, or any other dairy-free milk alternative. The creamier the better, though!

Do I have to use espresso roast?

No! If you don’t like such a strong coffee flavor, you can use lighter roasts. However, it won’t be as much like a latte that you’d find in a coffee shop, but if it fits your personal preferences better, it’s the perfect coffee drink for you!

Can I top it with sweetened cold foam?

That would be a great thing to add to this cold brew latte! Cold foam is a popular choice for topping lattes. I usually use a milk frother to combine 1T. of sweetener and 2T. of heavy cream to create a thick, creamy cold foam for topping my cold brew latte!

So that’s it! In the hot days of summer, I know you’ll love this cold brew latte just as much as I do! Keep a big batch in your fridge for when you just need to make your own cold brew coffee latte at home!

Printable recipe card below:

Cold Brew Latte

No espresso machine? No problem! Try this cold brew latte and you won't be able to tell the difference!

Print

Ingredients

• 6 oz finely ground espresso beans
• 1/2 gallon filtered water

Instructions

1. In a 1/2 gallon container (I use a mason jar), combine the 6oz finely ground espresso beans and 1/2 gallon of filtered water.
2. Stir well and allow it to sit on the counter at room temperature for about 24 hours.
3. Strain the mixture through a few layers of thick cheesecloth.
4. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
5. Combine 1/2c espresso cold brew concentrate with ice, 1c milk and syrup of your choice for a delicious iced latte!

The post How to Make an Easy Homemade Cold Brew Latte appeared first on Little Reasons.

While sweet scones are the classic scone you’ll often see, I love the savory flavor of these buttermilk cheese scones. A little unexpected and oh, so delicious!  

I make these a healthy addition to our meals by swapping out white flour for freshly milled soft white wheat. Because wheat berries contain 40 of the 44 nutrients that our bodies need, when you mill wheat and then immediately use it, the nutrients are locked in and available for your body to use!

White flour has the super healthy bran and germ removed to make light and fluffy baked goods and to make the flour shelf stable. Unfortunately, this bran and germ is where all the nutrition lies. So to make these savory scones a nutritionally dense addition to your meals, consider using freshly milled soft white wheat. However, these fluffy cheese scones will also work beautifully and create an amazing flaky texture if you’d like to use traditional all purpose flour!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Ingredients for Buttermilk Cheese Scones

My top tip for this basic buttermilk scones recipe is to use very cold ingredients. You don’t want to use anything room temperature, or it won’t perform the same way. A good scone is always made with super cold ingredients to make sure it’s as flaky and layered as possible.

Cold Buttermilk

I prefer to use cultured cold buttermilk for the best scones, but you could just as easily use a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of the measuring cup and then use whole milk.

Cheese

You can use any kind of cheese in this scones.  My favorite is strong mature cheddar cheese and a bit of chopped chives or green onions, but you could use anything! However, when you use a sharp cheddar cheese, the flavor is a bit more pronounced. So go to town with garlic powder/cheddar/parsley, smoked gouda and apple, bacon bits and brie, gorgonzola and fig… really any grated cheese and fresh herbs and additions would give you delicious fluffy cheese scones! 

Flour

You can use any all purpose flour.  I’d stay away from bread flour since you don’t want a flour with a super high protein content.  I tend to use freshly milled flour.  In this recipe, I used freshly milled soft white wheat berries so it makes it a tiny bit denser, but it’s still light and amazing. If you use plain flour, you will get a fluffier texture.

Baking Powder

I use double acting baking powder to give them a great rise.

Salt

I prefer to use Himalayan sea salt or Redmond Real Salt since they are both full of minerals, but any salt will work!

Cold Unsalted Butter

Make sure to use nice cold unsalted butter for this recipe to give you the absolute best cheese scones. You can also freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. If you don’t have unsalted butter, just omit the salt in the recipe. If you use room temperature butter, it won’t give you the flakey layers you’re looking for. See those flakey layers in the photo below?! Soooo good!

Soft. Light. Fluffy. You’re going to love this easy recipe for the most delicious savoury scones!

How to Make Flaky Buttermilk Cheese Scones

1. Set the Oven Temperature to 400 degrees to preheat it. (If you are using fresh milled flour, I tend to make them first, then let them absorb the moisture while I preheat the oven after they are made).

2. Make a Shaggy Dough for your buttermilk cheese scones

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt. Because I use fresh milled soft wheat berries for my scones, the flour right from the mill is warm. So, I make sure to throw the freshly milled flour into the freezer to get it good and chilled. You want all cold ingredients in order to make sure the scone dough is nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.

Cut the cold unsalted butter into small cubes and add it into the dry mixture in the large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter to break the butter up into small pieces about the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I’ve never done that, but I heard it works well.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Mix the cold buttermilk and egg and whisk together. Add to the flour mixture, along with the grated cheese, and mix with a wooden spoon until it is just mixed. This should be a soft dough. Don’t over mix or you will have tough scones.

3. Cut the Scones on a Lightly Floured Work Surface

Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren’t sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it’s easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times – it gives you pockets of air to create a light airy scone with flaky layers.

Gently shape the scone dough into a circle about 1″ thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.

4. Prepare the Lined Baking Sheet and Bake your buttermilk cheese scones

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the buttermilk cheese scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Brush the top of each buttermilk cheese scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk. You can also add a bit of flakey salt or parmesan cheese on top of the scones. This salt makes them SO delicious!

At this point, you can pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes to make sure they are super cold before heading into the oven. This also allows them to keep their shape. You can also bake them right away, but I do find when I do this, they tend to spread more. However, if you’re short on time, absolutely bake immediately!

Bake them in the 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the scones are golden brown.

Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

***note for freshly milled flour: If using freshly milled flour, it is very important to fully hydrate the grains, which takes at least 15 minutes. Because of that, I usually preheat the oven after I’ve made the scones. I pop the buttermilk cheese scones into the freezer while the oven is preheating, allowing the mixture time to hydrate while the oven preheats. This time in the freezer also assures that the ingredients are nice and cold before going into the oven.

FAQs

Can I make these buttermilk cheese scones without cheese?

Sure! They are still yummy and flakey and are very similar to American biscuits. They will still be a crowd pleaser for sure!

Can I bake these buttermilk cheese scones in an air fryer?

Yes! Place the small scones on parchment in the basket and reduce the baking time slightly. Keep an eye on them since air fryers vary.

Can I make these in advance?

The best way to make these in advance is to complete them to the point when you are ready to bake. At that time, freeze them. Once they are individually frozen, place them into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake them, put them into a preheated oven and bake as normal, adding a bit of time to account for them being frozen.

You can also store them in the refrigerator unbaked for up to 2 days and then bake straight from the fridge.

Can these be sweet scones instead?

Absolutely! You can omit the sharp cheddar cheese and replace it with a cup of chocolate chips to make a sweet scone. I do tend to make small scones when I make these sweet. You can divide the soft dough in half and make 16 small scones instead of the larger savory scones. Also, sprinkle the top with raw sugar instead of flakey salt for the perfect scones with a crunchy top.

(Easy cheese scone recipe card below)

Buttermilk Cheese Scones

Yield: 8 scones

These fluffy and delicious scones will be an instant hit for breakfast, brunch, or alongside a bowl of soup for dinner!

Print

Ingredients

• 360g. (3c) freshly milled soft white wheat flour
• 135g. (1 1/2c) aged cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4c. cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2g. (1/4t) salt
• 20g. (4 1/2t) baking powder
• 1c buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Set the Oven Temperature to 400 degrees to preheat it.
2. Make a Shaggy Dough
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt. Because I use fresh milled soft wheat berries for my scones, the flour right from the mill is warm. So, I make sure to throw the freshly milled flour into the freezer to get it good and chilled. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the buttermilk cheese scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.
Cut the cold unsalted butter into cubes and add it into the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter to break the butter up into small pieces about the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I've never done that, but I heard it works well.
In a separate small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Mix the cold buttermilk and egg and whisk together. Add to the flour mixture, along with the grated cheese, and mix with a wooden spoon until it is just mixed. Don't over mix or you will have tough scones.
3. Cut the Scones on a Lightly Floured Work Surface
Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren't sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it's easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.
Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1" thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.
4. Prepare the Lined Baking Sheet and Bake
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the buttermilk cheese scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Put scones in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to get them good and chilled.
Brush the top of each buttermilk cheese scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk. You can also add a bit of flakey salt or parmesan cheese on top of the scones. This salt makes them SO delicious!
Bake them in the 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes until the scones are golden brown.
Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

The post How to Make Buttermilk Cheese Scones with Cheddar appeared first on Little Reasons.