Sourdough Vanilla Cashew Scones - May Secret Recipe Club

Yesterday, I went to charity 5K on the mall.  As I'm crossing the field to get to my group, I go down.  Left (good? not bionic at least) ankle and left knee rolled, awesome.  So by the end of the day (after still doing the walk because I'm a glutton for punishment) I end up walking like a penguin.  So, I'm back in my kitchen cooking on crutches.

Luckily, I planned ahead this week for secret recipe club.  I was assigned Shelley from C Mom Cook, who actually had me last month!  I was inspired by her baking audacity, with her daring challenges and sourdough surprises.  From pasta to pancakes to babka, Shelley has so many interesting ways to incorporate her sourdough starter.  

My starter is a little baby starter, only a few days old, so I supplemented the first feeding with yeast to ensure I would have a good starter by the time I had to bake.  I used whole wheat flour at Shelley's suggestion and kept it on my counter for the first week, covered with a dish towel.  I originally wanted to take one of her morning bun recipes and make it with the sourdough starter but the double ankle injuries meant I needed something fast and easy.  So, I settled on her sourdough scones.

And boy was in quick and easy!  A little bit of flour, very cold butter, and a lot of vanilla mixed in with the sourdough starter came together in the ten minutes it took to preheat my oven.  I used roasted unsalted cashews instead of dried cranberries and made a quick biscoff glaze to drizzle over the still warm scones.  I can't wait to work through the rest of her sourdough recipes because this was definitely a winner!

Sourdough Vanilla Cashew Scones

Adapted from C Mom Cook Sourdough Scones

Sourdough Starter (made at least 3-5 days in advance)

2 cups of flour (whole wheat)

2 cups of warm water.

1 packet of active-dry yeast

In a plastic or glass container that is about 4 times the volume of the original, mix the packet of yeast with the warm water.  Let sit for about 5 minutes and add the flour.  Stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate.  Cover with a cloth and secure.  

Leave at room temperature for 2-5 days, stirring daily, until there is consistent bubbling.  Then it is time to feed the starter.  To feed your starter, remove about 1 cup of the starter and then add equal parts water and flour to replace the volume.

Scones

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons very cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup sourdough starter

1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, divided

1/2 cup roasted and unsalted cashews

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon biscoff spread

coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Begin by combining the dry ingredients.  Mix in the cold butter with your fingers quickly until just incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine the sourdough starter and the vanilla.  Add to the dry ingredients with the cashews and stir until just combined.  If needed, add milk a tablespoon at a time to get the dough to come together (I needed 2)

Cut into 8 equal sized pieces (I used triangles) and lay out evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet.  In a bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and then brush over the scones.  Top with the coarse sugar and then bake for 15 minutes at 400 F, until the scones are golden brown.

You will have about a tablespoon left of the vanilla milk.  I added the milk to the biscoff spread and drizzled over the still-warm scone.  Enjoy!