Name: The Best Chocolate Chip Scones With Fresh Milled Flour
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 cups fresh milled soft white flour; 1/3 cup real cane sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp baking powder; 1/2 cup cold butter (one stick); 1 cup dark chocolate chips; 1/2 cup sourdough discard; 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (or half & half); 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream (for drizzling before baking); 2 tbsp cane sugar (for sprinkling on top, optional)

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These fresh milled chocolate chip scones are soft, light, and packed with melty chocolate chips in every bite. Made with fresh milled flour and sourdough discard, they’re an easy homemade treat that’s the perfect pairing to a cup of coffee. You’re going to love this lightly sweetened whole grain treat!

Close up of fresh milled chocolate chip scones on a cooling rack

Hungry for more fresh milled treats? Try one of these recipes next:

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Reasons to Love These Fresh Milled Chocolate Chip Scones

Soft Texture: These scones have a tender crumb without being overly dry or crumbly.
Plenty of chocolate chips: Every bite has plenty of chocolate, making them feel more like a special treat than a boring breakfast or snack.
Made with fresh milled flour: Freshly milled flour adds a subtle nuttiness and depth of flavor that works really well with chocolate. Fresh milled flour has a ton of great health benefits!
A great use for sourdough discard: If you have discard hanging out in your fridge, this is an easy and delicious way to use it.
A simple recipe: No complicated techniques or special equipment needed. for this easy recipe! You don’t need to plan ahead, you can enjoy fresh whole wheat scones in about 30 minutes start to finish.
Not overly sweet: They’re sweet enough to feel like a treat without overdoing it. These scones are lightly sweetened with real cane sugar.
Great for any time of day. Enjoy this delicious treat alongside breakfast, with your afternoon coffee, or as a simple homemade dessert.

Fresh milled chocolate chip scones on a blue plate and cooling rack

Why Bake Scones with Fresh Milled Flour?

The primary reason that I bake with fresh milled flour is for the health benefits, but I also have found that using fresh flour is quite tasty. It adds a delicious depth of flavor that store-bought flour can’t compete with! Did you know, that when wheat berries are milled into flour, they start to lose their nutrition rapidly? After just 24 hours, up to 45% of the nutrients have been lost, and after 72 hours nearly 90% are gone! Baking with flour right after it’s been milled is the best way to ensure that all the vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients found naturally in wheat berries make it into your food.

Im of the personal opinion that the fresh flour in this recipe goes extremely well with the lightly sweetened scones, and lots of chocolate.

I love using freshly milled flour in scones because you maintain the nutrients found in the whole grain while still ending up with a tender, delicious pastry. The key is finding the right balance of flour and moisture so your scones stay soft instead of becoming heavy or dry.

There’s also something really rewarding about milling your own flour. It just feels right to start with whole wheat berries, mill them right before you bake, and turning them into something as delicious as a warm scone. If you’re already milling your own flour, this recipe is an easy and delicious way to use it!

Ingredients in Fresh Milled Chocolate Chip Scones

Quality ingredients really make a difference in baking. Here’s what I used to make these easy, delicious patries:

Freshly milled soft white wheat: For the best nutrition of your flour, mill the flour right before baking! A soft wheat works the best for this recipe, it makes for really tender scones!

Real cane sugar: These scones have just 1/3 cup of sugar, making them just lightly sweetened but still really delicious.

Unrefined salt: I love redmonds real salt in all of my recipes.

Butter – I prefer salted butter in my home, so that’s what I use in everything. I love grass-fed kerrygold butter.

Dark chocolate chips – i’ve been loving buying chocolate chips from azure standard in bulk. They are sweetened with coconut sugar.

Sourdough discard (or active sourdough starter works good also). For reference, sourdough discard is sourdough starter prior to feeding it.

Heavy cream – You can also use half and half or milk, but cream makes the scones have such a great texture!

Vanilla extract – real vanilla extract will result in the best flavor.

Eggs

Baking powder

Other Supplies You Will Need

Grain mill – a necessity for fresh flour! I have really loved my mockmill 100.
Large bowl & smaller bowl
Fork or pastry cutter
Cookie sheet or baking sheet
Parchment paper
Bench scraper or sharp knife
Measuring cups and spoons
Small saucepan
Whisk

Vertical image of a fresh milled chocolate chip scone.

How To Make Simple Fresh Milled Chocolate Chip Scones

Step 1: Mill your soft white wheat berries, and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Step 3: Slice the butter into large chunks and add it to the dry ingredients. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is in pea-size and fully incorporated. Alternatively, you can use a cheese grater and grate the cold butter into the flour.

Bowl of fresh milled flower with chunks of butter inside

Step 4: Add the chocolate chips and gently mix to combine. Set aside.

Step 5: In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Mix together the egg, vanilla, sourdough discard, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Whisk together until mostly smooth.

Step 6: Gently add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients until just combined. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of cream until the dough just comes together. Try not to overmix.

Step 7: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Step 8: Using your hands, gently press the dough out into a large circle, about 8 inches in diameter.

Hands pressing a large ball of sourdough scone dough onto a cuttting board

Step 9: Use a bench scraper, or a sharp knife to slice the scones just like a pizza into eight equal wedges.

Top view of scones cut into wedges on a cutting board.

Step 10: Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, giving them enough space in-between so that they can cook evenly. At least 2 inches apart is good.

Step 11: Place the scones in the freezer for about 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425.

Step 12: Once the oven is preheated, remove the scones from the freezer and brush them with a little more heavy cream. Sprinkle with a little bit more cane sugar. This is an optional step!

Step 13: Move the scones to the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. The scones are done when they are just turning golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 14: Allow the scones to cool slightly, and enjoy warm!

small hand reaching for a chocolate chip scone.

Tips for Making Perfect Fresh Milled Scones

Scones don’t have to be complicated, but a few simple tricks will help you get that tender, soft texture instead of a dry or tough scone.

Keep the Butter Cold

Cold butter is one of the keys to tender, flaky scones. When the cold butter hits the heat of the oven, it creates little pockets of steam that help give the scones their texture. I like to work the butter into the flour fairly quickly so it doesn’t have a chance to warm up too much. Freezing the scones for 10 minutes prior to baking also helps.

Don’t Overwork the Dough

Once you add the wet ingredients, mix just until the dough comes together. It’s okay if there are still a few rough spots. Overmixing develops more gluten, which can leave you with tough, dense scones instead of soft and tender ones.

Don’t Add Too Much Flour

This is especially important when baking with fresh milled flour. It can be tempting to keep adding flour when the dough feels a little sticky, but try to resist! A slightly tacky dough will give you a much more tender scone than a dry, heavily floured dough.

When you turn the dough out to shape it into a circle, use a little flour to keep it from sticking.

Give the Dough a Gentle Touch

Scones aren’t like bread—you don’t need to knead them. Gently bring the dough together, pat it into shape, and cut your scones. The less you handle the dough, the more tender your finished scones will be.

Chill Before Baking

If your butter has softened while you’re working with the dough, a quick chill can make a big difference. Once you’ve shaped your scones, place them in the freezer for a few minutes before baking. This helps the butter firm back up and keeps the scones from spreading too much in the oven.

Don’t Overbake

Scones can go from perfectly tender to dry surprisingly quickly. Keep an eye on them toward the end of the baking time. You want the edges and tops to be lightly golden, while the centers should still be soft.

Sourdough Discard in Scones

These chocolate chip sourdough scones are a great use for sourdough discard! Sourdough can be either fed, or discard for this recipe. Either will work just fine. It can also come straight from the fridge, if that’s where you keep your sourdough discard.

How To Store Fresh Milled Chocolate Chip Scones

Cool the leftover scones completely and store them in an airtight container. At room temperature they will stay fresh for a few days, but move them to the fridge if you want to keep them longer. You can also freeze scones for up to three months.

For your next scone recipe, you have to try these fresh milled pumpkin scones!

Fresh milled chocolate chip scones on two colorful plates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All-purpose flour can be substituted, although the texture and flavor will be a little different from scones made with freshly milled flour. You will also want to reduce the flour by about 1/2 cup for best results.

Soft white wheat is my preferred flour for scones because of its mild flavor and lower protein content. You can also experiment with other soft grains like spelt, or kamut.

Either works great!

Yes, but you’ll need to replace the discard with another ingredient to maintain the proper moisture and acidity in the dough.

The most common reason for dry scones is adding too much flour or baking them too long. With fresh milled flour, avoid adding extra flour. It’s supposed to be a little wet.

Absolutely! Milk chocolate, semi-sweet, dark chocolate, or mini chocolate chips can all work. You could even use chopped chocolate for bigger chunks.

Yes! Baked scones can be frozen once completely cooled. You can also freeze the shaped, unbaked scones and bake them when you’re ready for fresh scones. If you are baking frozen scones, you will need to add some bake time.

Store them in an airtight container once they’re cooled, and avoid overbaking them. Gently warming leftover scones before serving can also help bring back some of that fresh-baked texture.