Saskatoon Berry Lemon Scones (My Perfect Morning)
These Saskatoon Berry Scones with Lemon are absolutely divine during berry season.
My perfect weekend morning starts a little something like this – coffee, family and a delicious bite for breakfast.
That’s where these scones come in – I love to pair these scones with a cup of coffee for Sunday brunch!
Fresh baked bakery-style blueberry muffins are one of my favourite Sunday brunch recipes to make ahead of time. However, during Saskatoon berry season these Saskatoon Berry Scones take first place!
They’re tender, fluffy and studded with juicy Saskatoon berries and have a hint of lemon. Serve with butter for the most divine lemony saskatoon berry scones bite.
Why you’ll love these Saskatoon Berry Scones
- The scone dough comes together all in one bowl!
- These delectable scones are one of the best ways to enjoy Saskatoon season.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment to make these scones; no food processor required.
What are saskatoon berries?
Saskatoon berries are native to the Canadian Prairie provinces, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia and the northwest and central USA. They’re different than juicy blueberries as they’re smaller and have a sweet and nutty flavour. I first discovered them at a farmer’s market when I moved to the Canadian Prairies and they’ve been one of my favourite berries ever since! You can find them at farmer’s markets during the Summer season and during the cooler months, they’re sometimes sold in the frozen section of the grocery store. When I find them during the Summer I purchase a ton and freeze them myself too!
Ingredients needed for these saskatoon berry scones
Saskatoon berries: Saskatoon berries are the key to these scones!
Milk: I like to use 2% milk (or whole milk) in this recipe for both the dough and brushing on the tops of the scones; I have not tested this with other percentages of milk
Flour: all purpose flour is the base for this scone recipe
Sugar: a must to provide some sweetness to the dough
Baking powder: baking powder gives these scones lots of lift
Lemon: lemon zest is a must in these scones to add flavour; you’ll need 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest which is about 1 large lemon
Butter: you’ll need 1/2 cup of butter for this scone recipe
How to make these Saskatoon berry scones
Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 375F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a bowl whisk flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and until combined. Then, whisk in the lemon zest.
Step 3: Cut the cold butter into cubes, add to the flour mixture and then using your fingers combine the butter into the flour mixture until you get small pieces of butter left *You can also use a pastry cutter if desired instead of your hands.* Add in the berries to the flour mixture and stir gently.
Step 4: Stir in 1 ¼ cup of milk until the dough just comes together. If you notice the dough is still a bit dry / there is flour remaining, add in an extra ¼ cup of milk and stir once more to bring dough together.
Step 5: Take the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead gently, fold dough about 2-3 times and then shape the dough into a circular or rectangular disc.
Step 6: Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 triangle shaped scones and put each scone onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of milk and sprinkle a little bit of coarse sugar on top of each. Bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes until golden on top.
Step 7: Enjoy warm! Or, let the scones fully cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Expert tips for making these Saskatoon berry lemon scones
- For the best scones, make sure you use cold butter (not room temperature) to ensure you get a flaky scone once baked.
- Use 2% or whole milk to ensure the best-tasting scone! Lower percentages of milk or non-dairy milks will result in a tougher, less flavourful scone once baked.
- To save time, you can grate the cold butter on the large side of a cheese grater right into the dry ingredients. Then, use your hands to combine the butter into the dough, until you only have small pieces of butter left.
Common questions
What if I can’t find Saskatoon berries?
A great substitute if you can’t find Saskatoon berries are wild or regular fresh blueberries.
Can I use frozen Saskatoon berries?
You sure can! I’ve tested this recipe with both fresh and frozen Saskatoon berries and they both work well.
Why do you separate the scones on the baking sheet?
While some scone recipes you’ll find have the scones bake close together on the cookie sheet, this scone recipe bakes better when the Saskatoon berry scones are separated on the baking sheet when baking.
How to store
Enjoy the scones fresh out of the oven. Or, let the scones fully cool before storing them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Warm scones in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds if desired.
More delicious baked goods from the blog
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins with Streusel Topping
Apple Pie Breakfast Cookies (Gluten Free Option!)
Saskatoon Berry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (from about half a lemon)
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup Saskatoon berries (you can substitute blueberries)
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups 2% milk
- 1/4 cup milk for brushing
- optional: coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and whisk combine. Then, whisk in the lemon zest.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes, add to the flour mixture and then use your fingers to combine the butter into the flour mixture until you get small pieces of butter left. Add the Saskatoon berries to the flour mixture and stir gently.
- Stir in 1 ¼ cup of milk until the dough just comes together. If you notice the dough is still a bit dry / there is flour remaining, add in 1 tbsp of milk at a time, up to ¼ cup of milk total (4 tbsp) and stir once more to bring dough together.
- Take the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead gently, turning over about 2-3 times and then shape the dough into a circular or rectangular disc.
- Cut the dough into 8 triangles and put each scone onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of milk, top each with a sprinkle of coarse sugar (optional) and then bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes until golden on top.
Notes
- For the best scones, make sure you use cold butter (not room temperature) to ensure you get a flaky scone once baked.
- Use 2% or whole milk to ensure the best-tasting scone! Lower percentages of milk or non-dairy milks will result in a tougher, less flavourful scone once baked.
- To save time, you can grate the cold butter on the large side of a cheese grater right into the dry ingredients. Then, use your hands to combine the butter into the dough, until you only have small pieces of butter left.
- What if I can't find Saskatoon berries? A great substitute if you can't find Saskatoon berries are wild or regular fresh blueberries.
- Can I use frozen Saskatoon berries? You sure can! I've tested this recipe with both fresh and frozen Saskatoon berries and they both work well.
so good first time ever making scones and they were perfect thanks for the recipe
I’m so happy to hear this! This being the first scones you’ve made, I’m so glad to hear they were just perfect 🙂 Thanks for stopping by the blog!
perfect amount of ingredients to make a delicious scone.!!
I’m so happy to hear this! This is by far my favourite scone recipe so I’m just delighted you enjoyed it 🙂
These are wonderful! Thank you for posting it! I have never made scones before, which is strange because I bake almost every day for my family. I think we will be making scones regularly now!
Yayyyy, this is so wonderful to hear! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and your first scones worked out so well!
This was my first time making scones and it turned out perfectly.
AHHHH Keri that’s so wonderful to hear! So glad this recipe made your first time making scones a success!
This is awesome! Those scones look amazing and I’ll definitely be sure to try the Paradise Mountain coffee!
Thank you Terralynn! The scones and coffee were definitely the perfect morning combination 🙂