Sourdough Biscuits
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Use up your “discarded” starter in these EPIC biscuits! With that sourdough tang, these biscuits are so flaky, so buttery + so so good.
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reasons to make sourdough biscuits
- Easy, simple recipe for beginners and home bakers
- Moist and tender on the inside
- Crispy and flaky on the outside
- Has just the right amount of tang
- Great way to use up extra sourdough starter
- Perfect for breakfast, sandwiches or a side dish for stews and soups
what is sourdough discard
Sourdough discard is the excess portion of the sourdough starter that is being removed and thrown away before feeding the starter. Sourdough starter is the active portion, combining flour and water, and allowing it to ferment. The starter is fed regularly to keep it healthy and is used to make sourdough bread.
sourdough starter or discard, which to use
Discard! Just starting your sourdough journey, feeding it regularly and not knowing what to do with all the excess starter? No need to throw it in the trash. It’s time to make sourdough biscuits, perfect for breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon or go purist-style and split them open, serving with butter, fruit jam or honey.
tips and tricks for success
- Start with frozen butter. Using frozen butter is ideal, contributing to a better rise and flakier biscuits. If using warm butter, it will melt too quickly during mixing. We want the butter to melt in the oven for those super flaky layers.
- Use buttermilk. While adding a slightly tangy flavor, buttermilk is a key ingredient here contributing to the flavor, texture and rise. Using milk will lead to more neutral flavors along with flat and dense biscuits. You can also make a buttermilk substitute using milk, adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
- Avoid overworking the dough. Knead the dough just until it comes together. Overworking the dough can lead to dense, dry biscuits.
- Use a floured biscuit cutter. Flouring the biscuit cutter beforehand will prevent sticking. Avoid twisting the cutter as the biscuits may slope and rise unevenly.
- Freeze before baking. Although biscuits can be frozen before or after baking, freezing before baking is preferred to preserve texture and for optimal freshness.
FREEZING AND STORAGE
Storage
Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
Freeze before baking
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the biscuits to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 weeks. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
Freeze after baking
Let the biscuits cool completely. Transfer the biscuits to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 weeks. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
what to serve with sourdough biscuits
Sourdough Biscuits: Frequently Asked Questions
Sourdough discard can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for 7-10 days. Although discard can be kept indefinitely (as long as there is no mold), it will become more acidic and sour over time.
A quick and easy buttermilk substitute is creating your own buttermilk with whole milk and something acidic such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
You can add 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 1 cup milk, letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
A sharp knife should do the trick using a downward motion. Using a dull rim, such as a glass or mason jar, can prevent the biscuits from rising.
Yes! Biscuits are very freezer-friendly, flash freezing once assembled (before baking) and storing in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Sourdough Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- ½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- Grate butter using the large holes of a box grater. Stir into the flour mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sourdough starter and buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 2-3 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Cut out 8-10 rounds using a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter.
- Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve warm.
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Can you freeze the dough for single use?
Delicious
I just made these, and they turned out fabulous!
These are seriously the best biscuits I have ever made! I did swap out half of the butter and the buttermilk for plain nonfat greek yogurt (we have a family member who has a medical condition that necessitates lower fat intake). It worked out really well though, and these were beautifully fluffy and flaky…the perfect texture! Usually I get a dense biscuit when I swap out the fat, but these were not at all. Thank you!
Does this use discard or active starter? I wanted to use active, should I use less baking powder and baking soda if I do?
Lacy, I make this with discard, and sometimes with half discard and half active, and sometimes I have to make more starter to make the full cup (I used weights and use 227 grams per King Arthur Flour for a cup of sourdough starter). I use the full amount of baking powder/soda and they always come out great.
Phenomenal recipe. Just made them today. Only thing I’d extra benefit I’d recommend is cut the shaggy dough into 3rds and layer them on top of each other to laminate and add a taller fluffy biscuit. The layering makes a massive difference. Still this was super good. Current favorite use for our discard.
these are so perfect and easy to whip together
These are the best biscuits I’ve ever had. And I live in the south, so that’s saying something.
Best biscuits I’ve ever made! I had all the ingredients, love anything with sourdough
These are tasty! Our convection oven cooks a little hot so we did the 450 for 12 minutes. Nice and golden brown. They’re flaky and rose just a bit using discard but the baking powder helps with leavening too. I think high temp helps it cook quicker without melting the buttery flakiness. A lower temp might help it rise more though?
We will make these again. I don’t make many biscuit recipes— but so far this is a winner for flaky, butter biscuits.
Great recipe but 450 was very high for me. If an oven is working properly 425 is probably as high as you want to go. I did 450 and at 14 mins they were almost black on top.
These were amazing!
Best Biscuits I’ve ever made. I did not have buttermilk so I used whole milk. They also keep well.
I like grating the frozen butter but even though I didn’t over work the dough they came out a bit tough
I have made this biscuts 3 times my whole family loves them. One of the concerns are how many carbs and calories there are on one biscut.
So light and delicious, even cold
These are the best biscuits I have ever had. Thank you for the recipe. I think I may give these a go with suet instead of butter just to see how that turns out.
I made a double batch for biscuits and gravy for Friday night breakfast for dinner. They were absolutely demolished and not a single biscuit was left.
These are the best! Will these work if I make a batch and leave in freezer to bake the next morning?
These are amazing. My family absolutely loves them.
One question: Is there a nutrition information anywhere on here? I can’t seem to find it.
Absolutely amazing recipe! I loved these so much and could not stop eating them.
So are these made with discarded sourdough or not? One place says discard yet the recipe says active sourdough starter. I am wanting to try these, but not sure since there seems to be a contradiction with discard vs active. HELP, please!