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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Delicious! Best biscuit recipe I have ever made. Flaky, buttery, tangy deliciousness. Thank you for the recipe.
Has anyone tried to make this dough the day before, cut into shapes and put it in the fridge and then bake the next morning? Thank you!
Delicious! Used metric weights for accuracy and folded the dough a few turns after patting it out twice for extra layers. These would make excellent breakfast sandwiches as they are sturdy yet tender.
I made these without dairy and I can say that they were so good, my husband can’t stop talking about them. He’s right!
My coconut, cheese, dairy free life is a pain but unavoidable. I used almond milk, a little more sour dough and upped the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon. I did brush the tops with butter (a rebellious act) as they cooled. We were so impressed!
Thank you!
Is it ok to replace butter with lard and buttermilk with almond milk? My husband has a dairy allergy
I think people used lard in the old days DLL the time for baking and I saw where someone else used almond milk. Id try it.
So simple and yet so amazing! Pure amateur baker here – but took me the third time to realize how critical sifting the flour is. If you don’t sift you’ll have too much in the recipe. Also fully frozen butter is mandatory.
If you get the baking bug, you will want a digital scale. Cheap, accurate and not guesswork.
This is such a good recipe! I’m always skeptical of recipes on websites but I trusted the other reviews here and I’m so glad! I’ve tried other sourdough discard biscuit recipes, including the King Arthur flour one, and this was the best by far! Thank you for posting!
Though I don’t understand how a site that posts baking recipes dosnt’t include weights in the measurements (can’t be s serious baker) BUT I gave it a try anyways. I was close to passing it by just for that fact. And guess what? They were dam delicious..dare I say the BEST sourdough biscuit recipe I’ve tried (and that’s a lot of recipes cause I’m obsessed with biscuits). So I stand corrected. This recipe is perfect as is. Just make them.
Not only the best biscuits I’ve ever made, but the best biscuits I’ve ever had! Perfect recipe
I never write reviews. These were perfect.
Amazing! And I made them Gluten-Free. I used 1 cup tapioca flour, 1/4 c potato starch, 1/4 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup brown rice flour. I also slightly reduced the baking soda. My sourdough is also GF of course. My husband requests these all the time now! I also put it in the top third of the oven so that the tops would be brown.
Forgot to mention that I add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum to dry flour mix, and usually add more buttermilk. Just made them again this morning!
Abby thanks for your gf option. I tried it today. Delicious! I subbed psyllium husk for xanthem gum like always.
So it really isn’t the same. You made your OWN recipe! Glad it came out good. 🙂
Absolutely FANTASTIC!
Will never use another biscuit recipe again.
Delicious!
Made these twice already and having a hard time sharing! They are flaky and buttery and perfect with honey right out of the oven
These are very tasty and a great way to use up starter! Made them for a luxury breakfast of biscuits and gravy. They really worked well.
do you think I could sub kefir for buttermilk?
Yes! I did and it turned out fantastic!
Outstanding! Just delicious! I am a fan of Damn Delicious recipes. Everyone of them that I have tried has been delicious!
super easy, came out perfect! (I used active starter)
Delicious, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. New family favourite
Is the it supposed to be discard or active starter. Also is a 1 to 1 starter because use a dough like starter that is 60% hyrdration
Discard is meant to be unfed.