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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Yep…awesome. Easy recipe, delicious result. Dare I say these biscuits are so good they you can skip the country gravy?
I just made these and they were excellent. I used cold discard that I had been accumulating in the fridge for a few days. They had a nice rise and we’re so flaky and delicious. Definitely my new favorite biscuit recipe!
Finally! I’ve made maybe six recipes using sourdough discard over the past year and this is the one that came out perfectly. Bookmarked, never making another one. I doubled the recipe and cut up the whole dough brick into 15 biscuits, perfect size.
This is a great recipe, a wonderful way to use sourdough “discard,” a term I had not heard before although I’ve been making bread for 40+ years with a starter that’s a lot t older than that. Question: Ina Garten makes her cheddar biscuits, puts them in the fridge overnight, then bakes. Had anyone tried that with these biscuits? Wondering whether the sourdough would keep “working” overnight and make monster biscuits. I could experiment, and I will, but thought I’d ask first.
Mary Jo, I cannot answer your question but wondered the same thing. Thought maybe you had tried it and could answer it now? Thanks if you can!
My sourdough biscuits usually turn out like hockey pucks! This recipe is amazing. So light and tender with the sourdough flavor. A great combination of old fashion Baking Powder Biscuits with a sourdough flavor. THANK YOU for saving my love for biscuits.
Question: Wondering if these can be fermented for longer either are at room temperature or in the fridge. Look forward to making these soon!
question – you say to use discard but then the recipe calls for active starter. Should the started be fed or unfed?
Wondering about this too, discard or active?
I used active and they were great
So flaky and fabulous. My old change was I just cut into 8 rectangles so I didn’t waste anything cutting circles. My husband says I can stop trying biscuit recipes.
Just found this recipe after searching for a sourdough biscuit recipe. I had intended to make bread but got too late a start so was looking for something quick. These biscuits are AMAZING! My husband grabbed another before heading to bed and again commented how good they were. I hadn’t been very good at feeding my starter but that might change now that I have this recipe. These may become my go-to sourdough discard recipe. Thank You!
These are amazing! The second batch I added dome shredded cheese and garlic. Better than Red Lobster! Thanks so much.
I have not baked yet but about to. I used a small container of plain yogurt and a little milk for butermilk and I am so excited they look great the making of starter was so worth it. Ready to try a loaf of bread soon also.
Been making another recipe for months and was looking for one with less butter and more flour. This is it! My last recipe was 1c fl, 1/2 c butter, 2tsp baking powder, 2tsp sugar and 3/4 tsp salt with 1 cup starter. Your recipe is 10x better! Best biscuits I ever made!
Easy to make and now I have a biscuit recipe that can be done quickly the last minute. Since there was not buttermilk in the refrigerator I used half and half. I also used a blend of ground white wheat berries, bread flour and all-purpose. So, those changes likely affected my results. Still, these were easy to mix, cut, and bake. And, I stirred softened butter with honey to put on them at dinner – could have made a meal of that. Texture was a bit dense but likely that was due to my recipe substitutions. Looking forward to trying again. My baking time was on the low end of the range and they were starting to get a bit overcooked on the bottom. All in all, these were very good.
These are delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Can you make the dough in advance, store it and bake later?
I am 61 years old and these are hands down the best biscuits I have ever made!. Bravo!
These were fabulous. I gave up trying to make homemade biscuits years ago because I just didn’t think my biscuits were as good as pillsbury southern biscuits 🙂 UNTIL NOW!!! I am SO happy that I can make biscuits and be so thrilled to serve them to people. Fantastic recipe!!
Okay, I am not one to fix something if it ain’t broke…and my family wouldn’t let me anyways…but I may have a new favourite biscuit recipe. Was sitting here this morning knowing I had to feed my starter but didn’t want to make anything that would take all day. Check this out. Amazing!!!
Loved this recipe. Biscuits were tender with the little crunch on the outside. Grating frozen butter is a pain but worth it. I used sourdough discard that I had saved in refrigerator for several days.
Deb, you can grate the cheese straight out of the refrigerator, and then, place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to freeze.
This is the best and most successful biscuit recipe I have tried. I prefer a saltier taste, so I used salted butter. Delicious.