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.
With the recent pandemic, everyone started baking bread, particularly sourdough – hence the yeast shortage (right behind toilet paper and Purell, of course).
I, myself, tried my hand at sourdough. I was not successful. Hence my weekly no knead bread baking.
But I did have a ton of discarded sourdough. So I made some pancakes. Which were of course, amazing. And then I made some biscuits. And it was legit NEXT LEVEL EPIC.
The added sourdough tang knocks these biscuits right out of the park. Not to mention, the ultra flaky, light and fluffiness these biscuits encompass.
Just be sure to serve them super warm with all the melted butter. And this works as an appetizer, snack or dinner.
I prefer to have them for dinner though.
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 active sourdough starter
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi! Can I mix up the dough, cut them and then put in fridge overnight to bake the next AM? Thanks!
Absolutely delicious!!! I didn’t have buttermilk so I just used regular milk and they were still so good!!
Easy to put together, and they came out SO good! Fluffy, flakey, buttery, crispy bottoms… perfection. The only change I made was that I cut my biscuits into squares with a bench scraper. Bake time in my oven was about 15-16min. These will definitely be in regular rotation in the future.
These Sourdough biscuits are just AMAZING! They should be at the top of the list.
If your looking for the best sourdough biscuits recipe, this is it!
This will be my go to biscuit recipe from here on out!! So so good!!
Do you have the macros on this recipe?
Nice, simple, easy to follow recipe…and the biscuits were very soft with a nice crisp, golden top and bottom. Thanks for sharing.
I think this is a great recipe. I used straight discard from the fridge. I was wondering about a ferment so I did two batches. One I made according to the recipe. It turned out well.
The next batch I did not add baking soda or baking powder or salt at first. Mixed remaining ingredients and let sit at room temp for 8 hours. Then added leavening agents and salt and proceeded with the recipe. They turned out even better than the first batch. Seemed flakier and more tender.
Also one batch I used frozen butter and the other butter straight from the fridge. I preferred the butter from the fridge, it led to bigger pockets of butter in the biscuits which was a plus for me
Great to read that comparison! I’m going to try your second approach so I can assemble before bed and finish up and bake in the morning. Thanks!
Bar none, this is the best biscuit recipe I’ve ever used, and I’m old and have made lots of biscuits! I did grate the frozen butter as directed and think this made a huge difference in the finished product. They were light, fluffy, flaky, and flavorful. Most of the family used theirs to make sausage-egg-cheese biscuits, but I enjoyed mine with butter and jam. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
Can you freeze the dough or cooked biscuits for breakfast sandwiches?
I’m doing that with sausage-cheese- egg biscuits. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag. I’d use them up within a month. Microwave for 1 minute, turn, and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until hot.
These biscuits tasted incredible. The only problem I had was that they rows so high that they all fell over perhaps I should have refrigerated them first before baking I used created frozen butter, and 2 inch biscuit cutters. My sourdough discard was not fed. Any suggestions?
I patted the dough to only about 1-inch thickness before baking. I still had a couple fall over, but most were perfect.
Have you let them sit overnight before baking ?
These were the best biscuits I ever made!
I never leave comments, but these were fantastic! I made them once as directed and a second time I used them as the topping on chicken pot pie. This was excellent both times and is replacing all of my other biscuit recipes!
Well, your recipe has the right name second time I’ve made them double the recipe came out nice and high. Got 14 beautiful biscuits.
Wow, came out great! So glad I gave this recipe a try.
THE BESTb biscuits I’ve ever made. My family lives them. And so easy to make. Shipping some to Texas!
Over the years, I’ve made quite a few different biscuit recipes, including several sourdough biscuit recipes. They were all good, but this recipe is outstanding in comparison! Slightly crispy on the outside; soft fluffy crumb inside. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine exactly what made a recipe better than others with similar ingredients. In this case, was it the Bakewell Cream I used instead of baking powder, along w/ the baking soda? Was it the silicone baking mat instead of a greased baking sheet or lining the sheet w/ parchment or baking in a cast iron skillet? Was it the convection bake & convection temperature conversion settings or the combination of all three factors? I can only guess, but this will be my new favorite sourdough biscuit recipe.
I just made a batch of scones that were slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The recipe said to put the baking sheet in the oven while making the scones. Putting them on a hot pan provided the crispy bottoms and helped with the rise. I’m going to try this when I make these sourdough biscuits.
Completely awesome! So great to find a recipe for using my sourdough discard. It came together quickly and were fabulous!
Next level epic is exactly what these are.
I’ve been chasing after this biscuit flavor and texture for years and never imagined it would be the sourdough biscuit recipe that finally would have the magic combo!
WOW.
I’ve never been this excited about biscuits. I think my search for the perfect biscuit recipe has finally come to an end.
These are super good! These will be my go to recipe.
I’ve made these twice now and they’re absolutely delicious! My family has done nothing but talk highly about them since the first batch. Kinda strange since they aren’t huge fans of biscuits to begin with. I made them for homemade beef stew, but they ate them plain, not even with butter! Super simple to make and ingredients I always have on hand *aside from buttermilk so I just mix some milk and lemon juice together while I’m prepping the rest. The second time I made them, I couldn’t find my grater so I threw the frozen chunks of butter in the food processor with the flour and pulsed a few times. After that, I dumped the mixture back in to my mixing bowl and added the liquids so I could hand mix. These are a new staple at our house. Can’t wait to make some sausage gravy with these!
This is my second attempt at sourdough biscuits and they turned out great. I’d tried a different recipe before so I was a little weary. These biscuits came out delicious and beautiful. I did have to cook them at a lower temp for about the same time I just watched them closely until the color looked right.
How do I make the Sourdough starter? I worked all through the pandemic and didn’t make a starter.
Can you make the dough the night before and refrigerate? Then cut and bake in the morning g?
Did you try this? I have the same question!
Great biscuits! Made these for the first time this morning and loved the crispy crust and soft, fluffy biscuit inside. Made 10 biscuits which were about 2 – 2 1/2 inches high and just delicious with butter and honey. A new favorite recipe!
I’ve made these several times, and they always turn out fabulous. I use butter that’s just refrigerated not frozen, and work quickly to get the biscuits made. They’re still just as fluffy and flaky as could be. One day I’ll try adding in some cheese or chopped chives, but for now I like how quick as well as simple they are.
Huge fan of this recipe! Thank you!
Great recipe made them this AM for breakfast!!!! Just the right amount for 2 older folks. 🙂
One question at the beginning it says, “discard starter”, but in the recipe it says active. I did activate by discard starter.
Hi. I think what they mean is that when you have a sourdough starter culture for a period of time you must feed it occasionally. When you feed it you “discard” some of it and add fresh flour and water to replenish it. they mean to use the starter you were going to discard.
These are the easiest and yummiest biscuits. My husband is obsessed! I make them once if not twice a week at this point. I do prefer to cube my butter rather than grate it, and they come out fantastic every time.
Could we have the amounts in metric weight? With that I’ll try it!
250g flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
113g butter
227g starter
120g buttermilk
Oh my yum! I wish I could post a photo of the finished product here, because not only were they damn delicious, but they were damn sexy, to boot. I made the recipe as posted, except I turned and folded the dough a few times before rolling out so I got lots of layers. They rose to over 2.5 inches high and are amazing with honey or butter and apricot jam. This is a keeper.
Lemme just say, it was damn delicious! And so easy!
These are soooo good!!! This is now my go- to recipe for biscuits every time! The best ❤️Thank you for sharing 🙂
These are delicious. I was short on time and patted the dough out onto a parchment sheet, used a knife and cut the dough into squares! They still had that nice flakey high rise as seen in your pictures
These were amazing! I have never baked with sourdough starter until now and I used my discard for this (activated it before using it in the recipe). They turned out great! I baked mine for 13 minutes and also did an eggwash (egg yolk and buttermilk) and rolled the tops in demerara sugar for a nice crunch. When they came out I topped them with honey and raspberry jalapeno jam. Wow 10/10 thanks for another amazing recipe!
Made this for the second time today. Fabulous taste and a great way to use sourdough discard too!
Absolutely superb! 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly and used discard rather than active starter. This is going to be my “go-to” discard recipe for sure!
These are absolutely perfect! If I had to compare them to something, it would be McDonald’s breakfast biscuits (which is exactly what I wanted).
I’m actually currently making them a second time by request of my partner
These freeze very well! I keep a batch in my freezer at all times. So good!
I freeze mine too! What temp do you bake at and for how long?
This recipe makes the best biscuits! Thank you for sharing!
Damn delicious!
I have made the biscuits and froze them unbaked and they still turn out good but don’t seem to raise as high(I baked mine at a lower temp for longer). I also have baked them and then froze them. They reheat very well in the toaster oven
I make these biscuits all the time. They are very good. Sometimes I add herbs like rosemary or thyme. I have also made them with garlic powder and shredded cheese. They always turn out very yummy.
These were amazing! I tripled the batch and was able to make 28 biscuits. I baked them on a metal sheet pan with parchment paper for 15 minutes 1/2 inch apart and they came out super flaky, tall, and soft! Perfect recipe for biscuits. Definitely will be using this recipe in the future.
Can you substitute buttermilk with something else?
I didn’t have any milk on hand so instead I used 1/2 cup of milk mixed with 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I mixed them together and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before mixed in the starter. They were delicious!!
I substitute my home cultured Kefir all the time for buttermilk.
Question: I’m using gluten free flour, do I need to use xanthan gum with the sourdough starter?
Looking forward to trying these sourdough biscuits!!!
Delicious! I only had 1/2C starter from night before, rice milk and dairy free butter. I made them as drop biscuits and still turned out amazing!
Make them the night before and freeze. In the morning pop them in your preheated oven frozen and bake as directed. Make a double batch and have homemade biscuits always ready to serve. Also I cut the dough into squares and never have those not so perfect, re-rolled from scraps, biscuits.
Hi, Do I bake the biscuits before I freeze them ? “bake as directed”….the baking time remains the same even though they are frozen?
Thanks for the tip !!!
I have made the biscuits and froze them unbaked and they still turn out good but don’t seem to raise as high(I baked mine at a lower temp for longer). I also have baked them and then froze them. They reheat very well in the toaster oven
I’m a self declared biscuit snob, but this recipe has elevated my what I expect to a whole new level. Tangy, fluffy and chewy all at the same time.
GreT recipe Family loved the biscuits.would definitely make again. My oven is new took onw12 /13 minutes to bake perfectly..Thanks for the recipe
So easy and so yummy! I didn’t have a full cup of sourdough starter…. maybe had like 3/4 a cup. Biscuits still turned out delish!
If I could give this a 10, I would. I am an avid baker and have made buttermilk biscuits in the past. This recipe is the best of them all. Thanks for the recipe. I made these with beef stew and WOW!!!.. This was great for the soul. If you knew me, I would not say this about any recipe. I love to bake with sourdough. I feed my sourdough regularly and wanted to find more recipes to make and this surpassed any expectations. Thanks again.
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.
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.
I’ve been working on biscuits and mixed results for sour dough for a couple of years. This recipe is a keeper and one of my favorites
I tried asking if I could use whole milk and when I didn’t get a response I decided to wait and use buttermilk. I made the biscuits today and they were delicious! I used discard, and it hadn’t even been fed recently like so many others said. I’ll make these again!
you can google how to make your own buttermilk! personally, my sourdough has a lot of tang already, so I just use whole milk.
Question: I want to try this recipe tomorrow – how important is the buttermilk? Can I use whole milk, instead? Thanks!
you can make your own buttermilk! Just takes vinegar or lemon juice and 30 min to sit.
I don’t even let my milk and vinegar sit more than 10 minutes before it curdles! Try apple cider vinegar. 1T per 1 cup milk.
Best biscuits ever. I consider myself a biscuit snob. I have a lot of feelings about what makes a good biscuit and these are damn good biscuits. Grating the butter was a bit of a mess but wow the layers I got! I used starter that I fed last night, let sit out for 3 hours then put in the fridge overnight. Pulled it out an hour before making the recipe this morning.
Honestly no criticism of this recipe. Will 100% be making it again!
Love your photos! Is there a photography course that you would suggest or you do have one of your own?
EXCELLENT! Totally DAMN DELICIOUS!!!
I made these with dinner tonight using old sourdough discard (honestly, the last 2 times I fed my sourdough, I threw the “discard” back in the fridge and kept it a few days). These biscuits were lovely, probably the best I’ve made. I didn’t have a biscuit cutter or appropriately sized cookie cutter, so I just used a mason jar. A+
Yesterday I made these biscuits they turned out best and delicious . I stored them in air tight container but next they became soft how to prevent them getting soft. Pl help me
This turned out great! Probably the best biscuits I’ve ever made. I cut the recipe in half and baked them in a dry, unlined cast iron skillet and they were just perfect. I added a bit of grated cheese and minced green onion and served them with scrambled eggs for breakfast. This will definitely go into my sourdough discard rotation. I’m thinking chicken and sourdough biscuits would make a fantastic dinner.
Also, re the active vs discard starter question, I think what you’re looking for here is the reaction between the acidity from the starter (and buttermilk) and the baking soda. That’s how they get their nice rise. Discard is going to be more acidic than active starter. Also, the wild yeast in the starter will have eaten more of the gluten in the starter if it’s more mature. I’d worry about those long gluten strands in a freshly-fed starter making the biscuits tough (although it might be such a small percentage of the total flour it doesn’t make a difference). In any case, I used discard and they were perfect.
Thanks!
Wonderful results from this recipe. I used a starter that had been fed within 12 hours. Tasty, flakey biscuits that were beautiful and tender.
Recipe for sourdough starter would have been helpful..
Would this be the subject for a future
Can I use a Instant Sourdough starter in this recipe?
I want to try this we love sourdough, but don’t want to waste my time or ingredients if the instant starter won’t work.
I don’t have any regular starter.
Thank you for any help
Judy
Absolutely amazing! I totally misread the instructions and made them 1/2 inch thick. They are delicious and would highly recommend.
These biscuits are amazing. I had the same problem with making sourdough starter but I always had excess. Great job on this recipe.
Looks extremely yummy
What is sour dough starter
What is the starter recipe? Thank you.
Made them tonight and served with beef and barley stew. They were fabulous. I’ve always made standard baking powder biscuits but now that I’ve switched over to sourdough, I’ll be using a lot of discard this way. I did skip adding the sugar.
Just curious – at the beginning it mentions using sourdough discard, but the actual recipe calls for active sourdough starter. Which would you recommend?
Hi Michelle S.
I’m not Chungah… obviously.
If I may:
IMHO… “active” starter would work better.
I’d take ~ a cup of ‘discard’ and feed it 2-parts flour and 1 part water.
Stir till no dry flour remains , cover and set it out till it doubles.
Voila… “Active Sourdough Starter”.
Also when you ‘cut’ each biscuit out… don’t twist your cutter.
Straight down and a slight jiggle to loosen it.