Homemade Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

Before COVID19, I always thought baking sourdough bread was something for the more brilliant bakers. I never really imagined that me, a very average baker, would spend any time creating a sourdough starter from scratch to make a beautiful loaf of bread.

(I’m pretty happy with how following this 2020 trend turned out, just look at this loaf!)

Anyway, even though I loved baking delicious homemade sourdough bread, I wasn’t baking it that often. Also, I didn’t love dumping the sourdough discard down the drain week after week, so I found a few sourdough discard recipes that can be made easily.

The first recipe I tried was for the sourdough discard pancakes that I used to make the TikTok famous, pancake cereal. Those pancakes are fantastic for a brunch at home on an easy Sunday morning; however, these biscuits by Vanilla and Bean truly have my heart!

Here’s how I made the biscuits based on Vanilla and Bean’s recipe!

Sourdough Biscuit Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Sourdough Discard (My sourdough starter had a mix of wheat flour and bread flour)
• 1 Cup Milk (I used whole milk, but you can use any – even plant-based milk!)
• 2 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 Cups Unsalted Butter (super cold, just from the fridge, cut into 1/2″ pieces – I set the butter in the freezer for a quick minute!)
• *2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar (optional; it will give the biscuits a more sour flavor)

How to Prepare the Batter for Sourdough Biscuits

1. Before you start anything, make room in your freezer for the sheet pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl add sourdough discard, milk and optional apple cider vinegar. Whisk. Set aside. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together.
4. Get ready to work quickly! Add the cold butter pieces to the flour. Pinch the butter and flour in between your fingers and toss it until the butter pieces are completely coated. (The end result should look like small pea size and olive size butter bits coated in flour.) Once the butter pieces are well coated, place the whole bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour/butter (like a volcano) and pour in the sourdough starter/milk mixture. Gently mix, scooping up, folding and pressing the dough. ( 
6. Once the dough’s cohesively mixed, flour your work surface and turn the dough out. Flour the top of the dough and knead it a few times (folding and pressing) until a cohesive dough forms. Pat and form the dough into a flat-ish circle. Lightly flour the top again and roll or pat the dough out into about a 3/4″ thick disk. Cut the biscuits with a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter (or just use a similarly sized glass) and transfer them to the parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Freeze the biscuits for at least 15 minutes. (This will refirm the butter in the dough so that it comes out perfect during the baking process.)
7. While the biscuits are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the biscuits straight from the freezer on a parchment lined sheet pan for 17-19 minutes or until golden on a center rack. The internal temperature will be between 190F-200F when they’re finished.
8. Enjoy while they’re fresh out of the oven!

How Long Do The Sourdough Biscuits Last

You can make your dough ahead of time if you’re trying to get a head start on making a fabulous brunch for your friends and want to make the most of your time. After Step 6, once you’ve set the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes, you can place the biscuits in a container for up to three weeks. When you’re ready to bake, throw them into the oven for the same amount of time/temperature.

If you have more willpower than me, Vanilla and Bean writes that you can store baked biscuits at room temperature in a covered container for up to two days or in the freezer for up to three weeks. You’ll get the best tasting biscuits when you eat them fresh, but they can be gently reheated at 350F in foil for about 10-15 minutes. (Definitely use the foil to keep them soft when reheating!)

Toppings and Recipes for Sourdough Biscuits

These are so yummy that I did eat most of them sans toppings, but these are perfect with some fresh strawberry jam and butter.

If you have enough leftover after a day or so, you could use them as the foundation for my favorite Eggs Benedict Casserole.

I’d love to hear what kinds of toppings/recipes you like to make with your biscuits! Comment below and share other recipes that I can try!

A Very Merry Brunchmas: Overnight Eggs Benedict Casserole Recipe

This fresh take on Eggs Benedict is easy and great for a crowd!

by Endless Brunch December 15, 2019November 15, 2020

Mini Pancake Cereal Recipe

Level up your Tik Tok pancake cereal with sourdough starter. This pancake recipe is delicious and fluffy even when you make it as cereal!

by Endless Brunch May 20, 2020November 17, 2020

Unbelievable Buttermilk Biscuits in Pittsburgh

These baked goods are incredible. The sandwich of the day had the best biscuit I’ve ever tasted!

by Endless Brunch February 7, 2020November 15, 2020

Print Recipe

Homemade Sourdough Discard Biscuits

Sides – American

By Tori Mason – Serves: 10-12

Prep Time: 40 – Cooking Time: 15-20 – Total Time: 1 hour

Don't let your sourdough discard go to waste - it makes the best flaky biscuit recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sourdough discard
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups cold unsalted butter (super cold, just from the fridge, cut into 1/2" pieces - I set the butter in the freezer for a quick minute!)
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (optional; it will give the biscuits a more sour flavor)

Instructions

1

Clear out the freezer - make room in your freezer for the sheet pan.

2

In a medium sized bowl add sourdough discard, milk and optional apple cider vinegar. Whisk. Set aside.

3

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together.

4

Get ready to work quickly! Add the cold butter pieces to the flour. Pinch the butter and flour in between your fingers and toss it until the butter pieces are completely coated. (The end result should look like small pea size and olive size butter bits coated in flour.) Once the butter pieces are well coated, place the whole bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

5

Make a well in the center of the flour/butter (like a volcano) and pour in the sourdough starter/milk mixture. Gently mix, scooping up, folding and pressing the dough.

6

Once the dough's cohesively mixed, flour your work surface and turn the dough out. Flour the top of the dough and knead it a few times (folding and pressing) until a cohesive dough forms. Pat and form the dough into a flat-ish circle. Lightly flour the top again and roll or pat the dough out into about a 3/4" thick disk.

7

Cut the biscuits with a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter (or just use a similarly sized glass) and transfer them to the parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Freeze the biscuits for at least 15 minutes. (This will refirm the butter in the dough so that it comes out perfect during the baking process.)

8

While the biscuits are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the biscuits straight from the freezer on a parchment lined sheet pan for 17-20 minutes or until golden on a center rack.

9

Enjoy while they're fresh out of the oven!