Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (2024)

Bless This Mess Recipes Breads Sourdough

By Melissa

5 from 20 votes

on May 11, 2020, Updated Mar 11, 2024

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This Sourdough Biscuits recipe makes tender, flaky, golden-brown biscuits that are perfect for breakfast and dinner alike. They are nice and crusty on the outside with soft, fluffy insides!

Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (2)

Table of Contents

  • Quick and Easy Sourdough Biscuits
  • What Makes These the Best Sourdough Biscuits?
  • What’s in these Biscuits?
  • How to Make Sourdough Biscuits:
  • Tips for Making Sourdough Biscuits:
  • How to Store Sourdough Biscuits:
  • FAQs:
  • Quick Sourdough Biscuits Recipe

Quick and Easy Sourdough Biscuits

Two words: sourdough biscuits. Oh man, these are a serious heaven-in-your-mouth situation, and if you are actively caring for a sourdough starter, they’re your answer to a FAST biscuit recipe. And one that is oh-so good. Biscuits make everything better, and sourdough biscuits are really where it’s at. That subtle tart flavor mixed with the buttery flakiness of a biscuit is unbelievable! Plus, this recipe is a quickie. No waiting for dough to rise like other traditional sourdough recipes. You just make the dough and they’re ready to bake!

The fun thing is you can use your starter OR your discard in this recipe. (If you want to make your own sourdough starter, find my tutorial right here.) The discard gives it more of a strong sourdough flavor, and I actually prefer to use the starter over the discard. But both are good in their own ways! This is a fun and fast weekday recipe or a great one for a big holiday brunch if you need something that’s comforting but doesn’t take a ton of effort!

Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (3)

What Makes These the Best Sourdough Biscuits?

A few things add to the perfection of these biscuits! First of all, it’s the easiest sourdough recipe you’ll ever bake. If you love the taste of sourdough but don’t have time for a full loaf, this is your answer. Plus, the grated butter does so many things! As it melts, it creates pockets of air for the perfectly flaky, layered biscuits. And you already know butter adds the punch of rich flavor we all need and love in a biscuit. They are SO GOOD!

What’s in these Biscuits?

Sourdough starter or discard:The discard will give them a more sour flavor, and I prefer the starter for the best texture and flavor.

Milk:Milk is the liquid that brings the dough together and gives the taste a rich and hearty element.

All-purpose flour:All-purpose flour allows the dough to become thick and hearty, a biscuit must!

Baking powder:Baking powder helps the biscuits rise and puff up as they bake.

Salt:Salt’s the almighty balancer of flavors in baked goodies.

Butter:The key! Make sure your butter is extra-cold (you can freeze it for a few minutes) and grate it using a cheese grater for the best biscuit texture.

Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (4)

How to Make Sourdough Biscuits:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom of baking dish.
  2. Whisk the sourdough starter/discard and 1/3 cup of milk.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and grated butter in separate bowl.
  4. Add milk mixture to bowl; stir to combine.
  5. Adjust the dough, using additional milk, until dough comes together well but isn’t sticky.
  6. Remove dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.
  7. Use your hands to gently pat the dough into 6×9-inch rectangle.
  8. Use a sharp knife to cut biscuits into 12 pieces.
  9. Place cut biscuits into prepared pan.
  10. Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden-brown.
  11. Remove the biscuits from the oven and serve hot with butter and jam or with sausage gravy on top.
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Tips for Making Sourdough Biscuits:

  • Use sourdough starter:You CAN use the discard if you like, the choice is yours so use what you like or have on hand.
  • Grate the butter:Grated butter melts in tiny pockets as the biscuits bake, making them uber flaky, airy, and layered.
  • Gently pat out the dough:When preparing the biscuits, very gently pat the dough into a 1-inch rectangle. Pushing too hard will lead to denser, less fluffy biscuits.

How to Store Sourdough Biscuits:

Let the biscuits cool completely before storing in an zipper-topped bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 to 4 months.

FAQs:

What if My Biscuits Aren’t Flaky?

Be sure you get your butter really cold by keeping it in the fridge right until you need it — or even freeze for a few minutes. Then, be sure to grate it with a cheese grater for small little slices of the butter to be incorporated into the dough! This helps create little air pockets for the flakiest biscuits.

How Do I Make My Biscuits Have a Stronger Sourdough Flavor?

Using the sourdough discard, instead of the starter, will lend to a stronger sourdough flavor. Read about how to create your own sourdough starter here.

Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (6)

Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (7)

5 from 20 votes

Quick Sourdough Biscuits

By: Melissa Griffiths

This Sourdough Biscuits recipe makes tender, golden-brown biscuits perfect for breakfast or dinner. They are crusty on the outside with fluffy insides!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 biscuits

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (225g) sourdough starter or sourdough discard
  • 1/3 cup plus up to 1/3 cup more as needed (80-160g) milk, (I use whole or 2%)
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) very cold butter, grated

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F., and lightly butter the bottom of a baking dish, such as a 12-inch skillet or a 7×11-inch baking dish.

  • In a small mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter (or discard) and 1/3 cup of milk. Whisk well with a fork to combine.

  • In a second medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and grated butter. Stir with a fork to combine.

  • Add the milk mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.

  • The texture of the biscuits will depend a lot on the starter/discard that you used.

  • Adjust the dough, using additional milk as needed, until the dough comes together well but isn’t sticky. You can work it with your hands just a little if you’d like to get the last of the flour to come together. It’s better if you are working with a slightly dry dough, opposed to a wet or sticky dough.

  • When the dough mostly comes together, remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.

  • Use a rolling pin or your hands to gently roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 6 inches by 9 inches so that the biscuit dough is about 1 inch thick.

  • Use a sharp knife to cut the biscuits into 12 pieces.

  • Place the cut biscuits into the prepared pan.

  • Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden-brown.

  • Remove the biscuits from the oven and serve hot with butter and jam or with sausage gravy on top.

Notes

  • I like to use my mature bubbly active starter for this recipe. I think it has the best texture and flavor. My starter is considered a 100% hydration starter because I feed it equal parts water and flour. When I use my active starter for this recipe, I use 2/3 cup of milk total.
  • You are free to use your sourdough discard in this recipe. The flavor is generally more sour, and you’ll need to adjust the milk to account for the texture of your discard. Often discard is thinner than mature starter, so make adjustments as needed. You will likely need less milk.
  • This recipe doesn’t work well for a long or overnight rising time. The baking powder will lose it’s leavening power over an extended time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 12 biscuits, Calories: 150kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 251mg, Potassium: 34mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 186IU, Calcium: 72mg, Iron: 1mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

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About Melissa

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Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (2024)

FAQs

What are the two most important things to do to ensure a flaky and tender biscuit? ›

The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid.

What is the secret to an excellent biscuit? ›

The secret to the best biscuits is using very cold butter and baking powder. We've made a lot of biscuits, but this easy biscuits recipe is the one we turn to the most!

What does adding an egg to biscuit dough do? ›

With biscuits, however, the goal is to avoid this chewiness. So, by adding hard-boiled egg yolk to a biscuit recipe, you'll thwart the formation of gluten, thereby resulting in a buttery, flakey crumb that'll dissolve in your mouth.

What ingredient is responsible for the tenderness and flakiness of our biscuits? ›

Butter enriches baked goods by contributing tenderness and moistness, and is responsible for the flakiness in biscuits, pie crusts, and puff pastry. Because of its superior flavor, most bakers select unsalted butter over all other fats for use in baking.

What kind of flour makes the best biscuits? ›

White wheat in general is around 9-12% protein, while the hard reds are 11-15%. As far as brands of flour, White Lily “all-purpose” flour has been my go-to for biscuit making. It's a soft red winter wheat, and the low protein and low gluten content keep biscuits from becoming too dense.

Should you chill biscuit dough before baking? ›

But if you chill your pan of biscuits in the fridge before baking, not only will the gluten relax (yielding more tender biscuits), the butter will harden up. And the longer it takes the butter to melt as the biscuits bake, the more chance they have to rise high and maintain their shape. So, chill... and chill.

What is the king of biscuit? ›

Pillai became known in India as the 'Biscuit King' or 'Biscuit Baron'. He took over Nabisco's other Asian subsidiaries. Pillai then established links with Boussois-Souchon-Neuvesel (BSN), the French food company, and by 1989 controlled six Asian companies worth over US$400 million.

What kind of flour do southerners use for biscuits? ›

SouthernKitchen.com says, "Ask any Southern chef or sagacious biscuit grandma and you'll hear a pattern emerge: they all swear by White Lily flour."

What does cream of tartar do in biscuits? ›

And baking powder is typically made of 2 parts baking soda to 1 part cream of tartar. In the presence of a liquid, the acidity of the cream of tartar activates the baking soda, causing it to start bubbling away, and that, in turn, is what makes the biscuits rise.

What happens if you add extra egg to dough? ›

Adding eggs to a dough makes it softer and richer,more like challah or sandwich bread. There's nothing wrong with that, and you can certainly roll it out and make a flatbread with it, but it won't have the chew of a good pizza dough, and the bottom won't get as crisp.

Should I put egg wash on biscuits? ›

The Perfect Finishing Touch. Egg washes are used to brush on pastries, breads, pie crusts, biscuits, scones and more before baking them so they bake up with a beautiful, bright, golden brown finish.

What makes homemade biscuits tough? ›

If your biscuits are too tough…

Likewise, the stickiness makes it tempting to over-knead biscuit dough, which will break down the butter into smaller pieces, shrinking the air pockets they will create during baking. The result: Tough, dense biscuits.

Is it better to use butter or crisco for biscuits? ›

Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!

Why is it so hard to make biscuits? ›

Overworking (or Underworking) the Dough

The biscuits will be hard and tough if you stir the dough too much. They will have a floury, uneven texture if you don't mix enough. Our Test Kitchen cracked the code: Stir the dough 15 times for the perfect consistency and texture.

What 2 ingredients affect both flakiness and tenderness of a plain pastry? ›

Some bakers use both butter and shortening to capture the best qualities of each, but I prefer to use all butter because of its better taste. Fats contribute to the flakiness and tenderness of pastry by being layered in between sheets of thin dough.

How do you achieve a tender and flaky dough crust? ›

7 pie crust tips for tender, flaky results every time
  1. 1Keep the dough ingredients cool.
  2. 2Use a light touch.
  3. 3Hydrate the dough (but not too much)
  4. 4Chill the dough.
  5. 5Keep the dough from sticking.
  6. 6Roll the dough out evenly.
  7. 7Relax.
Nov 4, 2022

What are 2 causes of tough biscuits? ›

Tough
  • Gluten in flour overdeveloped. ...
  • Ratio of dry ingredients to fats and liquids too high. ...
  • Used wrong type of flour. ...
  • The wrong kind of measuring cup was used. ...
  • Vegetable oil spread contains less fat and more water than butter or margarine. ...
  • Oven was too hot and product overbaked.

How do you achieve a tender and flaky pastry dough crust? ›

The process of making a flaky pastry involves “cutting” one quarter of the total fat into the flour such as a pie dough till it forms what resembles coarse meal. Proper incorporation of the fat, in this step, provides flour lubrication and restricts or at least delays its quick absorption of added water.

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