Flaky Sourdough Discard Biscuits
This post may contain affiliate links, please visit our privacy policy for details.
Move over, ordinary biscuits! These sourdough discard biscuits offer a delightful twist on the classic. They’re not just delicious – they’re incredibly easy to make, too.
Imagine: buttery, tender, and flaky biscuits crafted with just six pantry staples. Plus, they help you use your sourdough discard!
A Sourdough Twist On Biscuits!
We love our Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, but we are always looking for ways to use our sourdough discard. These savory, buttery, flaky biscuits are the perfect breakfast that combines our love of sourdough and breakfast treats!
Plus, you can pair them with our homemade jams (strawberry and raspberry are our favorites!) or Belgian waffles for an incredible breakfast spread.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Biscuits:
These biscuits aren’t just a way to use up discard; they’re
- Easy and Quick To Make: Made with just a handful of pantry staples and your discard, these biscuits are budget-friendly and require minimal prep work!
- Flaky Perfection: Cold butter and a light touch create layers of flaky goodness that melt in your mouth with every bite.
- Tangy Twist: The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang that complements the richness of the butter, offering a unique and delightful flavor profile.
- Super Versatile: Enjoy them warm with butter for breakfast, build a hearty breakfast sandwich, or serve them alongside dinner for a delicious side dish.
- No Leftovers (Probably 😉): These irresistible biscuits are perfect for satisfying cravings throughout the day, from breakfast to a late-night snack.
You Only Need 6 Ingredients!
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder & Soda
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Sourdough Discard
- Buttermilk
What Exactly is Sourdough Discard?
Sourdough starters are beloved for their tangy flavor and ability to create beautiful breads. But what about the leftover discard?
So, what is discard? When you feed your sourdough starter, you discard a portion of the older starter to make room for fresh flour and water. Anything leftover about 5 hours after feeding is generally considered discard. This leftover portion is still bursting with active yeast and natural bacteria, making it a perfect ingredient for recipes like these delicious biscuits!
While discard might not be ideal for building a new loaf of multigrain sourdough bread due to its increased acidity, it’s a goldmine for flavorful recipes. These sourdough discard biscuits are a testament to that!
Success Tips For Sourdough Biscuits:
We have been making biscuits 30+ years and we have learned the tried-and-true tricks will turn your flat, dry biscuits into the best biscuits ever. This is everything we’ve learned:
- Combine the sourdough and milk: When we first started making these biscuits, we found it difficult to incorporate the sourdough starter into the dough. To avoid this, we found that whisking the buttermilk and sourdough together loosens the starter just enough to incorporate it easily into the dough.
- Grating in cold butter: Our biggest secret to flaky, buttery biscuits! Not only does grating in the butter ensure the perfect pockets of butter, but using cold butter creates steam as it melts in the oven…which means, you have extra flaky biscuits!
- Don’t overmix: This one is SO important! Never overwork your biscuit dough. Over-handling your biscuits leads to hard, flat biscuits. Use a very light hand when mixing. We recommend using a rubber spatula to keep the warmth of your hands away from the butter!
- Folding method: Another secret to flaky biscuits! You’ll find more info on this below.
- Don’t twist the cutter: Have you ever done everything right with a biscuit recipe but still have it come out flat? Well, twisting the biscuit cutter can seal the edges of the biscuits and keep it from rising properly! So, make sure you have a sharp cutter and apply even pressure to cut through the dough.
- Place the biscuits together: By placing the biscuits next each other on the pan, the biscuits will rise upwards instead of outwards to create taller, flakier biscuits!
The Secret To Flaky Layers
Don’t skip folding! Once you turn out the dough, this is is a crucial step for flaky biscuits. This will take you no longer than 2 minutes and it creates the delicious layers!
First, we shape the dough into a rectangle. Then, fold bottom ⅓ of dough up, then top ⅓ down. Repeat this step 2-3 times for the best biscuits!
✳ Recipe FAQ’s
More Breakfast Recipes:
When you make these Sourdough Biscuits, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy baking!
x, Caylie
Flaky Sourdough Discard Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold
- 1½ cups sourdough starter, cool
- ½ cup buttermilk, cold
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400℉/200℃.
- Spray sheet pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk starter and buttermilk together until buttermilk is fully incorporated. Set aside.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Grate butter into flour mixture.
- Toss together lightly.
- Add starter mixture.
- Stir together gently.
- Turn out onto floured surface.
- Sprinkle top with flour.
- Roll to about ½ inch thick.
- Fold bottom ⅓ of dough up, then top ⅓ down.
- Turn over.
- Repeat the rolling and folding process 2-3 more times.
- Roll dough to ¾ inch thick.
- Cut with a 3-inch cutter and place on prepared sheet pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Brush tops with melted butter, if desired.
Notes + Tips!
- Cold, Cold, Cold: This is super important! Use cold butter for the best results. Cold butter creates steam during baking, resulting in those beautiful flaky layers.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough: Mix just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing develops the gluten, leading to tough and dense biscuits.
- Don’t Twist The Cutter: If you twist the cutter when cutting the biscuits, this will seal the edges and keep the biscuits from rising.
- Don’t Peek: Resist the urge to open the oven door too frequently while the biscuits are baking. This can disrupt the rise and prevent them from reaching their full potential.
- Brush The Tops (Optional): For a golden brown exterior, brush the tops of your biscuits with melted butter or milk before baking.
- Chill If Needed: If your kitchen is warm, consider chilling the dough for 20-30 minutes before baking. This allows the cold butter to solidify again and creates better lift.
- Preheat Properly: A preheated oven is essential for even baking and those flaky layers.
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
– Still Hungry? –
Here are a few recipes may like!
These are the softest, fluffiest, and tastiest biscuits I’ve ever made. I am new to sourdough and have always made regular southern style biscuits for my family. Since trying this recipe, my family asks for them constantly. Thank you for sharing this recipe. A definite keeper in our breakfast rotation!
Hi Jen! I’m so happy you enjoyed our recipe and I hope you find more to love on our site!! 😊 x, Caylie
Do you think these can be frozen unbaked?
Hi Paty! I’ve done it before, but it’s really hit or miss. There’s no guarantee they’ll rise. I bake them and freeze them, then heat up what I need when I need it. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Can you freeze the dough?
Hi Erin! While we’ve not personally tested this, it should work. If you try it, please let us know! x, Caylie
Great recipe! I followed it exactly and they came out beautifully. The biscuits are soft and flaky with lots of layers and they rose nicely. I mixed the dough until everything was just incorporated then started rolling and folding. I was nervous at first because the dough was a little dry after mixing it all together but as I started working it, it became more moist.