Sourdough Biscuits Recipe

These flaky sourdough biscuits are made with six simple ingredients, ready in under 30 minutes, and perfect for breakfast or a snack. They’re a great way to use up extra sourdough discard, and like all my recipes, they’ve been tested, loved, and approved by my family, so you know they’re the real deal. With years of sourdough baking experience, I only share recipes that I’ve personally made and trust in my own kitchen.

If you bake a lot of sourdough bread, you'll know that you usually have a ton of sourdough discard leftover in your refrigerator. Sure, you can make sourdough blueberry muffins or sourdough lemon loaf, but making classic sourdough biscuits is one of my new favorite ways to use sourdough discard!

These biscuits are so buttery and flakey, you'll be making them again and again. All you need are a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen and a bowl. Mix everything together, cut out biscuits, and bake! It doesn't get easier than these simple biscuits!

Serve these biscuits with melty butter, mixed berry jam, or blueberry jam! You won't regret it!

The Best Sourdough Discard Biscuits

These sourdough biscuits are super tender and full of flakey layers. The key is to not work the biscuit dough too much, and to add lots of butter!

Sometimes, biscuits have sugar in them, these do not. I find that the biscuits have enough flavor from the butter to the tangy sourdough, you don't need sugar. If you do like a biscuit that is sweeter or if you want to make these biscuits into a recipe like strawberry shortcake, add up to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the recipe for a sweeter biscuit.

Sourdough Biscuit Ingredients

• Unsalted butter. This is key. The first time I made these biscuits I used salted butter and the biscuits were a little too salty. The butter should be very cold.
• Sourdough discard. After you feed your active sourdough starter, it should be fed and the extra "discard" kept in a mason jar in the refrigerator. You can then use that discard to make lots of different sourdough discard recipes like sourdough discard focaccia or sourdough discard sandwich bread.
• Leavening agents. Since we are using sourdough discard, not active, bubbly starter, you'll need both baking powder and baking soda. This will give the biscuits a tall rise and help make them light and fluffy.
• Flour. All purpose flour is best to get the softest, fluffiest biscuits.

Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Sourdough Discard Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well.

Cut the cold butter into very small pieces, or you can grate the butter on a cheese grater. Add the cut butter into the mixing bowl. Pour the sourdough discard into the bowl and mix all the ingredients together. Do not overmix at this point. You want the mixture to look like course sand.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a square. Cut the biscuits out of the dough with either a knife or a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk. You can sprinkle with sugar if you would like. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown on top.

Make This Sourdough Biscuit Recipe With Active Starter

Yes! You can make these biscuits with active sourdough starter instead of sourdough discard. Use the same amounts as listed in this recipe, except use active starter instead of inactive stater and remove the baking powder and baking soda. Here's how you do it:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture looks like large crumbs.
3. Add 1 cup of sourdough starter and mix until a rough dough forms.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently until it comes together into a smooth ball. Do not overmix at this point.
5. Place the dough back into a large mixing bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let it ferment at room temperature for about 8-12 hours.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a circle about 1 inch thick.
7. Use a biscuit cutter or a glass to cut out biscuits from the dough. Cover the biscuits with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes to 1 hour. They should puff up slightly during this time.
8. After the initial rise, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. Place the cut biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each one.
10. Once the biscuits have risen, bake them in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top and cooked through.
11. Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.

Storing Sourdough Biscuits

Let the biscuits cool to room temperature and then place them in an airtight container. Keep them on the counter for 2-3 days. You can reheat the biscuits in a toaster oven and serve them with butter and jam.

These are really freezer friendly too! To freeze these biscuits, place the room temperature biscuits in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure they are not touching each other.

Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 1-2 hours, or until the biscuits are frozen solid. This prevents them from sticking together when stored.

Once the biscuits are frozen, transfer them to a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container. Label the container with the date for reference.

Store the biscuits in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. To be honest, they would probably last even longer than that! To defrost the biscuits, place them on the counter and let them defrost at room temperature.

Sourdough Biscuit FAQs

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