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tray of sourdough discard biscuits

Sourdough Discard Biscuits Recipe

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5 from 16 reviews

These easy Sourdough Discard Biscuits are flaky and buttery with a hint of delicious tanginess. The simple dough takes minutes to pull together and they can be baked straight away or stashed in the refrigerator to bake the next morning. Serve these delicious biscuits warm with butter and honey for a nostalgic treat or with eggs and bacon for a hearty breakfast.

  • Total Time: 40 minutes plus chilling
  • Yield: 9 biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)

4 ounces (113 grams) unsalted butter, very cold

1 cup (280 grams) sourdough discard*

1/2 cup whole milk plus a bit more for brushing

Instructions

  1. Mix sourdough starter and milk together in a glass measuring cup and set aside.
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add butter cubes or grated butter.
  3. Press butter cubes between your thumb and index finger to create flat petals of butter. If using grated butter you can skip this step.
  4. Mix butter into dry ingredients until you have it all flattened and dispersed. It's ok if some pieces are smaller/larger than others as long as they are almost all in small, flat pieces. You can also use a pastry cutter, but I love using my fingers to create those little petals as it results in the best flakiness.
  5. Drizzle in milk and starter mixture while stirring with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. If you feel your dough is wet enough, you may not need to add all of the mixture - this will strongly depend on how hydrated your starter is.
  6. Dump dough onto floured surface.
  7. Shape dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Divide in half and stack one half on top of the other and press again into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Repeat this one or two more times. This step is optional but it creates really pronounced layers in the finished biscuits. If you skip it you will still have wonderful, tender biscuits. Also, if you want to simply scoop the biscuit dough and make drop biscuits you can do that as well and skip the shaping and stacking altogether.
  8. After stacking a few times, press dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle one final time and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. You don't have to do this, but I highly recommend it. Alternatively you can cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
  9. When dough is chilled and you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  10. After dough has chilled, cut into biscuits with a floured 2 1/2 inch cutter. Or you can cut the rectangle into 9 squares which I often do. Do not twist your cutter. Just go straight down and back up. Likewise if you are cutting with a knife or bench scraper, don't use a sawing motion - just go straight down and back up.
  11. Reshape any scraps by stacking them on top of each other and pressing down to a 1-inch thickness before cutting. The reshaped biscuits might look a little more craggy on top than the first cutting, but if you stack the scraps rather than squish them together, they will be just as flaky.
  12. Place biscuits on parchment lined tray very close together but not touching. Brush tops with milk. If using these for something sweet like shortcakes, a sprinkle of sugar on top is nice.
  13. Bake in preheated oven until golden and no wetness shows on the sides. This will take 15-18 minutes.

Notes

*You can use your active starter as well. If using active, bubbly starter, stir it down very well to knock the bubbles out before measuring if measuring by volume. If measuring by weight, you will use the same amount whether using discard or active.

Short Term Make Ahead Option: Once you get to the point of having the biscuits shaped, you can cover them tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before baking. If your starter is pretty active you will also get some fermentation benefits during this time and you'll have a tangier tasting biscuit.

Long Term Make Ahead Option (freezer): If you want to freeze these biscuits to bake at a later date, get them shaped and freeze them on parchment in a single layer. Once frozen solid transfer the biscuits to freezer bags or containers. Bake from frozen within 3 months.

Baked biscuits will keep at room temperature in an airtight container or bag for 2-3 days. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Baked biscuits can also be frozen for up to one month if wrapped very well.

Top Tips

Start with cold ingredients: cold butter, cold milk, cold sourdough starter

Stir with a fork while drizzling in the wet ingredients: I do this with my scones recipes as well and it works like a charm to mix gently and thoroughly without overmixing.

Cut and stack your dough a few times: I also do this with my scone recipes and it is a guaranteed way to get beautiful layers.

Chill the dough before cutting: I have tested this both ways - cutting the biscuits and then chilling or chilling and then cutting. Hands down the latter produces a taller, flakier biscuit.

Chill the dough before baking: This is another flakiness insurance step. As you work with the butter and shape the dough, the butter comes to room temperature. You want the butter to be as cold as possible before going into the oven. This is what creates steam and that steam creates little pockets and layers of flakiness. If you skip this step you'll still have a great biscuit, it just won't be as flaky as it could be.

Place the biscuits very close together but not touching: This allows the biscuits to grow up together while baking and ensures the best rise.

  • Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes plus chilling
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Category: sourdough, breakfast
  • Method: baking, sourdough
  • Cuisine: American

Find it online: https://wildthistlekitchen.com/sourdough-discard-biscuits/