Use up your discarded starter in this quick and easy Sourdough Biscuit recipe. Buttery, flaky and full of flavor, these are made with sour cream and scallions. Vegan adaptable with a video!
If there is something “past” that needs to be seen or healed back into wholeness, it will arise in the present experience. We do not have to dig up pebbles from a streambed.
Dorothy Hunt
These flaky buttery Sourdough Biscuits are studded with scallions and have the best texture and flavor. A great way to use up that sourdough discard! If I’m being truthful they are pretty dangerous to have around, because it’s impossible not to devour them once they are made. So be warned!
Sourdough Biscuits |60-second Video
This is for those of you who are ready to do something with your sourdough discard, or sourdough starter in addition to making the Sourdough Bread-which I keep hearing is working out for you! So happy and excited for you! A true feat! Hooray!
Want more sourdough discard recipes? Check out Sourdough Waffles, Sourdough Pancakes, and Sourdough Scones!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love SourDough Biscuits!
- Flavorful: Sourdough biscuits have a distinct tangy flavor that adds depth and complexity to your ordinary biscuit recipe.
- Flaky Texture: The combination of butter and sourdough gives these biscuits a light and flaky texture that is absolutely irresistible.
- Easy to Make: With just a few simple ingredients and minimal steps, you can have freshly baked sourdough biscuits on your table in no time.
- Use Up Sourdough Discard: If you’ve been maintaining a sourdough starter, this recipe is a great way to use up your discard instead of wasting it. It gives a beautiful sourdough tang to your baked goods and adds nutrition! It’s a win-win situation!
- Versatile: Sourdough biscuits can be enjoyed on their own, as a side dish with soups and stews, or even as a base for sandwiches. They’re incredibly versatile and can complement a variety of meals.
Ingredients In Sourdough Biscuits
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour (or bread flour): Make sure to fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off to ensure accurate measurements.
- Salt: If you’re using salted butter, you can use a slightly smaller amount of salt in the recipe.
- Baking Powder: This helps the biscuits rise and become light and fluffy.
- Unsalted Butter (or vegan butter): Cut the cold butter into small slices to create uneven crumbs in the dough.
- Chopped Scallions or Chives (optional): These add a delicious flavor to the biscuits. Feel free to use either scallions or chives based on your preference.
- Sourdough Starter discard: You’ll need 3/4 cup of sourdough discard or unfed sourdough starter for this recipe. If using discard, make sure it has been kept in the fridge for 7-10 days without feeding.
- Sour Cream (or vegan sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt): Sour cream gives the biscuits a lovely flavor when combined with the scallions. However, you can use alternative options like vegan sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt if desired.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Sourdough Biscuits
In a large bowl, start with butter, flour, salt and baking powder. Use your fingers and break apart into uneven crumbs, no bigger than a pea. Add scallions if you like, or chives are nice too.
Mix 3/4 cup starter with 1/2 cup sour cream. You can also use yogurt, vegan yogurt, vegan sour cream, or buttermilk. The sour cream really gives a lovely flavor here with the scallions- just sayin’. 🙂
Combine and stir into a shaggy ball. Place onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with flour.
Knead twice- for like 2 seconds. Pat flat into a 3/4 inch rectangle. Then fold up into thirds like an envelope. Pat it down and repeat 2 times. The third time, pat the folded “envelope” into a thick rectangle 5 by 9 inches and about 1 1/2 inches thick. This folding creates tender layers.
Using a biscuit cutter, or sharp knife, cut the biscuit dough into 6 pieces. Place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake until golden brown, about 20 -25 minutes. Internal temp should reach 205F.
Sourdough Biscuit FAQS
Sourdough Starter is often referred to as “wild yeast”, made from flour and water and the wild yeast in the air around us,and it is typically used as the “yeast” when baking Sourdough Bread. The sourdough “discard” – the part of the starter that often goes to waste- can be used to make flavorful biscuits, waffles and pancakes.
Keep sourdough discard in the fridge for 7-10 days without feeding. Don’t feed the “discard” (only feed the starter that you plan to use for bread). Use the discard up in sourdough pancakes and sourdough waffles. Yes, you can add to the discard.
Yes! Simply take some out of the jar and feed it fresh water and flour.
It is most likely from expired or old baking powder. Also make sure your oven is fully preheated.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
My favorite biscuit ever!!!! Flakey, flavorful and so easy.
You May Also Enjoy
Enjoy! Such a great way to use up your sourdough starter or discard!
Print
Sourdough Biscuits Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: baked
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: northwest
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy recipe for Sourdough Biscuits with scallions using discard or sourdough starter. These buttery biscuits can be made in 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (180g) All-Purpose Flour (or bread flour) , fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon salt (use a little less if using salted butter)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 tablespoons unsalted, cold butter (or use vegan butter), cut into 1/4-inch slices. (113.5 grams) See notes!
- 1/4–1/2 cup chopped scallions or chives (optional, of course)
- 3/4 cup (170g) discard or sourdough starter, unfed
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or sub vegan sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder.
- Work in the cut cold butter into the flour using your fingers until it is unevenly crumbly, with the biggest crumbs the size of peas. Mix in the scallions if using.
- Place 3/4 cup starter and 1/2 cup sour cream in a bowl and mix with a fork ( it doesn’t have to be perfectly mixed together).
- Pour this into the flour mixture and using a fork, mix until the dough comes together into a very shaggy ball.
- Place the ball on a well-floured surface, sprinkle with flour and knead gently just to incorporate ( for 5 seconds- don’t over knead). Pat into a 6 x 10-inch rectangle. Fold up the sides into thirds like a tri-fold envelope and pat again into a 6 x10 inch rectangle. Fold up the sides into thirds again. Re-flour your work surface, adding more if needed. Pat into an 8 x 5-inch rectangle about 1 1/2 inches tall. Cut into 6 equal pieces.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check at 15-20 minutes, rotating pan if necessary. Keep baking until biscuits are beautifully golden and internal temp reaches 205F.
Notes
A friend of mine makes this with 3/4 and sometimes 1/2 the butter- and it still turns out. A little less flakey but still pretty good.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 291
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 408.5 mg
- Fat: 18.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.4 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 47.4 mg
oh my gosh, this is one of the most delicious biscuits I’ve ever eaten. I’ve made a few changes based on the tips: used vegetarian butter, butter milk made from Oak Milk and Apple cider Vinegar. At step 3 I added grounded rosemary and powdered garlic, generously. When done baking I then spread a Roasted Garlic Onion Jam on the biscuit. I could not stop at eating just one biscuit.
Thank you for sharing.
Sounds perfect John 😉
Let me begin by saying I am not an experienced biscuit maker! My biscuits were well done on the bottom and brown on the top, but the centers were still rather doughy. They were not flaky at all. Can you guess at what I should adjust for next time? Did I handle them too much? When I cut the biscuits into squares initially, they were way thinner than the prescribed 1.5 inches, so as I put them onto the pan, I folded each square in half and gave it a pat down. Could that be the issue? Also, my discard did have some rye flour in it as well as all purpose. The flavor was very good.
Is it possible your oven runs hot?
It is entirely possible. I haven’t noticed it in other recipes, but might be worth checking.
You can get a pretty inexpensive oven thermometer at most grocery stores, just to double check?
best way to use sourdough discard, so quick, so easy, so versatile, AND the best tasting biscuits out there
Big success! Loved it. Relatively easy. Definitely will bake it again!
What is the significance of the 205F temp
“Bready” things are typically cooked through at over 200F.
Loved them, super easy, recipe and directions were right on! Definitely making these again.
These turned out really well! I didn’t have any sour cream so I used 1/2 cup ricotta and about a tablespoon of water instead. Great way to use up some leftover starter.
This recipe has become part of our regular rotation. It’s great for when I have waaaay too much discard, or when I need something more to add to dinner. It’s quick, easy, delicious, and takes substitutes well. We all prefer these to “regular” biscuits. They’re light, fluffy, and have a slight tang. Thank you!
These biscuits are amazing!!!! So easy to make!!! I’m new to bread making and baking and this recipe was super easy to follow and such a delicious way to use my sourdough discard!!! Thank you!!!
this was an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC recipe! I hate wasting my discard. thank you so much for this. mine turned out so flaky and amazing- I will tag you in my insta post 🙂
I have tried many sourdough discard recipes this year and this is my favorite one so far. I used plain nonfat greek yogurt instead of sour cream and rosemary instead of chives or scallions, but they became delicious biscuits.Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
These are AMAZING! I can believe that something so easy can taste so decadent!
These were amazing! I didn’t have sour cream so I used garlic & herb goat cheese and gradually stirred in hot water to it until it resembled the consistency of sour cream. I still got a decent rise and flaky, moist biscuit!
I have made these biscuits several times and they are so good. Tonight I ended up making them with fed starter because I didn’t have enough starter to feed after taking out the discard (baking bread this week) and I used buttermilk this time. They came out even fluffier and so soft my family gobbled them right up. I love them with the scallions, but have found them so delicious with chopped pickled jalapeno and chedder. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
These were a hit!!
This is a great way to use up starter. I used vegan butter (earth balance) and kite hill unsweetened almond yogurt and they came out perfect. Will definitely be making these again.
Perfect!
Is there a proper way to freeze the biscuit dough and bake off later? I am travelling and would like bring the biscuits with me and thaw/bake before using for breakfast. I have made these biscuits before and the family loves them. I use a box grater to introduce the nearly frozen butter into the dough and it works out great!
Any suggestions?
Hi Scott! I have not tried freezing but I love the idea of it! Let us know how it goes if you try this…curious! Box grater is a great idea!!!
My biscuits are in the oven and they smell divine. I added vegan cheese and vegan sourcream, along with vegan butter. Can’t wait to serve these gems. I also took the liberty of seasoning like a certain seafood chain does their actual cheddar biscuits. Win, win!
Perfect!
This recipe is wonderful. I’ve made them a half dozen times.
I have about a quart of discard. How much do I feed it?
I usually don’t feed discard? Only the starter.
Wonderful recipe, Sylvia! I’ve made your biscuits a half dozen times so far during our Covid19 lockdown. Wondering if I make the dough and divide the biscuits the night before, would it be alright if I waited until morning to pop these beauties in the oven?
I haven’t tried that but should be ok??? I’m purely guessing here.
I have made these and they’re a hit. I add cheese powder and garlic. They’re delicious! I feed my starters just to make them.
Is there a whole wheat version of these biscuits?
I think you could just sub whole wheat?
These biscuits were so good. I didn’t put the scallions or chives. Making a double batch today and freezing the extras for later.
This is a keeper. I made these biscuits with my Sourdough discard and they turned out to be delicious!!! However, they were softer than expected in biscuits, more like a bread, I wonder why… I doubled the recipe for a bigger batch 🙂 and I substituted 20g of butter with olive oil.
perhaps the oil?
Can I substitute vegetable fat for the butter?
You should be able to I imagaine, but have not actually tried this. Please let me know the results!