Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (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! (1)

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! (2)

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! (3)

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 ⅓ 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 6x9-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.
Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (4)

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! (5)

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

Quick Sourdough Biscuits

5 from 17 reviews

  • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 biscuits 1x
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Description

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

Ingredients

Scale

  • 1 cup (225g) sourdough starter or sourdough discard
  • ⅓ cup (plus up to ⅓ cup more as needed) (80-160g) milk, I use whole or 2%
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) very cold butter, grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F., and lightly butter the bottom of a baking dish, such as a 12-inch skillet or a 7x11-inch baking dish.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter (or discard) and ⅓ cup of milk. Whisk well with a fork to combine.
  3. In a second medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and grated butter. Stir with a fork to combine.
  4. Add the milk mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.
  5. The texture of the biscuits will depend a lot on the starter/discard that you used.
  6. 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.
  7. When the dough mostly comes together, remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.
  8. 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.
  9. Use a sharp knife to cut the biscuits into 12 pieces.
  10. Place the cut biscuits into the prepared pan.
  11. Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden-brown.
  12. 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 ⅔ 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.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Sourdough
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (7)
Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (8)

Other Biscuit Recipes You Might Enjoy

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About Melissa

Melissa is dedicated to helping parents figure out the nightly questions, "What's for Dinner?!" with her no-fuss approach to cooking. Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. Becky Seib

    Easy Sourdough Biscuits Recipe - Tender Homemade Biscuits! (14)
    These biscuits are so yummy! I’m especially happy they’re sourdough ! I made a batch and tasted them to make sure I liked them 🙂 then I made 5 more batches and froze them (before baking ) for breakfast on Saturday! Having family over 🥰 I definitely will be using this recipe again !

  2. Becky Seib

    I’m wanting to make these and freeze about 5 days , then bake when needed . Will that work ?

    • Melissa

      Yes, that'll work great! When you are thawing them to bake, it's better to bake them a little cold than fully at room temperature.

  3. Mary

    Do you use unbleached white flour or All purpose flour

    • Melissa

      There is unbleached all purpose and bleached all purpose, both are white flour. I prefer unbleached, you can use what you like or have on hand.

  4. Amanda Mildfelt

    Do you think these could be put into a breakfast casserole dish and be baked that way?

    • Melissa

      If you make your casserole with traditional biscuits these should sub in just fine!

  5. Claire Brunner

    absolutely delicious!! Have made multiple times already, also tried with shredded cheese mixed super tasty!!

    • Lisa Slay

      These are the best biscuits I ever had! Thank you
      🙏🙏❤️❤️

  6. Mary

    Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
    Thanks!

  7. Jaci

    I’ve been making these biscuits for months! Me and my husband LOVE them. Perfect and simple recipe.

  8. Sandra Dalal

    These were as easy and wonderful as described! I didn’t have a full cup of starter, so I halved the recipe. It still worked great! This will be my go-to biscuit recipe from now on.

  9. Joanne Drown

    My biscuits were beautiful and very tasty. I fed my sourdough whole wheat and white flour. So, the coloring was a little different. I baked them in a black iron skillet. The next time I bake them I am using a sheet pan. I like mine really crispy.

  10. Kristin K

    I went searching for a last-minute easy and quick recipe to make biscuits for our dinner and use my sourdough starter, which was badly in need of use and being fed. This recipe was just the right thing! It was so quick and easy, used ingredients I already had on hand, was ready in time for dinner, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Will make this my go-to recipe for biscuits, leaving my old buttermilk biscuit recipe in the dust!

  11. Byron

    I made the sourdough biscuits this morning and I hate to say it, but they are beyond the best biscuits I've ever made. Amazing! I pulled them out when they were supposed to be done. They weren't quite ready so I ran a stick of better across the tops and put them back in the oven. But that was just window dressing. The out of this world delicious on these is that top and bottom crunch sandwiching the delicious inside with that hint of sourdough tart. My wife, I believe her words were: This is the biscuit I've been waiting for. And again, that's after me making biscuits for some years and "perfecting" them. Thank you so much!!

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

FAQs

Why are my homemade biscuits tough? ›

Kneading too much and overhandling biscuit, shortcake and scone dough overdevelops the gluten in the flour, resulting in a chewy, tough baked product.

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.

How do you keep homemade biscuits from getting soft? ›

The solution is as simple as putting the biscuits in an airtight jar along with a small piece of bread (no more than half a slice). If you don't have an airtight jar, a zip-lock bag also works well.

Are homemade biscuits better with butter or shortening? ›

The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.

How do you make biscuits less hard? ›

If your biscuits are too tough…

If you do think this about your dough, fight the urge to add more dry ingredients — dough that isn't wet enough will bake into a hard, dry biscuit.

How do you keep homemade biscuits from getting hard? ›

Take the biscuits and wrap them in a plastic cling film or zip pouch to make sure there's space for moisture to seep in. Lastly, put them in an airtight box and store inside a refrigerator to enjoy crunchy biscuits each time.

What does cream of tartar do in biscuits? ›

As the biscuits rise, the carbon dioxide gas expands, creating pressure on the dough. This pressure can cause the dough to collapse without proper support. Cream of Tartar helps stabilize the dough structure, ensuring the biscuits maintain their shape and rise uniformly.

What happens if you add extra egg to dough? ›

It makes the bread lighter and fluffier. The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.

Should you 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.

Should you chill biscuits before baking? ›

Place the pan of biscuits in the refrigerator while you preheat your oven to 425°F, or for about 20 to 30 minutes. This short chill will help the biscuits maintain their shape while baking.

What causes biscuits to not be fluffy? ›

Not Soft or Fluffy
  • Fat pieces too large. SOLUTION. For a soft and fluffy biscuit, scone or shortcake, fat pieces should be the size of coarse crumbs (Think of cake or muffin crumbs, not dried bread crumbs). ...
  • Too much air circulation; crust overbakes and dries out too much. SOLUTION.

Why are my biscuits not soft and fluffy? ›

Overworking the dough will not only create a tough biscuit instead of a tender biscuit, but can also result in a flatter biscuit. The more you play with the dough, the warmer the dough becomes. If the fat becomes too warm it will melt into the flour and they won't rise as tall.

Is buttermilk or heavy cream better for biscuits? ›

Heavy cream provides rich butterfat that gives the biscuits tenderness and flavor, as well as moisture from its water content. The formula requires minimal mixing, reducing the risk of too much gluten development.

Which liquid makes the best biscuits? ›

Buttermilk also adds a pleasant tanginess to baked biscuits, and its relatively low levels of fat make it work in recipes that call for any kind of fat, from butter to shortening, and even cream. (Yes, cream can be used as both a liquid and a fat.

Is buttermilk or milk better for biscuits? ›

Buttermilk adds a nice tang to the biscuit flavor and helps them rise better.

Why are my biscuits hard and heavy? ›

Too little fat will result in dry and heavy biscuits. The type of flour you use is important. Don't use bread flour unless the recipe calls for it and avoid whole wheat and other whole grain flours. They will make the biscuits tough and heavy.

Why are my biscuits soft and not crunchy? ›

If your freshly baked biscuits seem too soft after they're cooled, then they're either under baked, or there is too much liquid in the recipe. When stamping out biscuits with a cutter, you might find that they stretch as you transfer them to the tray with your hands, and become misshapen.

Why are my biscuits dense and not fluffy? ›

If you use too much flour then you will end up with dense biscuits. So you want to be sure to measure your flour correctly. What is this? If you are using a dry measuring cup, then first fluff up your flour with a fork.

What happens if you put too much butter in biscuits? ›

in this case, it appears that the biscuit structure is just a lot more stable (structurally speaking) when there's less butter. When you get a lot of butter, you're kind of filling your biscuit with holes, which makes it unable to bear its own weight to rise very far.

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