These fluffy, buttery sourdough biscuits are the perfect addition to any meal. They can be long-fermented for added flavor and tenderness or made immediately for an easy breakfast. Just add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Homemade sourdough biscuits effortlessly pair with any meal. Served with sausage gravy, they are a popular main dish for breakfast; sliced in half, they make the best egg and bacon breakfast sandwiches.
Presented beside any soup or main dish at dinner and spread with butter and homemade strawberry jam, they are a beloved and versatile side dish. They can even be topped with sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit for dessert, just like my sourdough peach cobbler.
And while traditional buttermilk biscuits are delicious, tangy sourdough biscuits offer a tender texture, the best flavor, and the benefits of sourdough.
If you’re new to sourdough, it can be overwhelming enough to simply grasp sourdough care and maintenance, let alone begin baking. Since this recipe is still very similar to traditional biscuits, it feels familiar and really is the perfect recipe to get you started.
When made with sourdough discard and baked right away, these biscuits are quick and easy, while still offering great taste, texture, and nutrition from the addition of the fermented sourdough.
The long-fermented version follows a very similar process but ferments overnight before adding the added leaveners. This fermentation time improves the digestion of the grains and makes the nutrients more bioavailable, while also adding deep flavor and sourdough tanginess to the biscuits.
It’s also a great way to meal prep for busy mornings. Assemble the main ingredients the night before, ferment overnight, and the dough is ready for leavening agents, shaping, and baking the next morning.
Again, if you are brand new to sourdough, you’ll want to read about how to make a sourdough starter. Once you’ve gotten the maintenance established into your routine, there are plenty of easy recipes that are great for building confidence while adding sourdough to your family’s menu.
Try our family’s favorite sourdough pancakes, this easy sourdough flatbread, or try your hand at homemade sourdough bread with this simple and delicious buttermilk sourdough sandwich loaf.
If you haven’t gotten into sourdough but were hoping for a new favorite biscuit recipe, I would also highly recommend einkorn biscuits for tender biscuits which are more digestible and nutritious than traditional grains.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Flavor and texture – You’ll enjoy the distinct tangy flavor of sourdough alongside the buttery and tender texture of these soft, flaky sourdough biscuits.
Better nutrition – The fermentation time provides benefits to your gut health with prebiotics, which feed your probiotics, facilitating a healthier gut microbiome. The process also frees up nutrients in the grains by breaking down phytic acid, resulting in more nutritious biscuits.
Simple meal prep – This is an easy recipe that you can start the day before you want to bake, making it a helpful option for meal prep. It’s also a great way to use up sourdough discard.
Ingredients
Flour – I use freshly milled whole wheat white flour, but you can also use all-purpose flour.
Cold butter – The colder you keep the butter, the flakier the biscuits will be. You can place the butter into the freezer for a few minutes before making this recipe to get it extra cold.
Sourdough discard – For this recipe, you can use an active sourdough starter or discard.
Baking powder and baking soda – Even though these are sourdough biscuits, there is no kneading like bread, so there is less gluten formation, and in return, less natural rise. The rise comes from these added leavening agents.
Milk or buttermilk – Buttermilk adds another depth of tanginess, but milk also works great.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Quick Sourdough Biscuits
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Chop cold butter into chunks and add to the flour mixture, cutting with a pastry blender to combine.
Step 3: Add 1 cup of sourdough starter and buttermilk, mixing everything well.
Step 4: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 3/4-1″ thick and cut out the biscuits.
Step 5: Place onto a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, parchment-lined baking sheet, or a greased glass baking dish.
Step 6: Bake right away or allow the biscuits to rise for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm spot. Bake for 14 to 20 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown.
How to Make Long-Fermented Sourdough Biscuits
Step 1: Add flour and sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir. Chop cold butter into cubes and add to the flour, cutting it in with a pastry cutter. You can also grate it with a cheese grater and stir it into the flour, use a food processor, or simply mix with your hands and work the butter and flour together until it becomes crumbly.
Step 2: Add one cup of sourdough starter and buttermilk (or milk). Stir just until combined.
Step 3: Place a clean tea towel or sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. The longer it sits out, the more sour it will become.
Step 4: The next day, sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the top of the fermented dough. Stir well.
Step 5: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 3/4-1″ thick and cut out the biscuits. I have an antique measuring cup that I like to use, but you could also use a mason jar or anything round. Cut out as many as you can, then gather the scraps up and roll them out again. Continue this process until all the dough has been cut into biscuits. A bench scraper can be helpful if your biscuits are sticking to your counter.
Step 6: Place onto a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a greased or parchment-lined glass baking dish. Space them out to keep them separated, as they will expand while baking. You can also keep them close together and they can just be pulled apart after baking, which will keep the sides softer.
Step 7: For a little added height, you can allow the biscuits to rise again for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm place before baking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 8: Bake biscuits for 14 to 20 minutes or until golden.
Tips
- If you have a gluten sensitivity, aim to ferment these biscuits for 24 hours. If you are not comfortable with fermenting for 24 hours with milk, you could substitute the milk for water.
- This recipe can use an active starter or discard, and you can also mix them up and bake without the fermentation time if you’re in a hurry.
- Cut your biscuits using a biscuit cutter, mason jar, cookie cutter, or anything round. You could also cut them into squares.
- Add a cup of shredded cheese and some garlic powder to the dough for a savory, cheddar biscuit.
Recipe FAQs
Most likely it is the result of old baking powder and/or baking soda. If these ingredients are not fresh, then they may not rise the dough as much or at all.
To add more of that delicious sourdough tang, ferment the dough longer. Making a quick biscuit will only give you a slightly sour flavor, while long fermenting the grains (12-24 hours) in a warm spot gives the wild yeast time to ferment the flour and develop that flavor.
Discard can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. If it starts to grow mold, throw it out. If it has a dark liquid on top of the starter, this is called a hooch. Pour the liquid out, then feed the discard. It is still fine to use.
Sourdough is so special because not only does it make the grains easier to digest, but it also is more nutritious that non-fermented grains. This is due to grains containing phytic acid. Phytic acids prevents our bodies from absorbing the nutrients like B vitamins, folate, iron, zinc, etc, that are found in grains. During the fermentation process, the phytic acid breaks down and the nutrients become more bioavailable.
The best way to achieve a flaky sourdough biscuit is by making sure the butter is really cold, grating the butter with a cheese grater (keeping the butter colder by working with your hands less), and folding it when rolling out. The folding process adds layers of butter and flour, adding to the flakiness.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Beignets
- Sourdough Monkey Bread
- Quick Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Granola
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, 280 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar, 12 grams
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, 4 grams
- 8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks (113 grams)
- 1 cup sourdough discard, 285 grams
- 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk*, 122 grams – You can also use water
Instructions
QUICK
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Chop cold butter into chunks and add to the flour mixture, cutting with a pastry blender to combine.
- Add sourdough starter, and buttermilk, mixing everything well.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface, roll and cut out the dough.
- Place onto a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, parchment-lined baking sheet, or a greased glass baking dish.
- Bake right away or allow the biscuits to rise for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm spot. Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Bake for 14 to 20 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown.
LONG-FERMENTED
- Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Chop cold butter into cubes and add to the flour, cutting it in with a pastry cutter. You can also grate it with a cheese grater and stir it into the flour, use a food processor, or simply mix with your hands and work the butter and flour together until it becomes crumbly.
- Add one cup of sourdough starter, along with honey and buttermilk (or milk). Stir just until combined.
- Place a clean tea towel or sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. The longer it sits out, the more sour it will become.
- The next day, preheat oven to 400℉. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the top of the fermented dough. Mix together well.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 3/4-1″ thick and cut out the biscuits. I have an antique measuring cup that I like to use, but you could also use a mason jar or anything round. Cut out as many as you can, then gather the scraps up and roll them out again. Continue this process until all the dough has been cut into biscuits. A bench scraper can be helpful if your biscuits are sticking to your counter.
- Place onto a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or a greased or parchment paper-lined glass baking dish. Space them out to keep them separated, as they will expand while baking. You can also keep them close together and they can just be pulled apart after baking, which will keep the sides softer.
- For a little added height, you can allow the biscuits to rise again for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm place before baking.
- Bake biscuits for 14 to 20 minutes or until golden.
Notes
- If you have a gluten sensitivity, aim to ferment these biscuits for 24 hours. If you are not comfortable with fermenting for 24 hours with milk, you could substitute the milk for water.
- This recipe can use an active starter or discard, and you can also mix them up and bake without the fermentation time if you’re in a hurry.
- Cut your biscuits using a biscuit cutter, mason jar, cookie cutter, or anything round. You could also cut them into squares.
- Add a cup of shredded cheese and some garlic powder to the dough for a savory, cheddar biscuit.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were the best biscuits I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot of biscuits! So soft and fluffy on the inside, with a nicely browned, slightly crisp exterior, and the flavor is perfect. They remind me of the texture of those really soft canned biscuits, but they taste amazing instead of…canned. lol. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s definitely my go to now!
Have you ever tried to not use the baking powder or baking soda? Can the sourdough starter be enough if you long ferment?
These were delicious! I even used coconut milk and it turned out great. I have made these at least three times, and a couple times I only had half a cup of starter and it still came out well. Next time I make them, I will add some honey and maybe sprinkle some sugar on the top.