I love all sandwiches but especially the breakfast sandwich. My favorite is anything on one of these sourdough biscuits. With an enormous cup coffee, naturally. They’re buttery, flaky, and so good. Like most good sourdough discard recipes they have a little bit of tanginess.

Sourdough Biscuits

Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang to these buttery, layered biscuits – perfect for breakfast or dinner and a practical way to use up extra starter. Makes 14 biscuits.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 13

Serving Size biscuits

Equipment

2” Biscuit cutter
Pastry brush

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
½ cup unsalted butter frozen and grated (1 stick)
1 cup sourdough discard cold
½ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons salted butter melted (optional for topping)

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Instructions

Grate the butter. Place the stick of butter in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove it from the freezer, and grate the butter onto a plate. Place the plate back into the freezer and freeze for about 30 minutes. You can also do this the night before for quick access.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.
Add frozen butter. Add the frozen grated butter to the bowl and stir to combine.
Add wet ingredients. Add the cold sourdough discard and buttermilk to the flour mixture. Fold in the wet ingredients using a spatula to avoid overmixing the mixture. You want the dough to just come together with a few crumbs.
Shape. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and shape it into a rectangle.
Fold and chill. Fold the dough into thirds and cover by folding the parchment paper over it. Place in the fridge for about 1 hour (or up to 2 days – the longer the dough sits, the more sourdough flavor you will have).
Prep. Place a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425℉.
Cut out. Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll out the dough to ¾ inch thick. (You may want to use some bench flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin). Using a biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits. Move to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake. Bake at 425℉ for 8 minutes.
Top with butter and cool. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted salted butter. Transfer to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.

Notes

A 2-inch biscuit cutter will give you 14 biscuits.

I hate throwing away discard. These biscuits are one of my favorites to use it up – even if I have to save some specifically for this recipe.

split biscuit topped with butter and jam with a spoon.

You have to use frozen grated butter and fold the dough as the recipe says. I’m going to be strict with you. You can leave the dough in the fridge for longer than an hour to get more of a sourdough tang, but one hour is the minimum.

Kitchen Wisdom

Today’s recipes often tell you to cut cold butter into small cubes, but grating it saves time and gives a more even distribution. Our grandmothers used a box grater for everything from cheese to cold butter, and their biscuits always tasted great. This technique works for pie crusts, scones, or any recipe that calls for cutting butter into flour.

Tips for Success

Gently fold the wet ingredients in until the dough just comes together. Don’t overwork it.

Roll the dough to ¾ inch thick – any thinner, and you won’t get those lovely layers.

Press straight down with your biscuit cutter, and don’t twist. Twisting will seal the edges and stop the biscuits from rising properly.

Keep your ingredients cold to get flaky layers.

Ingredients and Equipment

Sourdough Discard: Use it cold, straight from the fridge. The acidity helps create tender biscuits.

Butter: Freeze it solid before grating.

Buttermilk: Adds tang and tenderness. See substitutions below if needed.

sourdough biscuit ingredients measured in bowls on counter.

Biscuit Cutter: A sharp 2-inch cutter gives clean edges. A drinking glass works in a pinch but may seal the edges.

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Make It Your Own

There are a few ways to adjust the recipe.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make it by measuring out the amount in milk and adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the milk. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes before using. However, I recommend just buying buttermilk. If you’re worried about wasting the extra, try these buttermilk leftover recipes.
You can add herbs like fresh chives or cracked black pepper to the dry ingredients.
Bake them in a preheated cast iron skillet if you want extra crispy bottoms.

Storage & Serving

Serve with butter, berry jam, cream, and coffee. You can also split them and make breakfast sandwiches. Then we will be best friends.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container – 3 days at room temperature and 4 days for the fridge.
If you want to freeze them for later, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for one hour. Then, put them in a freezer-safe bag for 3 months.
To reheat, thaw completely and warm in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe, perfect for weekday mornings or weekend afternoons. Keep everything cold, and they’ll turn out wonderfully.

Sourdough Discard Biscuits