0 Buttery & Flaky Sourdough Biscuits

This is a simple & easy recipe that is a great way to use up any of your sourdough discard. Don't have starter? Then go here to make your own sourdough starter that is ready in 5-7 days, or try this Flaky Biscuit recipe that uses buttermilk. 

Look at those layers!

Now imagine taking a bite.... crispy & buttery outside, with a soft, tender inside,  & a hint of sourdough, just begging for a large pat of butter and sweet jam...or a drizzle of honey.

TIP: Weigh your flour, using a kitchen scale. Use too much, and your biscuits will be heavy & dense. Use too little, and they'll spread out and be thin. 

TIP: Cover your kitchen scale with a large plastic bag or plastic wrap, to keep it clean. 🙂

TIP: Grate your butter. This works better if your butter is COLD. Frozen butter is a little harder to grate, but cold refrigerated butter works well, too. I love this grater that doubles as a container.

Stir the COLD butter into the flour mixture. 

SOURDOUGH TIP: Use a 100% hydrated sourdough starter. This means an equal ratio of starter/flour/water by weight. For example, 2oz starter, 2oz water, 2 oz all purpose flour. For me, this pours out more easily and mixes into the flour more readily.

Stir until mixture looks like this. It's ok if there are a few dry pieces. This is a NO KNEAD dough, so you don't want to handle it too much or add too much flour. If dough is too dry and crumbly, you can add a touch of milk or starter until it looks like this...

Pat this dough onto a clean & lightly floured surface and fold it into thirds like a letter....1/3 to the middle...

 

...and the other third on top. This will create the LAYERS that are so desirable in a buttery, flaky biscuit.

Roll lightly into a 10"x4" rectangle that is 1" thick. Cut with a sharp knife, or sharp 2.5" biscuit cutter. I like cutting these into squares to avoid re-rolling the scraps, which can toughen the dough. 

Look at those LAYERS!

Hurry and brush these biscuits with cream or milk (makes 'em golden & crispy) and get those puppies into the oven while the dough is still COLD. The blast of heat from the oven will help these buttery biscuits RISE & create those lovely LAYERS.

Here are the biscuits, fresh out of the oven....

You gotta have one of them hot....with melted butter. Oh, so good!

Flaky Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

Yield: 6 biscuits

Author: Frieda Franchina, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min

This is a great way to use up any sourdough discard. I use 100% hydration* starter. It's important to weigh your ingredients and use COLD butter for best results. Enjoy alone, as a breakfast biscuit, or try any of the savory options below.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup COLD butter, grated or thinly sliced (salted or unsalted)
• 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (increase to 3/4 teaspoon if using Salted butter)
• 1 cup (227 grams) sourdough starter discard (or unfed starter)
• 1 Tablespoon of milk or cream, to brush on top

Instructions:

How to Make Flaky Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a large baking sheet: lightly greasing, using parchment or silicone baking liner.
2. Grate the cold butter or thinly slice it. Set it aside.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the cold, grated butter to the flour mixture, coating all the butter pieces. 
5. Add the starter, mixing gently by hand or by spatula. Dough should come together, with a few dry pieces.
6. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and pat it down to 1" thick rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds: Lift one end of the dough and fold it to the middle. Lift the other end of the dough and fold it over on TOP of the first fold. 
7. Lightly flour and roll to a 10"x4" rectangle that is 1" thick. With a sharp knife, cut into 6 equal squares.  *For Round Biscuits: Roll into a circle and use a sharp 2.5" round cutter. Gently push the scraps together to form a single biscuit that is 1" thick. 
8. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet, about 2" apart. Brush tops of biscuits with milk or cream.
9. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Remove biscuits from oven & serve hot. Or cool, put into baggie and store at room temp for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note: If your starter is thick and your dough is dry and crumbly, add a tablespoon of milk until the dough comes together. *100% hydration is equal parts of starter, water and flour by weight. 

Savory Biscuits: Before "folding" the biscuit dough into thirds, add any of the following - grated sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, cooked bacon pieces, freshly chopped chives, etc. Fold dough into thirds and roll into a 10"x4" rectangle. Cut into 6 squares or triangles & bake as directed.