Flaky Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits
These soft and fluffy Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits are easy to make with sourdough discard and this easy recipe. Serve them hot right out of the oven with some homemade raw butter or jam. These also make for some amazing sourdough biscuits and sausage gravy or egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches!
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There are so many things you can make with sourdough besides just sourdough bread – like sourdough crackers, sourdough pancakes or waffles, or sourdough scones! So many things can be made with sourdough and this Buttermilk Sourdough Biscuit recipe is one of them! With just a few ingredients, this is a perfect recipe for sourdough beginners. With no extra wait time, you can have these homemade biscuits on the table in no time. Let me show you just how simple it is to make these deliciously soft homemade sourdough biscuits from scratch.
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There is so much flavor in these Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits. Partially from the added sourdough starter, and also from the buttermilk. This is a sourdough discard recipe, meaning you do not need an active starter. If you’re like me and do not want to waste any sourdough starter, keep a jar in your fridge of any sourdough discard you have after feeding your sourdough starter. This recipe is a great way to use up some of that extra starter. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more the sourdough tang will come through in the biscuits.Â
how to make buttermilk
Buttermilk is a delicious byproduct of making your own butter. If you’ve never made butter, check out this recipe for Raw Butter HERE! When mixing cream to make butter, the butterfat sticks together and separates from the buttermilk. Reserve it for making these sourdough biscuits or pancakes. Buttermilk has a sour, creamy taste to it, making it a delicious component in these flaky sourdough biscuits and other baked goods.
If you've never made butter, check out this recipe for Raw Butter HERE!
tips for making extra soft and flaky biscuits
Cold butter: Using cold butter will create more pockets as it melts in the oven, making the biscuits extra fluffy.
Don’t over mix: Mixing the dough too much will activate the gluten, making the biscuits tough instead of soft in texture.
Bake close together: Baking the biscuits close together in a cast iron skillet makes them rise higher instead of spread out flatter.Â
ingredients you’ll need to make the best biscuits
- organic all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- cold butter
- sourdough starter (does not need to be active sourdough starter)
- fresh buttermilk
- raw honey
how to make sourdough buttermilk biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Put all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) into a large bowl. Mix with a dough whisk to combine.Â
- Shred cold butter with a cheese grater and mix into flour mixture. OR cut cold butter into cubes and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter.
- Mix sourdough starter, buttermilk and honey in a smaller bow. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and stir with a dough whisk until just combined. It’s ok if there’s a little dry flour in the bottom – you don’t want to over mix! Next, you have two options…
To make a drop-style, fluffy biscuits:
Divide the dough with a bench scraper into 8 equal pieces and shape into a rough ball shape (doesn’t have to be perfect). Arrange in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Bake 14-18 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
To make round, layered biscuits:
Turn out the shaggy dough onto a floured surface. Roll dough out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle. Fold dough into thirds (like folding a letter). Then roll dough out again until it is 1″ thick, and fold again. Repeat this process two more times. Cut with a biscuit cutter and arrange in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Bake 14-18 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
recipe tips and notes:
- It’s ok if the biscuits are touching in the cast-iron skillet – they should be! This will help them rise higher.Â
- To make sure the end result is fluffy, tender biscuits, make sure your baking powder is fresh. To test it, pour 1 cup of hot water over 1 teaspoon of baking powder. If it bubbles up, it’s still good. If it doesn’t, toss it.
- Make sure the butter is cold before adding to the biscuit dough. It can be frozen or straight from the fridge, but not room temperature.
- Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Â
If you loved these delicious sourdough biscuits, make sure you try this SOURDOUGH PEACH COBBLER! Featuring lightly-sweetened sourdough biscuits on top. Seriously, so good.Â
tips for baking with a cast iron skillet
The most important thing to do if baking with a cast iron skillet is to make sure your skillet is well seasoned. Commercial non-stick bakeware uses chemicals to ensure that food does not stick to the pan, but these chemicals can leech into food during baking. A less toxic alternative is to use cast iron for baking. In order to make sure that your food will not stick, it is important to make sure your cast iron pan is well seasoned. Seasoning a cast iron skillet is so easy. Here’s how:
1. If the cast iron skillet is rusty, wash off any rust with warm, soapy water. Lightly scrub with steel wool if there is anything super stuck to the pan.
2. Pat the skillet dry with paper towel.
​3. Rub the pan with avocado oil (this is my favorite choice because it has the highest smoke point of common cooking oils), covering the top, bottom and handle.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven, upside down, for 1 hour.
5. Your pan should be shiny, black, and perfectly non-stick.
Note: If you seasoned your pan and food is still sticking, try the seasoning process again. It may take up to 3 or 4 times to get enough oil baked back into the pan.
Hungry for more sourdough recipes?!
- Sourdough Peach Cobbler
- Sourdough Pie Crust
- Sourdough Waffles and Pancakes
- Sourdough Crackers
- Sourdough Scones
- Sourdough French Toast
- Sourdough Croutons
recipe card for sourdough buttermilk biscuits
Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits
These soft and fluffy Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits are easy to make with sourdough discard and fresh buttermilk. Follow this easy recipe for deliciously soft and fluffy biscuits.
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic all purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp honey
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Put all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) into a large bowl. Mix with a dough whisk to combine.
3. Shred cold butter with a cheese grater and mix into flour mixture. OR cut cold butter into cubes and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter.
4. Mix sourdough starter, buttermilk and honey in a smaller bow. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and stir with a dough whisk until just combined. It's ok if there's a little dry flour in the bottom - you don't want to over mix!
To make a drop-style, fluffy biscuits:
5. Divide the dough with a bench scraper into 8 equal pieces and shape into a rough ball shape (doesn't have to be perfect). Arrange in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
6. Bake 14-18 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm with fresh butter or jam.
To make round, layered biscuits:
5. Turn out the shaggy dough onto a floured surface. Roll dough out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle. Fold dough into thirds (like folding a letter). Then roll dough out again until it is 1" thick, and fold again. Repeat this process two more times. Cut with a biscuit cutter and arrange in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
6. Bake 14-18 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm with fresh butter or jam.
Notes
It's ok if the biscuits are touching in the cast-iron skillet - they should be! This will help them rise higher.Â
To make sure the end result is fluffy, tender biscuits, make sure your baking powder is fresh. To test it, pour 1 cup of hot water over 1 teaspoon of baking powder. If it bubbles up, it's still good. If it doesn't, toss it.
Make sure the butter is cold before adding to the biscuit dough. It can be frozen or straight from the fridge, but not room temperature.
Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Â
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These sound delicious!