Flaky Sourdough Discard Biscuits – Best Recipe!

Looking for a delicious way to use up your sourdough discard? Try these flaky sourdough discard biscuits! Perfectly golden and incredibly flaky, these biscuits are a delightful addition to any meal. Whether you’re enjoying them for breakfast, as a snack, or as a side with dinner, their buttery layers and tangy flavor will leave you wanting more. This recipe is easy to follow and makes the most out of your sourdough starter discard, turning it into a mouthwatering treat. Don’t let your discard go to waste—bake these irresistible biscuits and savor the perfect balance of crispiness and softness in every bite!

Background & Inspiration

Whenever my husband and I go out for breakfast, one of us always gets biscuits and gravy to share. It’s the perfect savory breakfast option! We used to buy Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Dough from Walmart, and we’d bake them weekly as a side for our morning meals. However, with our recent focus on ingredient lists, we felt the sting when it came to those biscuits. While delicious, this ingredient list hurt; as soon as I see seed oils or words I’m not sure how to pronounce, it’s a no-go for us.

“Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Contains 2% or Less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Dextrose, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Preservatives (TBHQ, Citric Acid), Annatto Extract and Beta Carotene (for Color).”

Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers Butter Tastin’ Refrigerated Biscuit Dough, Walmart

With my addiction to sourdough bread, I figured, let’s make biscuits using sourdough starter! You’ll notice, I was feeling a bit festive with the fall colors and decided to use a pumpkin-shaped pastry cutter for these delicious biscuits. These flaky sourdough biscuits are a perfect pairing with sausage gravy or topped with raspberry homemade jam. We’ve made these buttery sourdough biscuits on several occasions and it’s always a crowd-pleaser! The whole family thinks these are the best biscuits and their versatile for everyone’s preference of topping. Need more sourdough recipes? Try my sourdough cinnamon rolls or my sourdough banana bread!

@renaissance.alana

Sourdough discard biscuits! Find the recipe on my blog❤️

♬ vibey birds of a feather – Jordan Greenwald

Tools

• Glass Mixing Bowls
• Kitchen Scale
• Cheese Grater
• Biscuit Cutter
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Butter: I buy my butter in bulk from Sam’s Club since I do a lot of baking. Salt is my kryptonite, so I use salted butter. Feel free to use unsalted butter! You want cold butter for this recipe, so stick in the freezer the day before.

Egg: I used a pasture-raised egg that were at room temperature.

Sourdough Starter Discard: I used my own sourdough starter discard that was a few days old that I had stored in my refrigerator. You can use an active starter in place of discard. You will get a tangy flavor with discard than with active sourdough starter, which I prefer! A tangy sourdough starter will have been in the fridge for 3+ days.

Dry Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: I like to use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour for baking, but my homemade sourdough starter is made with whole wheat flour. You could switch out the AP flour for whole wheat for a grainer textured blondie. Bread flour can be substituted here as well.

Baking Powder: I like to use baking powder that has no added aluminum (I’m not a fan of aluminum foil either)!

Salt: If you haven’t tried Redmond’s Real Salt, you’re missing out!

How to Make Flaky Sourdough Discard Biscuits

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter and egg until well combined. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Use the large holes of a grater to grate the butter. Ensure you scrape and use all the butter from the grater. Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and gently rub it to coat the butter with flour.

Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the starter mixture. Stir with a spatula until just a few dry spots remain. You will have a shaggy dough!

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 seconds to bring it together. Avoid overworking the dough. Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness.

Fold 1/3 of the dough over to the center, then fold the other 1/3 over, forming an envelope shape. Fold the short edges up to make a square. I used a bench scraper to do this. Roll the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Thicker dough is a great way to get flaky biscuits.

Dip a biscuit cutter in flour, then push straight down into the dough and lift straight out to cut biscuits. Depending on your cutter, your biscuit could be a thick rectangle, circle, or spooky pumpkin! Avoid twisting the cutter to maintain flaky layers.

Gently gather the dough scraps, knead them together, and cut additional biscuits. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet with biscuits in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 450°F.

Once the oven is preheated, bake on the middle rack for 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy your homemade biscuits! Store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days.