Use your sourdough starter discard in these delicious, buttery sourdough biscuits. Nothing beats these easy homemade biscuits with a slight sourdough tang!

If you're into sourdough, chances are you have a lot of sourdough starter discard. At least I hope you do! If you've been around Lively Table a while, you know that I hate wasting food, and that includes flour, especially when it's harder to come by like it is now. Throwing out your sourdough discard is a huge waste of flour, especially in the beginning when you're feeding your starter often. But instead of throwing it away, put it to good use by baking something delicious, like these easy homemade sourdough biscuits!

I pour off my sourdough discard into a jar and store it in the refrigerator. This way I have plenty when I need it. This calls for cold starter discard, so I recommend keeping yours in the fridge as well.

Why You'll Love These Sourdough Biscuits

These sourdough biscuits are perfect for using up lots of sourdough discard!
They're super quick and easy to make - all you need are a few simple ingredients and about 30 minutes.
They taste heavenly! Flaky, buttery, and perfect for breakfast with a smear of butter, honey or homemade jam.

How To Make Quick & Easy Homemade Sourdough Biscuits

First, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a large bowl.
Working quickly, grate the cold butter into the bowl with a large-holed grater. Mix into the flour to evenly coat the flecks of butter.
Stir in the sourdough discard to make a dry dough. It's okay if it doesn't come together completely.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push it together with your hands.
Pat the dough into a rectangle, then fold it in half on top of itself. Then fold it on top if itself again. Pat it down into a large 1-inch thick rectangle.
Using a floured biscuit cutter, cut the dough into biscuits by pressing straight down, making them as close together as possible so you get as many as you can out of the first cutting. Push the remaining dough together, pat it down again, and cut remaining biscuits.
Place the biscuits in a lightly buttered cast iron skillet or baking dish, just barely touching to help them rise.
Bake at 450 for 16-18 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Taken them out and brush the tops with butter (optional) and enjoy!

Tips For Making The Best Biscuits

The cold butter is what makes flaky pockets in biscuits, so you want your butter to stay as cold as possible. I place the butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before starting. Then work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible with your hands (which will warm the butter).
You also want to make sure your starter discard is cold, for the same reason.
Press your biscuit cutter straight down into the dough without twisting. This will ensure that the dough is able to rise.
If you don't have a biscuit cutter, a glass or jar will work to cut biscuits.
Sourdough starters vary in hydration levels. If your dough is too dry to come together, drizzle just a tiny bit of milk or buttermilk into it until it is moist enough to come together.

Ingredient Substitutions

You can use white while wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose flour for a whole grain biscuit. They won't be quite as light and fluffy, but they're still delicious!
I use salted butter in this recipe. If you're using unsalted butter, you can increase the salt to ¾ tsp.

More Sourdough Recipes You'll Love

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Easy Sourdough Biscuits

Print Recipe

Use your sourdough starter discard in these delicious, buttery sourdough biscuits. Nothing beats these easy homemade biscuits with a slight sourdough tang!

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6-8 biscuits 1x
Category: breakfast
Method: baked
Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup all purpose flour (or sub half white whole wheat flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
6 tbsp very cold butter, plus more for brushing the tops and greasing the dish
1 cup sourdough starter discard, chilled
cold milk or buttermilk as needed

Instructions

Chill butter in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a baking dish or cast iron skillet with butter.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
Using a large-hole grater, grate the butter into the bowl. Mix to coat the butter evenly with flour.
Add the starter and mix to form a shaggy dough. It will be dry and you may have a little bit of dry flour. That's okay.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together to form a ball. If the dough still doesn't come together at this point, you may need to add a very small amount of cold milk or buttermilk to moisten it just enough to hold together.
Press the dough into a rectangle, then fold it in half. Press down gently and fold it in half again, and then a third time.
Press the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Use a floured biscuit cutter to cut biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting the cutter. Gently press the biscuit out of the cutter, and repeat, making cuts as close together as you can. Press the remaining dough together to cut the rest of the biscuits.
Place the biscuits in the greased baking dish or cast iron skillet, just barely touching. This will help them rise.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden.
Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.(optional)

Notes

The cold butter is what makes flaky pockets in biscuits, so you want your butter to stay as cold as possible. I place the butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before starting. Then work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible with your hands (which will warm the butter).
You also want to make sure your starter discard is cold, for the same reason.
Press your biscuit cutter straight down into the dough without twisting. This will ensure that the dough is able to rise.
If you don't have a biscuit cutter, a glass or jar will work to cut biscuits.
Sourdough starters vary in hydration levels. If your dough is too dry to come together, drizzle just a tiny bit of milk or buttermilk into it until it is moist enough to come together.