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biscuits on a cast iron pan

Easy Buttery Sourdough Biscuits

Sourdough biscuits are ridiculously buttery and filled with flaky layers to make the best breakfast biscuit! The added twang of sourdough really pushes these biscuits over the edge to make them some of the best biscuits you will ever try. 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 26 minutes
Serving Size 1 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup grated cold butter
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sourdough discard
  • 1/2 cup milk

Instructions

  • In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder until well combined.
  • Grate 1 stick of cold butter using a large box grater or cut the butter into very small cubes.
  • Add half of the butter to the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Add the milk and sourdough discard to the dry mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.
  • Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use your hands to press in to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.
  • Take the reserved butter and sprinkle half on the top of the dough rectangle.
  • Fold the top of the biscuit dough over to cover the butter. Sprinkle on the remaining butter and fold the dough over again to encase the butter.
  • Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1 inch thick.
  • Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Place the biscuits in the fridge on a baking tray while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • When the oven has preheated, remove the biscuits from the fridge and bake at 450 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

The key to tall and flaky biscuits is to create layers by folding the biscuit dough rather than kneading it. When it comes to biscuit dough, the less you handle it the better. This is for a few key reasons: 
  • The more the dough is worked or kneaded, the less tender the crumb will be. Trust me, you want good, tender, biscuits. 
  • The more the dough is worked, the more likely it is you will heat up the butter in the biscuit dough. Cold butter ensures the biscuits will be flaky because as the butter slowly melts in the baking process it creates pockets of air in the dough. If the butter in the dough is warm when you bake the biscuits, the butter will just melt and ooze out of the dough instead.
Another tip to ensure tall biscuits is to use a biscuit cutter correctly. When you cut biscuits out be sure to never twist the cutter into the dough. Instead push straight down and pull the biscuit cutter straight back up. When you twist the biscu