Easy Cinnamon Biscuits Made with Sourdough Discard
These sourdough discard cinnamon biscuits are soft, fluffy, and topped with a sweet cinnamon drizzle, making them the perfect treat for breakfast or snack time. Easy to make and full of flavor!
As a kid, I remember getting Hardee’s cinnamon raisin biscuits when we would visit my dad’s on the weekend. They were absolutely delish except for the raisins. Those we would pick out and toss to the side. This memory came flooding back recently, so I decided to make my own version from scratch using my sourdough discard biscuit recipe. And let me tell you, they were even better than I remembered.
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What You’ll Love About This Recipe
These cinnamon sugar biscuits are the perfect combination of quick, easy, and delicious! In less than 20 minutes, you can have soft, fluffy biscuits topped with a sweet cinnamon drizzle that adds the perfect touch of sweetness. Not only are they a great way to enjoy a comforting treat, but they’re also an ideal recipe for using up your sourdough discard—helping reduce waste while creating something irresistible. Whether you’re enjoying them for breakfast, snack time, or as a treat with your afternoon coffee, these biscuits are sure to become a favorite in your kitchen!
Variations
Honestly, there are so many variations for this recipe, but I’ll give you just a few ideas:
Add raisins – Sprinkle some raisins into the dough for added texture that complements the cinnamon biscuit.
Chocolate chips – Fold chocolate chips into the dough for a sweet and decadent version of the biscuits.
Maple glaze – For a fall-inspired variation, replace the cinnamon drizzle with a simple maple glaze.
Brown Sugar– Skip the glaze and add a brown sugar and melted butter mixture to the tops of the baked biscuits.
Key Ingredients
Sourdough Discard– Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang and depth of flavor to your biscuits. It also helps create a tender crumb, making the biscuits soft and light.
Cinnamon– Cinnamon is the star spice in this recipe, giving the biscuits a warm, comforting flavor. Its sweetness pairs perfectly with the cinnamon drizzle on top of the biscuits, making every bite irresistible.
Butter– Cold butter is essential for creating a flaky texture in the biscuits. When incorporated into the dough, it forms pockets that allow steam to escape during baking, resulting in a light and fluffy biscuit. This technique is key for that melt-in-your-mouth quality.
You can find a full list of ingredients in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Biscuits
For the Biscuits
- Before you begin, preheat your oven to 425°F degrees. You’ll want a nice, hot oven in order to get a quick rise from the steam produced by the butter in your homemade biscuits.
- In a large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk them all together to incorporate.
- Using a cheese grater, shred cold butter into your dry ingredients. If you don’t have a grater, you can use a knife to chop your butter into small pieces. Cut it in using a pastry cutter or a fork. Make sure it’s well incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sourdough discard and half & half.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and mix together using your hands. Don’t try to avoid getting your hands messy. Using your hands to mix is the best method for incorporating all of the ingredients. A shaggy dough will begin to form. Keep mixing until there are no dry bits of dough.
- Begin rolling out your dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out just enough to fold it like a trifold letter and then roll it out the rest of the way. Do not skip this step! Folding your dough allows pieces of butter to stack and creates beautiful flaky biscuits.
- Now finish rolling out your biscuit dough and use your pizza cutter to shape perfect sourdough biscuits. Of course, you can always use a biscuit cutter, but I find that I waste less dough using my pizza cutter. Surprisingly enough, thick rectangular biscuits taste just as good as round ones.
- Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
- This sourdough biscuit recipe will produce the most flaky, tender biscuits you’ve ever had and is a delicious way to use your sourdough starter discard.
- Cool your biscuits for about 5 minutes before adding the cinnamon drizzle.
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For the Cinnamon Drizzle
- Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a splash of half & half (milk or heavy cream) to a bowl, and then whisk it together. It should be thin enough to drizzle over the top of your warm biscuits.
Baking Tips
Really as long as you follow the recipe, you won’t have any trouble even if this is your first time making homemade buscuits. But here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Don’t over bake- Bake until the biscuits have a light golden color on top.
- Don’t skip the dough folding process- Watch as I show you the secret to flaky, fluffy biscuits!
- Don’t roll out the dough too many times- This is why I recommend using a pizza cutter to shape your biscuits.
Recipe FAQ’S
Yes, any recipe that calls for discard can be swapped with active starter. The purpose of sourdough in this recipe isn’t for leavening, it’s for flavor.
Yes, you can freeze homemade biscuits! To freeze unbaked biscuits, simply prepare the dough, shape the biscuits, and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze them for about an hour or until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When you’re ready to bake, you can bake them straight from the freezer—just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time. If you’ve already baked the biscuits, they can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can reheat them in the oven for a fresh-from-the-oven taste!
More Breakfast Recipes
Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pull-Apart Loaf
Sourdough Banana Bread
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card below! I’d also love for you to tag me @autumn.chasingoursimple on Instagram so I can see what you’ve been baking!
Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Biscuits
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Biscuits
- 1 1/2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1/2 Cup Sourdough discard
- 1/2 Cup Half & Half
For the Cinnamon Drizzle
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- splash of half & half
Instructions
For the Biscuits
- Before you begin, preheat your oven to 425°F degrees. You’ll want a nice, hot oven in order to get a quick rise from the steam produced by the butter in your homemade biscuits.
- In a large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk them all together to incorporate.
- Using a cheese grater, shred cold butter into your dry ingredients. If you don’t have a grater, you can use a knife to chop your butter into small pieces. Cut it in using a pastry cutter or a fork. Make sure it’s well incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sourdough discard and half & half.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and mix together using your hands. Don’t try to avoid getting your hands messy. Using your hands to mix is the best method for incorporating all of the ingredients. A shaggy dough will begin to form. Keep mixing until there are no dry bits of dough.
- Begin rolling out your dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out just enough to fold it like a trifold letter and then roll it out the rest of the way. Do not skip this step! Folding your dough allows pieces of butter to stack and creates beautiful flaky biscuits.
- Now finish rolling out your biscuit dough and use your pizza cutter to shape perfect sourdough biscuits. Of course, you can always use a biscuit cutter, but I find that I waste less dough using my pizza cutter. Surprisingly enough, thick rectangular biscuits taste just as good as round ones.
- Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
- This sourdough biscuit recipe will produce the most flaky, tender biscuits you’ve ever had and is a delicious way to use your sourdough starter discard.
- Cool your biscuits for about 5 minutes before adding the cinnamon drizzle.
For the Cinnamon Drizzle
- Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a splash of half & half (milk or heavy cream) to a bowl, and then whisk it together. It should be thin enough to drizzle over the top of your warm biscuits.
