Easy Sourdough Discard Biscuits Recipe

Looking for a delicious way to use up your sourdough discard? Put it to good use with this recipe for easy sourdough discard biscuits! 

You will never make biscuits any other way once you’ve made these. This recipe is easy enough for a beginner but the taste will make everyone think your recipe’s been handed down for generations. 

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What is Sourdough Discard

Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that you would typically remove and discard before feeding your starter. Rather than throwing it away, you can think of it as a flavorful and valuable ingredient for all kinds of recipes! 

Discard is a mixture of flour, water, wild yeast, and lactic acid bacteria. While it may not be active enough to leaven bread on its own, it has a distinct tangy flavor of sourdough. Using sourdough discard not only minimizes food waste but also adds a unique taste to recipes like these biscuits we’re about to make. 

Supplies Needed

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Bench Scraper
• Cheese Grater: Using a cheese grater to shred your butter makes life so much easier. Trust me. 
• Pastry Cutter/Pastry Blender
• Pizza Cutter: This is the best tool for cutting biscuits because contrary to popular belief, biscuits don’t have to be round! 

Ingredients

All-purpose flour: I prefer King Arthur Organic All-purpose flour for all of my sourdough baking. You can’t beat the quality. 

• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Butter: Be sure your butter is nice and cold. You can even pop it into the freezer a few minutes before shredding it. 
• Sourdough discard
• Half & Half

How to Make Easy Sourdough Discard Biscuits

Before you begin, preheat your oven to 425 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. Placing them in the bowl together will thin your discard that is likely thick and cold straight from the fridge. 

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 letter and then roll it out the rest of the way. ( Be sure to watch my video below to see how this is done.) 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 rectangle biscuits taste just as good as round ones.:)

Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown. You can also bake these in a cast iron skillet if you want to up your homesteader game. 

This sourdough biscuit recipe will produce the most tender flaky sourdough biscuits you’ve ever had and is a delicious way to use your sourdough starter discard. 

Serve them with sausage gravy, or melted butter and jelly. One of my family’s favorite ways to enjoy this recipe is to drizzle honey butter on top. This is easy to make by just stirring together softened butter and a little honey. This is also my go-to recipe for a last minute bread to serve with soups, stews, or other savory meals. 

FAQ

Can I freeze these biscuits? YES! I recommend making a double batch every time you make this recipe: one to bake and one to freeze. After you cut your biscuits, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flash-freeze them for 2 hours. Then pop them into a freezer bag.

Why do I need baking powder and baking soda? Even though discard comes from your starter, it’s not an active leaven so you will need to add these ingredients to get the rise you desire. 

What can I substitute for half & half? For this recipe, I have subbed in heavy cream as well as whole milk. 

Additional Sourdough Recipes and Tips

Establishing a Sourdough Starter: Sourdough shouldn’t be complicated! Use my free day-by-day guide to establishing a sourdough starter.

Classic King Arthur Sourdough Bread: Bake a loaf using this classic King Arthur sourdough bread recipe and get a beautiful and delicious loaf time after time.

4 Things I’ve Learned About Sourdough: Bread making can be a rollercoaster so I want to share 4 things I’ve learned about Sourdough that may be helpful to you.

Easy Homemade Sourdough Bread Bowls: What can make a warm bowl of soup even better? Serve it in a bread bowl of course! This easy homemade sourdough bread bowl recipe is perfect for soups, chilis, dips, and stews!

Below I’ve included a printable recipe card with a clear list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you’ll try this easy biscuit recipe and follow along over on instagram for more sourdough inspiration. Incorporating sourdough discard into your baking routine is delicious and fun! Don’t stop here- experiment with different variations and continue exploring the possibilies of your sourdough starter.