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Quick & Easy Sourdough Biscuit Recipe

By Melissa

5 from 30 votes

on May 11, 2020, Updated Nov 13, 2024

This quick & easy Sourdough Biscuit recipe makes tender, flaky, golden-brown biscuits that are perfect for breakfast and dinner alike. They are nice and crusty on the outside with soft, fluffy insides!

Two words: sourdough biscuits. Oh man, these are a serious heaven-in-your-mouth situation, and if you are actively caring for a sourdough starter, they’re your answer to a FAST biscuit recipe. And one that is oh-so good.

That subtle tart flavor mixed with the buttery flakiness of a biscuit is unbelievable! Plus, this recipe is a quickie—no waiting for dough to rise like other traditional sourdough recipes. You just make the dough, and they’re ready to bake!

The fun thing is you can use your sourdough starter OR discard in this recipe. The discard gives it a stronger sourdough flavor, but I prefer the starter over the discard though both are good in their own ways!

🍞🥖 New to sourdough? Find out how to make your own sourdough starter here, find my most popular and basic bread recipe here, and search the sourdough archive here.

Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Biscuit Recipe

• So Fast: This is a fun and fast weekday recipe or a great one for a big holiday brunch if you need something comforting but doesn’t take a ton of effort!
• Crunchy & Soft: These have what I think is a perfect biscuit texture—crusty on the outside with soft, fluffy insides!
• Use Up Your Discard: If you enjoy the more sour element of starter discard, then go ahead and use it in this recipe. Otherwise, just use your active starter—either way is great!

🍞 18 Easy Sourdough Recipes!

Ingredients

• Sourdough starter or discard: The discard will give them a more sour flavor, and I prefer the starter for the best texture and flavor.
• Milk: This is the liquid that brings the dough together and gives the taste a rich and hearty element.
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour allows the dough to become thick and hearty, a biscuit must!
• Baking powder: Baking powder helps the biscuits rise and puff up as they bake.
• Salt: Salt’s the almighty balancer of flavors in baked goodies.
• Butter: The key! Make sure your butter is extra-cold (you can freeze it for a few minutes) and grate it using a cheese grater for the best biscuit texture.

See recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to Make Sourdough Biscuits

1. Combine the sourdough starter (or discard) and 1/3 cup of milk. In a second bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and grated butter.  Add the milk mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to combine. Adjust the dough, using additional milk as needed, until the dough comes together well but isn’t sticky.
2. When the dough mostly comes together, remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin or your hands to gently roll or pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut the biscuits into 12 pieces. Place the cut biscuits into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Use sourdough starter: You CAN use the discard if you like, the choice is yours so use what you like or have on hand.
• Grate the butter: Grated butter melts in tiny pockets as the biscuits bake, making them uber flaky, airy, and layered.
• Gently pat out the dough: When preparing the biscuits, very gently pat the dough into a 1-inch rectangle. Pushing too hard will lead to denser, less fluffy biscuits.

Other Sourdough Quick Breads To Try

These are some of my other dare-I-say amazing sourdough recipes that have become family favorites!

• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Same Day Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Fluffy Sourdough Cornbread

More Sourdough Recipes to Consider

Sourdough Recipes

Sourdough Cinnamon Swirl Bread – A Perfect Breakfast Loaf

Sourdough Recipes

No Knead Sourdough Bread {Easy Beginner’s Recipe}

Sourdough Recipes

How to Feed a Sourdough Starter: Prepping for Perfect Loaves

Sourdough Recipes

Soft & Fluffy Sourdough Challah Bread

Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

5 from 30 votes

Quick & Easy Sourdough Biscuit Recipe

By: Melissa Griffiths

This quick & easy Sourdough Biscuit recipe makes tender, flaky, golden-brown biscuits that are perfect for breakfast and dinner alike. They are nice and crusty on the outside with soft, fluffy insides!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 biscuits

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Equipment

• small mixing bowl I love these because they have lids and double as serving bowls.
• baking dish
• biscuit cutter
• sharp knife This is my absolute favorite all-purpose knife.
• Rolling Pin

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup (225g) sourdough starter or sourdough discard
• ▢ 1/3 cup plus up to 1/3 cup more as needed (80-160g) milk, (I use whole or 2%)
• ▢ 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoons (85g) very cold butter, grated

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F., and lightly butter the bottom of a baking dish, such as a 12-inch skillet or a 7×11-inch baking dish.
• In a small mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter (or discard) and 1/3 cup of milk. Whisk well with a fork to combine.
• In a second medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and grated butter.  Stir with a fork to combine.
• Add the milk mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.
• The texture of the biscuits will depend a lot on the starter/discard that you used.
• Adjust the dough, using additional milk as needed, until the dough comes together well but isn't sticky. You can work it with your hands just a little if you'd like to get the last of the flour to come together. It's better if you are working with a slightly dry dough, opposed to a wet or sticky dough.
• When the dough mostly comes together, remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Use a rolling pin or your hands to gently roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 6 inches by 9 inches so that the biscuit dough is about 1 inch thick.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the biscuits into 12 pieces.
• Place the cut biscuits into the prepared pan.
• Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops are golden-brown.
• Remove the biscuits from the oven and serve hot with butter and jam or with sausage gravy on top.

Notes

• I like to use my mature bubbly active starter for this recipe. I think it has the best texture and flavor. My starter is considered a 100% hydration starter because I feed it equal parts water and flour. When I use my active starter for this recipe, I use 2/3 cup of milk total.
• You are free to use your sourdough discard in this recipe. The flavor is generally more sour, and you’ll need to adjust the milk to account for the texture of your discard. Often discard is thinner than mature starter, so make adjustments as needed. You will likely need less milk.
• When adjusting the milk for the right consistency, it’s better if you are working with a slightly dry dough as opposed to a wet or sticky dough.
• This recipe doesn’t work well for a long or overnight rising time. The baking powder will lose its leavening power over an extended time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 12 biscuits, Calories: 150kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 251mg, Potassium: 34mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 186IU, Calcium: 72mg, Iron: 1mg

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