I’m still on a quest to find delicious recipes to utilize the extra starter that must be discarded at each sourdough starter feeding. This morning I was making Hearty Ham and Bean Soup and decided to make biscuits to go along with it for lunch. So why not sourdough biscuits? Well, I had attempted a recipe I had found, using sourdough starter for biscuits a few weeks ago and wasn’t too keen about it. Ok, I threw them out. They were horrible. They were way too heavy.
I thought about my buttermilk biscuit recipe and decided to try sourdough in place of the buttermilk, with the addition of butter, rather than shortening. Perfect. I’m pleased to share with you these delicious Buttery Sourdough Biscuits.
My granddaughter, 7 year old Stella, was home ‘sick’ from school. While the biscuits were baking, we had a little history lesson. I asked her if she ever heard of a wagon train? She hadn’t. So, we looked up pictures of wagon trains and campfires and maps of the early United States. I told her about the early settlers having to ride all the way across this great land in a covered wagon, without a refrigerator and how they carried sourdough starter so they could have nutritious and delicious meals. I told her they carried dried beans for protein and made soups and stews in large pots over an open campfire. It was fun and exciting. Like camping out everyday….And dangerous. But I skipped that part.
I did tell her how brave our ancestors were to get on a ship and sail all the way across the ocean to begin a new life, in a new land. And I told her how important their sourdough was to them. My great grandmother protected her sourdough starter, my daddy says. He says she was ‘fussin over it’ all the time. I understand that. It was a really big deal back then. I understand why. I hope Stella understands someday, too.
Today at lunch she ate 2 huge Buttery Sourdough Biscuits with her ham and bean soup….and she said it was the best meal ever….. I think she may be a politician one day. Or she’s just a super sweet little girl.
Anyway, before you toss out that starter, try this recipe. Buttery Sourdough Biscuits are wonderful with a hearty soup or stew. Or with a cup of coffee in the middle of the afternoon, like me….don’t forget the butter and marmalade. Hope you enjoy them….we did.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sourdough starter
- 2 cups plain flour, sifted
- 1 stick butter, melted and divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 TBLS sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. Add sourdough and 4 TBLS melted butter and mix. Butter skillet with 2 TBLS butter. Shape dough into egg size biscuits and place in a cast iron skillet. Brush with 1 TBLS melted butter. Cover with a dish towel and allow to rise about 10 minutes or so.
- Preheat oven 350*. Bake 30- 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven. Brush with remaining butter. Serve warm with butter.
35 Comments
Oh they sound so yummy!!!
March 4, 2015 at 7:11 amThanks, Mary… Stella named them for me….and she hit the nail on the head…Buttery is the right word….
March 4, 2015 at 10:07 amWhere is the recipe?
January 30, 2021 at 12:32 pmMade these biscuits with the 2 cups of flour and they are very wet. Added a little bit more flour and still wet. More like a dumpling. Just dropped spoonful of dough into skillet. We’ll see how they turn out. Should I just add more flour so I can handle the dough?
January 28, 2017 at 8:08 pmThat’s what I would do….
January 29, 2017 at 6:06 pmI absolutely love this recipe! Making it again this morning!!!
February 21, 2017 at 11:23 amI do too! Thanks Sharleen….
February 23, 2017 at 1:53 pmThis is one of our favorite recipes!!! With gravy. With jelly. With an egg. Just a biscuit. They’re just so good! Mine turn out delicious- but it never makes as many as you have pictured. All my measurements are the same. And if anything the dough isn’t wet enough. Suggestions? Am I doing something wrong? Maybe our starters just differ in consistency? It makes about half as much in your picture every time I make them.
February 27, 2017 at 10:19 pmI don’t know…Probably different consistencies….if it were me and I wanted more I’d just double the recipe….add more starter…These are our favorites, too. I’m so glad you all like them! Thanks…
February 28, 2017 at 9:37 amI have to agree with VERY WET AND STICKY DOUGH. I added another 1/2 cup flour and still sticky. I was actually a mess trying to get them into the skillet in any kind of a biscuit shape. What did everyone else do? I hated to add more flour – didn’t want them too dry and hard!
March 4, 2017 at 8:05 pmI’m realizing everyones starter is different. My starter is a thick and not liquid at all. Most regular biscuit recipes call for 1/4 cup shortening: 2 cups flour, so I feel you have some wiggle room to add additional flour as needed, according to your starter. You can see photos of my starter in this post.. http://joytomyheart.com/how-to-maintain-your-sourdough-starter/ so you know where I’m starting from…. I hope this helps…
March 11, 2017 at 9:49 amWould these work in a Dutch oven? Any idea how long they would cook?
August 18, 2017 at 9:48 pmI’ve never tried, so I really don’t know….I don’t know that it would be any different, as long as you don’t cover them. But let me know what you find out…. I do think they would be fine in a regular pan.
August 19, 2017 at 7:36 pmI tried this recipe and my biscuits weren’t fluffy. I’m guessing I should have let the biscuits rise longer than 10 minutes? Also just curious why the baking temperature is a lot lower than other biscuit recipes? I will try recipe again to see if a longer rise will work.
January 18, 2020 at 9:43 amMade these this morning as written except I only made half the recipe. I got 8 delicious biscuits and boy are they good. I worked on my starter a day before to make it nice and thick and bubbly. So glad I found your recipe. I will make it often from now on.
January 18, 2018 at 10:44 amLoved the buttery biscuits . Thank you for the recipe. The dough was easy to handle not to sticky just right!
February 10, 2018 at 8:36 amThank you Wanda…I’m glad they turned out for you…we love them.
February 11, 2018 at 10:35 pmJust made these this morning. Very good, but definitely a learning curve depending on what your starter consistency is. I halved the recipe, and with my particular starter, I had to add additional starter and I tossed in some buttermilk as well. My dough was at the consistency I am used to with my own recipe, not too sticky, and easy to use biscuit cutter. The biscuits were a tad dry, so I will keep playing with this to get them right with my starter. Thanks for sharing, I will put this in my sourdough discard recipe box!
September 22, 2018 at 12:44 pmYes, it’s difficult to explain the consistency of the starter….I’m glad you were able make it work…Thanks for the review…
September 29, 2018 at 8:33 pmJust made these and they were delicious! Crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. I made a half batch. A bit sticky, but manageable without adding extra flour. Very easy to make, and I love that I can use my extra starter…I hate throwing it away. This recipe is a great addition to my Sour dough recipe collection. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
December 19, 2018 at 11:39 pmI’M glad you enjoyed them…we LOVE them, too… Always happy to share!
January 20, 2019 at 11:26 pmMine are in the oven right now and I can’t wait to taste them. One thing I noticed is that mine are really lumpy bumpy looking on top. I took calls of dough and just rolled them in my palm. Do you shape them another way to get a smoother looking top?
Thanks for sharing this recipes to put all that starter discard to good use (can’t make waffles *every* day lol)!
February 3, 2019 at 12:39 pmI pressed them onto a circle and thence them out…but either way is fine…I’m sure they’re delicious either way….renee
April 14, 2019 at 7:45 pmI must admit that I don’t read many blogs – they seem airy and self serving – I KNOW, terrible thing to say.
February 17, 2019 at 7:00 pmYou caught me at the get go with your grandkid thang – I too am an engaged Gammy. Thanks for your recipe and I’ll be back
Oh Sara…I appreciate you not tossing me out with the bath water…haha…I went back to read this post and it brought back sweet memories of that day. Stella, named for her great grandmother….went to her middle school blue and white ball this weekend….time flies and they grow up so fast…thanks for stopping by and please come again! renee
April 14, 2019 at 7:42 pm[…] Buttery Sourdough Biscuits – Joy To My Heart […]
March 6, 2019 at 7:07 pmWhere did the recipe go?
June 30, 2019 at 8:57 pmOh, No!!! I don’t know… I’ve had some technical difficulties, but I think everything is straight now….I apologize! 🙁
July 11, 2019 at 3:38 pmTrying these now! Do you think the raw biscuits could be made and frozen? Then perhaps pull them out when ready to use, left on counter to rise?
July 27, 2019 at 2:27 pmI’m pretty sure they could….I haven’t tried it tho, so please let me know…
August 5, 2019 at 9:38 amWhere is the recipe?
January 19, 2021 at 7:20 amI know! I’ve used this recipe so many times and now it’s gone. I should have written it down!
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February 6, 2021 at 9:07 amI used to make these all of the time and now the recipe is missing? Please help! They’re out favorite!
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February 7, 2021 at 1:44 am