Sourdough Discard Biscuits

These Sourdough Discard Biscuits are a sourdough cheddar biscuit recipe made with a flaky buttermilk biscuit, sourdough discard, sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions. They’re perfect as a side for your favorite soup and salad, summer barbecue, or the base for biscuits and gravy.

So read on for all the detailed tips and trick for making sourdough biscuits and other sourdough discard recipes. Or just grab your sourdough starter, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make sourdough discard biscuits!

Ingredients

These sourdough discard biscuits are made with all the ingredients you would typically find in buttermilk biscuits: flour, chemical leavening, butter, and buttermilk. In addition, I’ve added cheese and green onions for more of a flavor pop.

The first sourdough cheddar biscuits I tested had only two ounces of mild cheddar cheese. Test after test my family wanted more cheese. Laughs.

I went with four ounces, then six ounces, and then eight ounces of cheese was finally enough. But not the mild cheddar. Oh heavens no.

I’ve made these sourdough biscuits with a half pound of sharp cheddar and with gruyere, but you can use any strongly flavored cheese. Add a lot of green onions. And then, of course, there’s the sourdough discard.

About sourdough discard

Sourdough discard is the unfed portion of your sourdough starter, rich in sourdough flavor but not necessarily active enough to make things rise on its own. This sourdough biscuit recipe is a great use of sourdough starter, making them even tangier than regular buttermilk biscuits; but you can just substitute more flour and buttermilk if you don’t have sourdough discard.

Are you looking for other sourdough discard recipes? Check out my sourdough discard soft pretzels, sourdough discard waffles, sourdough discard apple muffins and sourdough apple cake, and sourdough discard sandwich bread!

Variations and substitutions

Want to play around with this sourdough biscuit recipe? Try:

• Different Cheeses: Swap cheddar for gruyère, Parmesan, pepper jack, or even a blue.
• Herb Additions: Add fresh thyme or chopped rosemary.
• Chop in some bacon.
• Spicy Kick: Mix in diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Recipe tips and tricks

The key to flaky biscuits is the same for all pastry, whether it’s pie crust shells or homemade pop tarts or chocolate chip scones. You want to keep things cold and not overwork the dough.

To make these sourdough discard biscuits, start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Then cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is no larger than the size of peas.

Stir in the cheddar cheese and green onions. Then add the sourdough discard and buttermilk, mixing with a spatula and then your hands until just combined.

Treating tthese sourdough discard biscuits like rough puff pastry gives them layers and layers of lift. Turn the shaggy biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it to about 1-inch thickness. Fold it into thirds like a business letter and then rotate it 90 degrees. This is one turn.

Repeat the patting out and folding three more times. Then pat out or roll the dough into a rough rectangle 8 inches by 4 inches, and use a knife or bench scraper to cut out eight rectangles. It helps to use a sharp cutter to cut the biscuits cleanly, which will help them rise evenly up.

Note: you can also use round biscuit cutters if you want round biscuits. Just make the cuts close to each other, and know that biscuits cut from subsequent rolls may not rise as well.

Brush with melted butter, if you like, and bake in a 425 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes until the tops are a golden brown. Let cool only slightly before serving, because these sourdough cheddar biscuits are really great when warm!

Recipe FAQs

Related recipes

Check out some other rolls and side dish bread recipes to go with your next meal, like: