Flakey Sourdough Biscuits

Flakey Sourdough Biscuits

 

Fluffy Sourdough Biscuits (Makes 12 Medium Biscuits)

These flaky, buttery sourdough biscuits are a perfect way to use up your active sourdough starter. With a tender crumb and golden crust, they’re ideal for breakfast, brunch, or a comforting side dish. Plus, they ferment overnight for better flavor and digestibility.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Mix the Dry Base

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. This creates your dry base.

Step 2: Grate in the Butter

Grate the frozen butter directly into the bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to gently mix it in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs (think: sand with pebbles).
Tip: Cold butter = flaky biscuits!

Step 3: Add the Sourdough Starter & Buttermilk

Pour in the room temperature sourdough starter and buttermilk. Mix just until the dough starts to come together.
If the mixture feels dry, add a small splash of buttermilk—but don’t overmix! Overmixing can lead to dense biscuits.

Step 4: First Rest (Overnight Fermentation)

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl (use olive oil or neutral oil), cover with a damp tea towel, and let it rest at room temperature for 8–12 hours.
This overnight fermentation helps develop gluten, boosts flavor, and makes the biscuits easier to digest.

After the overnight rise, you’re going to add:

Sprinkle these evenly over the dough and gently fold them in until fully incorporated. Evenly sprinkle them over the dough and gently fold them in using a letter-fold method or a few gentle kneads, just enough to distribute them without deflating the dough.

 Why This Works:

Shaping and Baking

Step 5: Shape the Biscuits

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ½–¾ inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or floured glass to cut out biscuits.

Step 6: Final Rise

Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet (cook at 425f for 15-18 minutes if using cast iron). Let them rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour while the oven preheats.

Step 7: Bake

Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C).
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Let cool slightly, then serve warm with butter, jam, or honey. 🧈🍯

Tips:
Cast Iron Heats Slowly but Holds Heat Longer

📌 In contrast: Baking sheets heat up fast and conduct heat more directly, especially if they’re light or reflective. This can cause biscuit bottoms to brown (or burn) quickly before the centers are fully cooked.

Freezing sourdough biscuits before baking, and they freeze beautifully. Here’s how and how long:

How to Freeze Before Baking:

  1. Follow the recipe through shaping the biscuits (Step 5).

  2. Place the unbaked biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they aren’t touching.

  3. Freeze until solid, about 1–2 hours.

  4. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper if stacking.

⏳ How Long Will They Last?

🔥 Baking from Frozen:

✔️ Extra Freezing Tip:

If you’re fermenting the dough overnight, do the fermentation first, then add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda before freezing. That way they’ll be ready to bake straight from the freezer.

Create With Kendra
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7 Responses

  3. This was a very interestingly written recipe.
    So I appreciate your art full approach to wording this recipe…
    If I were a new at baking this would be a difficult one to follow.
    Having instructions that explain how to better incorporate the salt, baking powder, and baking soda would be most helpful.

    This really is a lovely recipe. Although I’ve been making biscuits for years, sourdough is a new experience for me and I don’t have experience with a recipe similar to this. Because of that, without being able to fully incorporate the salt, baking powder and baking soda it baked up with a very odd browned layer. Thankfully it was incorporated enough that it did not have an odd flavor. Thankfully there were no pockets of those three ingredients.
    I do hope that you can provide clear direction on how better incorporate the salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

    The biscuit was beautifully light.
    It was gorgeously brown. (Though it was far more browned at 16 minutes than I expected it to be)

    Because of the fact that they browned too quickly and, following your instructions, those three ingredients did not incorporate easily or well, I would give them three and half stars.
    But … I would give them a five plus for flavor and because they were so incredibly light!!

    the mallard reaction of the baking soda.

  5. Hi Sylvia,
    Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughtful feedback—this truly means a lot! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor and how light the biscuits turned out, especially with sourdough being a new adventure for you.

    You’re absolutely right, the original version of the recipe leaned into a more poetic style, and I can totally see how that might make it tricky to follow, especially for new bakers. Based on feedback like yours, I’ve now updated the recipe to be much clearer and more beginner-friendly, with detailed step-by-step instructions and added notes on how to properly incorporate the salt, baking powder, and baking soda after the overnight rest.

    There’s a specific reason I add those ingredients later:
    Salt can slow fermentation, and baking soda and powder are fast-acting leaveners that work best when added just before baking. But to avoid any uneven pockets or that “browned layer” you mentioned, I’ve now included instructions to evenly sprinkle them over the dough and gently fold them in using a letter-fold method or a few gentle kneads—just enough to distribute them without deflating the dough.

    I also adjusted the baking tips to explain how different surfaces affect the browning:

    Cast iron bakes more gently and evenly due to its radiant heat.

    Baking sheets, especially lighter or thinner ones, conduct heat quickly and can cause faster browning, so I’ve added that to help bakers choose what works best for their desired finish.

    Thank you again for helping me make this better for everyone! Your comment truly encouraged me to clarify and improve it. I hope you’ll give the updated version a try and please let me know how it goes!

    Warmly,
    Kendra

  6. Going to try these today! 🙂

    Can these be frozen before baking? Could you provide steps if so?

    TIA!

  7. Yes, you can freeze these sourdough biscuits before baking, and they freeze beautifully. Here’s how and how long:

    How to Freeze Before Baking:
    Follow the recipe through shaping the biscuits (Step 5).

    Place the unbaked biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer, making sure they aren’t touching.

    Freeze until solid, about 1–2 hours.

    Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper if stacking.

    ⏳ How Long Will They Last?
    You can freeze them for up to 2–3 months for the best flavor and rise.

    They’ll still be safe beyond that, but texture may slightly decline.

    Baking from Frozen:
    No need to thaw. Place the frozen biscuits directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a cast iron pan.

    Add about 2–5 extra minutes to the baking time.

    Bake at 400°F (204°C) for about 18–24 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

    Extra Freezing Tip:
    If you’re fermenting the dough overnight, do the fermentation first, then add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda before freezing. That way they’ll be ready to bake straight from the freezer.

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