Easy Sourdough Biscuits with Sourdough Starter

Last summer, I was a sourdough novice. Twelve loaves later, I feel a little more confident that I can make a sourdough starter from scratch with flour and water and bake a decent loaf of bread. 

I’m reposting this sourdough biscuit recipe from 2019, as 2020 has shifted into a sourdough year. Stay tuned for my next post on the best sourdough focaccia you will ever eat. 

I was baking with the twins and each made their own starters from scratch. We had three jars of starter and needed to come up with some recipes to use it. One day we made sourdough waffles, but we were super excited to make these easy sourdough biscuits.

This is how our sourdough biscuits were born.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m not a biscuit novice. My original southern fluffy biscuit has been visited over 360,000 times, and has great reviews.  If you love fluffy southern style biscuits, you’ll love these.

If you are followed my stories on instagram, you would know that once we decided to make sourdough bread, we made bread every day trying out different recipes and methods. All the bread was crusty and delicious and like biscuits, once you get it, you get it, even if it’s intimidating at first.

Making Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starter is basically flour and water. You should use unbleached flour  and filtered water starting with a 1 to 1 ratio for 100 percent hydration.  This means equal water to flour. You might see starters made as low as 65% hydration. That will result in a thicker starter, a stiffer baked good.

Start with 150 grams of unbleached bread flour (you can mix in some wholewheat flour) and 150 grams of filtered water. Stir into a jar large enough to hold it. Leave in warm (ish) place like inside a cabinet door. When we started making starters, we left them on the counter, in jars with lids and fed them every day. It was around 70 degrees F. although ideally, 75 is better.

We started our starter in the middle of summer and it took about two weeks to get a starter we could use. Each day, I would pour out half  and add back in that same amount I did the first day. 

Check each day for bubbling. Feed the starter after it peaks and is hungry. This means it has risen and is now starting to deflate. This can take 24 to 36 hours. When you see this, feed your hungry starter. Hunger looks weepy or watery.  Some people consider their starter is ready at 6 days. We went for two weeks and made two starters (just in case). Both were successful.

Maintaining a Healthy Starter

I keep in fridge and feed once a week. When I’ve forgotten by a few days, the starter gets that nail polish smell and very weepy. However, I’ve always been able to save it.  

I keep 100 grams of starter. I discard 50 grams and feed 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of  filtered water.

Now that it’s winter I put them in my laundry room/baking nook which is warmest part of the house.

Last night this starter doubled in size. 

Last night, I woke up to a wonderful bubbly starter.

Flour for Sourdough Starter

I used unbleached bread flour, but at times I feed it whatever I have (usually all purpose flour). You can use any kind of flour, (unbleached) and even mix flours. You will want to feed your starter when it peaks (rises and is bubbly).  This is very simplified, and there is a wonderful, in-depth article here from Serious Eats. 

We decided to each make our own starter that summer and all three took hold.  Eventually by the end of summer we combined the starters. To keep it going, I have kept it in the refrigerator and fed it every week with 20 grams each of flour and water, while discarding 40 grams first.

This starter made this bread, which was a 24 hour process. The biscuits, though can be made right away as long as you have a nice bubbly starter.

Keeping Your Sourdough Starter for Years 

When I know we are not making bread, I keep in refrigerator in a mason jar and feed weekly. I will discard the amount I’m going to feed. For example, discard 40 grams, feed 20 grams flour, 20 grams water. That’s it. It has remained active and alive for 18 months. 

Some people freeze their starter, but I’ve never done that. 

Baking these Easy sourdough biscuits is a great way to use left-over or discarded sourdough starter.

When I asked Doug which biscuits he liked better, he thought they were equally good, but different.

They were fluffy and flavorful with a slight sourdough tang.

Are sourdough biscuits gluten free?

No, they use regular flour. I’ve read some gluten free recipes for sourdough but haven’t tried them yet. Some people that are gluten sensitive can eat sourdough bread without the typical problems. Everyone is an individual.

Can you freeze sourdough biscuits?

Biscuits are best eaten the day they are made. You can but if you decide to freeze them, bake them for a minute or two less, and then heat them up in the oven.

Please follow me on instagram and if you make a recipe, tag me #spinachtiger. I would love to see it.

If you like this recipe, we really would appreciate you rating it five stars. It means a lot.

More Biscuits from Spinach Tiger

Southern Fluffy Biscuits with Video

Gluten Free Biscuits with Video

Grain Free Biscuits with Video

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Angel Biscuits

Strawberry Biscuits

Cheddar, Chive and Bacon Biscuits

Come back for sourdough focaccia next. 

Print Recipe

4.34 from 15 votes

Sourdough Biscuits with Sourdough Starter

Use up sourdough starter by making delicious fluffy sourdough biscuits.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Biscuits

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cold in cubes
• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• Kitchen Tools
• Pastry Butter Cutter
• Biscuit Cutter
• Cast Iron Griddle or Baking Sheet

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Whisk all dry ingredients together.
• Add cold small cubed butter. Mix with hands or cut in with pastry cutter
• Add starter. Mix well.
• Add in milk, more if needed. You want a sticky dough you can handle.
• Form dough into a round and make 10 two-inch biscuits. Less if biscuit cutter is larger.
• Arrange on cast iron griddle or baking pan, touching.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes.
• Makes 8 to 10 biscuits. I was able to get 10 with a two-inch biscuit cutter.

Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo