Cheese

Sourdough Discard Biscuits

by:
January 18, 2021
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Sourdough Discard Biscuits
Photo by Rae Friedman
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 12 minutes
  • makes 8-10
Author Notes

I've been on a biscuit kick ever since I received the book Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin. Biscuits were not a food I grew up on, and before making biscuits several times in the last few weeks, my biscuit experience was limited to that of the frozen tube from Pillsbury.

What started as me trying to follow the Buttermilk Biscuit recipe from Jubilee, but with the ingredients I had on hand, has turned into something quite different but delicious. At this point, virtually the entire ingredient list has changed, but the one thing I do follow is Edna Lewis's suggestion for folding and kneading the dough 8-10 times.

This recipe can certainly be made without sourdough discard, though if you have some, I highly recommend using it. If sweet is more of your thing, you can omit the cheese and scallions and fold in some citrus zest for brightness and serve with jam.

Notes: If omitting sourdough discard, increase flour and yogurt volume by ¼ cup. For flour, I use bread flour, but All-Purpose will do just fine. For yogurt, I use a full-fat Skyr Icelandic-style yogurt. Any strained yogurt will do, i.e., Greek yogurt. A thinner yogurt would presumably work as well; however, I cannot speak to the results.
—Rae Friedman

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 222 grams White Bread Flour
  • 100 grams Cold Sourdough Discard
  • 57 grams Cold Butter, Cut into Pieces
  • 200 grams Whole-Fat Yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 pinch Black Pepper
  • 100 grams Cheddar, Shredded
  • 2 Scallions, Finely Sliced
  • 1 tablespoon Butter, Melted - Optional
Directions
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 450ºF.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and black pepper. Add butter. Working quickly, use your fingertips to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Add yogurt, sd discard, cheddar, and scallions.
  3. Using a silicone spatula, fold ingredients together. The dough will start off very sticky due to the sourdough starter. Once the dough pulls away from the bowl's sides, turn it out onto a clean surface.
  4. At this point, the dough will be very loose and shaggy. Rather than knead with my hands, I like to use a rolling pin to avoid warming the dough as much as possible. I start on the side closest to me, pressing straight down, and work my way up and out before folding the dough over on itself and repeating. If the dough is sticking, sprinkle the surface with a touch of flour. As suggested in Jubilee, I repeat this lamination process 8-10 times or until the dough has come together and is smooth.
  5. Roll dough out, about 3/4-inch thick. Using a floured 2” cutter, or drinking glass, cut biscuits by down pressing firmly. Re-roll scrap dough and repeat the process—place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through for even baking.
  6. Optional but delicious, brush finished biscuits with melted butter and enjoy.
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