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–+ servings
making biscuits with sourdough starter is healthier

Southern Sourdough Layered Biscuits

Kim
Southern layered biscuits are a true comfort food. Just a few extra folds of the dough can make these flaky and buttery beyond belief. The sourdough process brings so much depth of flavor, you won't make regular biscuits ever again!
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 17 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 5 people

Equipment

  • 1 bowl
  • 1 cast iron skillet or sheet pan
  • 1 patry cutter
  • 1 stirring utensil
  • 1 biscuit cutter, jar lid ring, etc to cut biscuits

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbs cold butter
  • 3/4 C milk, buttermilk, or half n half
  • 1/2 C sourdough starter can be active or discard
  • 1/3 C melted butter for brushing top of biscuits

Instructions
 

  • Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Which together to evenly distribute the baking powder. No one wants a mouthful of baking powder.
    add dry ingredients and whisk
  • Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour with the pastry cutter. You can use your hands to blend the butter by squeezing the flour into each chunk of butter. Be careful not to handle the butter too much.
    cut in butter with a pastry cutter
  • Stir in the milk until all flour is wet.
    add milk to sourdough biscuit dough
  • Add in the sourdough starter and knead until the mixture is well combined.
    add sourdough starter
  • Cover with a damp tea towel or cloth and leave at room temperature for 8-10 hours or in the fridge for up to several days. *top of the dough may turn grey from the baking powder, but I find that keeping the cloth on top damp stops this from happening.
    cover sourdough with a towel
  • Preheat the oven to 450 ℉.
  • Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 10-15 times. Roll the dough out to about 1.5" thick. Fold in half.
    roll and fold dough
  • Roll the dough out again until 1.5" thick. fold in half. Repeat this process 4 or more times to create layers in your biscuits. Try not to use your hands because the butter will melt. You want cold chunks of butter to still be visible in your dough.
    roll out the dough
  • Roll the dough out to about 1" thick an cut the biscuits out with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Push the cutter straight down into the dough. Do not twist.
    cut biscuits out of dough
  • Arrange the biscuits in you skillet or on your pan, either touching on all sides, or just beryl separated form each other.
    line sourdough biscuits on a pan
  • Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes. Biscuits should be golden brown. Continue to bake if the biscuits do not have enough color yet.
    flaky sourdough biscuits

Notes

  1. Butter: Must be cold — frozen and grated on a box grater is the easiest method for perfect even pieces
  2. Starter: Active or discard both work; active starter yields a slightly tangier biscuit
  3. Milk substitute: Half-and-half gives a richer crumb; buttermilk adds extra tang and tenderness
  4. Ferment time: 8 hours minimum on counter, or up to 24 hours in the fridge for a more developed flavor
  5. Make ahead: Dough can be shaped and refrigerated unbaked overnight, then baked fresh in the morning
  6. Freeze: Freeze shaped unbaked biscuits up to 3 months; bake from frozen, adding 4–5 minutes
  7. Don't twist the cutter — press straight down for maximum rise
  8. Flour: Bread flour can be swapped in for chewier biscuits; whole wheat replaces up to 25% for a nuttier flavor
Keyword biscuits, sourdough, southern
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