Old-fashioned sourdough biscuits are classic cut-out biscuits made with sourdough discard and lots of butter, making them flaky and buttery with just a hint of tangy sourdough flavor.

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Old-fashioned Sourdough Biscuits are easy to make and irresistibly delicious. There’s truly something special about homemade biscuits fresh from the oven. Cut open one of these sourdough biscuits and you’ll see the wonderfully flaky layers, perfect for soaking up butter…or jam or gravy, whatever you decide to top yours with!

This recipe is so simple and comes together quickly – perfect for breakfast any day of the week. Plus, forget the rolling pin! These biscuits are patted out by hand, cut out and baked for the most perfectly imperfect flaky texture.

Sourdough discard is incorporated into this recipe for that wonderful sourdough tang. I hope this is a recipe you’ll be adding to your sourdough discard collection!

Old-fashioned Sourdough Biscuits are easy to make and irresistibly delicious. There's truly something special about homemade biscuits fresh from the oven. Cut open one of these sourdough biscuits and you'll see the wonderfully flaky layers, perfect for soaking up butter...or jam or gravy, whatever you decide to top yours with!

Find more sourdough discard recipes at Quail Creek Homestead:

Old-Fashioned Biscuits versus Drop Biscuits

What’s the difference between old-fashioned biscuits and drop biscuits? Well, really, they’re very similar. The main difference is how they are shaped. Old-fashioned biscuits are usually rolled or patted out and cut out with a biscuit cutter. They will have nice and round, uniform shapes and flaky layers.

Drop biscuits are just like they sound. The dough is scooped and dropped right on to the baking sheet, making them very quick and easy. They won’t have the flaky layers that old-fashioned biscuits have, however.

Both types of biscuits are made with the same ingredients, although likely in slightly different quantities. I like to make both types of biscuits – it really depends on how much time I have. If you’re looking for a super quick sourdough biscuit recipe, check out my Easy Sourdough Drop Biscuits.

What You Need to Make Old-Fashioned Sourdough Biscuits

Large mixing bowl and spoon

Cheese grater – for grating butter

Measuring cups and spoons

Kitchen scale – optional. I like to measure flour using a kitchen scale as it’s much more precise than measuring in cups.

Biscuit cutter or a glass turned upside down – I usually use a wide mouth mason jar to cut out biscuits.

Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Wire rack, for cooling

Ingredients

Sourdough discard is incorporated into this recipe for that wonderful sourdough tang. I hope this is a recipe you'll be adding to your sourdough discard collection!

All purpose flour

Baking powder – I try to use baking powder with no added aluminum.

Sugar

Salt

Cold butter – use butter straight out of the fridge. I’ve even used frozen butter, as it thaws quickly once grated.

Sourdough discard – see below for a few tips on baking with sourdough discard.

Milk – any kind will work, although I prefer whole milk.

Baking with Sourdough Discard

Sourdough discard is generally easy to incorporate into recipes, although I’ve found a couple tips to ensure success.

Make sure your sourdough discard is not active. Sourdough discard incorporates best into baking recipes when it has little to no leavening power left. If you try using freshly discarded sourdough starter for a sourdough discard recipe, it may be difficult to incorporate and contribute to a chewy texture. I like to let my freshly discarded starter sit out for an extra day before using it in a discard recipe.

Let the discard come to room temp before using. I should follow my own advice – I usually pull my discard straight from the fridge and use it. However, discard that is allowed to come to room temperature has a more liquid consistency, helping it to incorporate into dough or batter easier.

Don’t overmix the dough. This is important with most baking recipes, but especially when sourdough discard is incorporated. Overmixing can cause a chewy, tough texture.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Sourdough Biscuits

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together.

Grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients and toss to combine. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

Toss the grated butter into the dry ingredients to combine. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

Add the sourdough discard and milk. Stir until the dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a round. The dough will be sticky, so dust with flour as needed.

Fold the dough in half onto itself. Turn the dough a quarter turn and fold over again. Repeat 4 times total. Pat the dough out to about 1 inch thick, then cut biscuits and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits are just turning golden brown.