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Flaky layers, tender middle and slightly crispy edges. These really are the BEST easy Flaky Sourdough Biscuits. Made with cold sourdough discard, butter and my secret ingredient – cream cheese. It makes these the most tender biscuits you will ever eat!
I love serving them warm with sausage gravy (I’ve got an incredible sourdough sausage gravy recipe in my cookbook: The Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough) or slathering on some butter and homemade jam. They also make incredible breakfast sandwiches. Fork tender – it’s hard to stop at just one!
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Biscuits
- Texture – I love a soft, flaky biscuit (like these Sourdough Drop Biscuits), but the cold butter, cream cheese, and sourdough discard work together wonderfully in this recipe to make the most flaky and soft biscuits ever!
- Easy Breakfast Recipe – Sourdough biscuits are so quick and easy to mix up—they make the perfect breakfast! I make biscuits or my sourdough waffles or sourdough pancakes almost weekly.
- Uses Discarded Starter – I love finding new ways to use my sourdough discard and this recipe is great because it uses cold discard straight from the fridge!
Sourdough baking is adaptable, fun and delicious! If you’re interested in baking sourdough bread and aren’t sure where to start, use my free guide to make a sourdough starter from scratch, or start with my Beginner Sourdough Bread recipe. You’ll be baking delicious sourdough in no time and using all your discard in incredible recipes like this easy sourdough biscuit recipe!
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – For more sour flavor, use refrigerated discard up to a week or two old. For less sour flavor, use a fresher discard. Cold discard straight from the fridge keeps these biscuits cold and makes them rise even higher! I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard.
- Cream Cheese – The surprise ingredient in these biscuits is cream cheese. Cream cheese enhances the texture and makes the biscuits super flaky and tender.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is the main rising agent in these sourdough biscuits (not the unfed starter discard). Once the biscuits hit the hot oven, the baking powder is activated and the combination of heat, pockets of butter and baking powder makes those flaky layers.
- Unsalted Butter – I always bake with unsalted butter. Unsalted butter allows me to control the flavor in my baked goods. The trick to flaky layers in your biscuits is using cold butter straight from the refrigerator.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Heavy Cream: Substitute buttermilk if you don’t have heavy cream on hand. If you don’t have buttermilk, mix together equal weights of sour cream and milk and substitute that in the recipe.
- Flour: For the fluffiest, lightest biscuits, a white flour (all-purpose flour or pastry flour) works the best. You can substitute self-rising flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. I have not tried this recipe with whole wheat flour yet, but I think it would work really well with a freshly milled soft white wheat.
- Mix-Ins: I don’t typically use mix-ins in these, but you could add some fresh herbs (rosemary would be amazing!) or a little parmesan or asiago cheese for a savory flavor. Or try my sourdough cheddar biscuits for a delicious savory option!
Tip: Keep a jar in your refrigerator to store discarded starter. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes, like these flaky sourdough biscuits or my sourdough pie crust where it adds moisture and great flavor.
How to Make Sourdough Biscuits
Mix the Biscuit Dough
Step 1: Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Cut butter and cream cheese into small chunks. Add on top of the dry ingredients.
Tip: You could also use a cheese grater to grate the butter on top of the flour mixture like I do with my sourdough scones.
Step 2: Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 3: Whisk together the cold sourdough discard and heavy cream until combined. Pour the cream/discard mixture on top of the flour mixture.
Step 4: Combine with a fork and then with your hands until the biscuit dough is just mixed—being careful not to over-mix. If the biscuits seem wet, add a little extra flour. If they are dry, add a little extra heavy cream.
Recipe Tip: Use COLD sourdough discard for best results in these biscuits. The chilled discard keeps the whole biscuit cold, resulting in more flaky layers.
Roll and Cut Biscuits
Step 5: Dump the biscuit dough on a pastry mat or countertop. Fold once or twice until the dough forms a solid disc. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 7 or 8-inch circle.
Step 6: Use a 3 or 4-inch biscuit cutter to cut out about 8 biscuits from the dough.
No Biscuit Cutter? No problem! If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, shape the dough into a 7 or 8-inch thick rectangle. Cut 8-9 biscuits using a bench scraper or sharp knife.
Bake Sourdough Biscuits
Step 7: Place biscuits on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 450ºF oven for about 15 minutes until tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside.
Step 8: Right when the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the tops with melty butter – and a sprinkle of sea salt if you want!
How to Store Leftovers
These biscuits are best eaten fresh. Once they’ve cooled, I like to freeze the biscuits, storing them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a couple of months.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
To get really high fluffy biscuit layers:
- Push down decisively when you cut out the biscuits. Don’t turn the biscuit cutter – this seals off the edges and makes the biscuits more squat than tall and flaky. One press down is all you need.
- Use COLD ingredients – the colder the better! Cold butter, cold cream cheese, cold sourdough discard and cold heavy cream all help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you want freshly baked flaky sourdough biscuits on busy mornings, biscuit dough can be cut and then frozen for up to a couple months. Add a couple minutes to the bake time and bake from frozen!
The combination of the baking powder and cold sourdough discard give these biscuits a beautiful rise in the oven. The heavy cream, cream cheese and light hand when mixing results in a tender and fluffy biscuit.
You don’t have to use a biscuit cutter. A glass or cookie cutter works too. But even more important than the specific cutter you use is how to cut the biscuits. I’ve found is being decisive and quick with whatever you choose to use. Wherever you cut, let that be your first and last cut! Don’t try to move your biscuit cutter around in a circle. One decisive cut is all you need. You can do this with a circular biscuit cutter or use a bench scraper and cut the biscuits into squares instead of circles.
I use the recipe that comes in the box of Pomona’s pectin. This is my favorite low-sugar pectin for making homemade jam. It’s delicious!
More Easy Sourdough Recipes
If you tried these Flaky Sourdough Biscuits or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Biscuit Recipe
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Equipment
- pastry mat if desired
- biscuit cutter or bench scraper
Ingredients
- 280 grams all-purpose flour, about 2 cups
- 12 grams baking powder, about 1 Tablespoon
- 6 grams salt, about 1 teaspoon
- 60 grams unsalted butter, about 1/4 cup
- 60 grams cream cheese, about 2 oz (1/4 cup)
- 150 grams sourdough discard, cold, about 1/2 cup
- 175 grams heavy cream, about 3/4 cup, see recipe note
- 45 grams unsalted butter, melted, about 3 Tablespoons, reserved to brush on top of biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.
- Cut the cold butter into about 16 pieces. Cut the cream cheese into pieces and place on top of the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. If there are any little chunks of butter, smoosh them between your fingers to break them up.Note: You can also grate the butter into the mixture like I do with my sourdough scones if that's an easier method for you to use.
- Whisk together the cold sourdough discard and heavy cream. Pour on top of the flour/butter mixture and use a fork and eventually your hands to mix the dough together until almost all of the flour is incorporated. If your discard is very runny you may need to add a little extra flour.
- Dump the dough onto a pastry mat and fold a couple times. Pat out into a circle and use a rolling pin to roll into an 7-8 inch circle. The dough will be fairly thick. Cut dough with a biscuit cutter into 8 biscuits. Press down quickly without moving the biscuit cutter. Place the cut biscuit on the parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat until all the biscuits have been cut out. Any extra scraps can be pushed together to make an extra biscuit or two, though it will probably not rise as high as the others. Alternatively you can shape the dough into a square and cut 9 smaller biscuits out of it using a bench scraper.
- Put the biscuits in the oven and immediately decrease the heat to 450 degrees F. Bake biscuits for about 15 minutes until tender on the inside and brown on the outside. If you prefer a browner biscuit, let bake for a few extra minutes.
- When biscuits are finished, brush the tops with melted butter. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this recipe! I have tried multiple over the last few years and this one is perfect. The biscuits come together nicely and hold together after baked. They have a flakey texture and were so easy to make. Thank you!!! Saved this recipe and will be making this again and again.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad they turned out great.
These are so good! I brushed a few with melted butter mixed with garlic salt and Loved them! the plain butter ones are delicious as well. Thanks!
Yum! Thanks for the review!
Dumb Question lol is the cream cheese cold or at room temp?
I use it cold to keep the biscuits chilled.
Theses were the best biscuits I’ve ever made!!! I will definitely be making them over and over and over!!! I froze the left overs, and had one for breakfast this morning, and it tasted as good as the evening I made them!
Thanks for the review. I’m glad you have a new breakfast favorite.
I’m low on heavy cream…can I use buttermilk or regular milk instead??
Buttermilk should work!
A staple at our house! So yummy and easy
Thanks for the review! I’m glad you love the recipe.
A staple in my kitchen. SOOO YUMMY and easy!
Thanks for the review! I’m glad you love the recipe.