Grandma's Sourdough Biscuits

"My grandma makes these every time we go over for dinner. I got my starter from her, so I too make these every couple weeks when I need to use up some starter. They are really fast and easy, and taste delicious right out of the oven."
 
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photo by Ruth S. photo by Ruth S.
photo by Ruth S.
photo by Tim M photo by Tim M
photo by jfarrell photo by jfarrell
photo by Emma S. photo by Emma S.
photo by Sandy 0225 photo by Sandy 0225
Ready In:
22mins
Ingredients:
6
Yields:
8 biscuits
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ingredients

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directions

  • Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
  • Cut in the margarine or butter.
  • Mix in sourdough starter.
  • Turn out dough onto lightly floured board.
  • Knead a few times, until all of the flour is mixed in.
  • Pat/roll dough to 3/4" and cut out biscuits; place them on an ungreased baking sheet.
  • Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes, until slightly brown.

Questions & Replies

  1. Since the recipe doesn't specify, I presume that this requires active starter as well as the other leavens? I'm a bit confused as I have seen many similar recipes using discard.
     
  2. This recipe has turns out perfect biscuits every time except for when I make them at my weekend house in the mountains. What adjustments do I need to make at high altitude?
     
  3. I've tried these twice now. Once I mix in the starter, it so so soupy and sticky that I have to keep adding flour just to get if off my hands. I live in Atlanta and it is humid here but is there something else I'm doing wrong here?
     
  4. Mine did not rise, making them dense. did I do something wrong?
     
  5. Is the starter to be activated or straight from the refrigerator?
     
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Reviews

  1. Amazing and simple recipe, why fix something when it's not broken? I always have sourdough starter bubbling on top of my fridge. So I just had to make these... plus I don't eat pork but I love some biscuits and gravy but know I'll have to make it myself to be sure there's no pork in it, so today was the day! <br/>Tip: After years of cutting cold butter into various recipes for apple pie crust and such, I learned that taking the butter out of the fridge and just using a cheese grater that you can clean easily is the best way to incorporate cold butter into any dough recipe. No "cutting" required. In my 20's it was ok, but now I get sore after that kind of a workout! ;)
     
  2. Thank you for this excellent recipe! My first batch just came out of the oven and I can't believe how tasty these biscuits are. Another sourdough success story! Instead of all purpose flour, I used white whole wheat flour, but the biscuits still came out light and tender with a nice crispy crust. I let the dough sit for about 30 minutes to allow the sourdough to do its magic before I kneaded it. Give your grandma a kiss for me! :-) Cathy B.
     
  3. I mixed the dry in the food processor, added the cup of sourdough starter, and pulsed to mix. Needed about 2 Tbsp of additional wet, used that amount of 2%milk. Baked in 8 section Lodge cornbread/scone pan. I baked additional 4 min over the 13 I started with. Very good finish.
     
    • Review photo by jfarrell
  4. I am eating them straight out of the oven and the texture is delicate and soft. The sourdough flavor is subtle. I followed the recipe to a T and they came out so well I would serve them to guests. I let the last few set for 30 minutes and the sourdough flavor is much stronger. Do this only if you love sourdough.
     
  5. I used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour, reduced the butter a touch and allowed the biscuits to rest about 15 to 20 minutes before putting in the oven. This recipe made exactly 8 biscuits. Delicious and lightly brown.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Added 1 T sugar and used 2/3 c whole wheat flour w 1 &1/3 c white flour
     
  2. Used cooking oil in place of shortening.
     
  3. how to make homemade starter
     
  4. Used white whole wheat flour, decreased baking powder to 1.5 tsps, added a touch of cold water to compensate for whole wheat flour.
     
  5. Flavor was delish, but mine had a serious case of the fall-aparts. I use whole grain flour and lard in place of margarine, so was probably my own fault. Won't ding the recipe when I didn't follow it to the letter. I cut the fat into the flour mixture with the food processor, pulsed in the starter, and finished mixing by hand. Patted this out, then cut into 8 square biscuits cause I'm lazy like that. Will make these again, and try to fidget with my substitute ingredients to get them to hold together better. Thanks for sharing.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

i like to cook and i love to bake, and i love most of all to eat.
 
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