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–+ servings

Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits

Servings 12 biscuits
Calories 346
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours 30 minutes
The Easiest Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

Pre-ferment

  • 25 g active sourdough starter or discard
  • 250 g buttermilk
  • 325 g self-rising flour or all-purpose flour, but see Notes

Main dough

Before You Begin

This recipe is developed for self-rising flour (White Lily brand produced the best results). However, you can sub all-purpose flour, but major adjustments are needed. See the Recipe Notes for help.

Equipment

Instructions 

Make the pre-ferment

  1. Before bed: Mix 25 g active sourdough starter, 250 g buttermilk, and 325 g self-rising flour. Cover and let ferment overnight (8-12 hours) on the counter.
    pre-ferment the night before
  2. In the morning, the pre-ferment should look puffy and have lots of bubbles. Refrigerate while you prep the butter.
    bubbles around preferment

Pre-heat oven & prep butter

  1. Preheat oven to 475°F (250°C) conventional. Line a half-sheet tray or two quarter-sheet trays with parchment.
  2. If you'll mix the dough by hand: Grate 227 g unsalted European-style butter onto parchment and freeze at least 45 minutes.
    If you'll mix the dough with a food processor: Cut 227 g unsalted European-style butter into ½-inch cubes and freeze at least 45 minutes.

Make the dough

  1. If mixing by hand: whisk together 275 g self-rising flour, 13 g baking powder, 15 g sugar, and 2 g salt. Add frozen shredded butter and toss until evenly coated.
    If using a food processor: add 275 g self-rising flour, 13 g baking powder, 15 g sugar, 2 g salt, and the frozen cubed butter to the processor. Pulse until butter is pea-sized. Do not overmix! Transfer to bowl.
    mixing butter with dry ingredients
  2. Add 180 g buttermilk and all of the chilled pre-ferment. Chop and mix 45–60 seconds until just combined. Dough should look shaggy with visible butter pieces. Turn out onto a well-floured surface.
    dough turned out onto surface
  3. Laminate: Pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into 4 pieces and stack. Pat down, cut in half, and stack again. Dust with flour as needed.
    biscuit-folding the layers
  4. Cut: Pat dough to 1-inch thickness. Using a floured 3–3½" cutter, press straight down (don’t twist). Place on tray. Re-roll scraps as needed. (You may also cut into squares.)
    cutting biscuits
  5. Optional long ferment: Refrigerate cut biscuits up to 24 hours or leave at room temperature 10–12 hours for deeper flavor and full fermentation. Baking right away leaves about 45% of the flour unfermented but produces taller, flakier biscuits.
    baked right away vs long fermented

Bake

  1. Optional: Brush tops with buttermilk or melted butter (don't brush the sides!). Bake 14-18 minutes or until lightly golden and internal temp reaches 200-205°F (93-96°C). Enjoy warm!

Video

Notes

Subbing all-purpose flour: This recipe is written for self-rising flour (White Lily brand produced the best results). However, you can sub all-purpose flour (freshly milled and heritage flours also work well here), but the recipe is quite different (don't worry, it's still tested and comes out amazing). Here is the revised ingredient list:
  • Pre-ferment:
    • 25g active sourdough starter
    • 250g all-purpose flour
    • 250g buttermilk
  • Main dough:
    • 227g unsalted European-style butter (that you shred and freeze)
    • 250g all-purpose flour
    • 35g baking powder
    • 15g sugar
    • 8g salt
    • 235g buttermilk
European-style butter: This recipe works best with higher-fat butters (82%+ butterfat), such as Kerrygold, Plugra, French President, Vermont Creamery, or Vital Farms. If you use salted butter, omit the added salt in the main dough.
Freezing: Shape and cut biscuits, freeze on a parchment-lined sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen for about 5–10 minutes longer than fresh. Do not thaw first – you want the butter to stay cold.
Make-ahead options: The pre-ferment can be refrigerated after its overnight rise and used up to 24 hours later. Grated butter can be frozen overnight. Cut biscuits can be refrigerated up to 24 hours for a long ferment (they won't rise as tall, but the flavor is incredible).
Nutrition Facts
Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits
Amount per Serving
Calories
346
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
17
g
26
%
Saturated Fat
 
11
g
69
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
4
g
Cholesterol
 
45
mg
15
%
Sodium
 
469
mg
20
%
Potassium
 
105
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
40
g
13
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
8
g
16
%
Vitamin A
 
533
IU
11
%
Calcium
 
117
mg
12
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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