Imagine taking a bite of one of these gluten-free sourdough discard biscuits. The slightly crisp outer layer gently gives way to a fluffy interior. The buttery goodness just melts in your mouth! If you haven’t used sourdough discard to make biscuits yet, you need to try this easy recipe!
If you love my famous Gluten-Free Biscuit recipe, wait until you try it using your gluten-free sourdough discard! OMG, the rise on these biscuits is incredible. There are so many flaky layers of buttery goodness!!
Biscuits are one of my favorite things to make next to cinnamon rolls. I have many fun gluten-free biscuit recipes for you to try…including lots of fun flavors! If you have wanted to learn how to make a sourdough starter, I have an easy tutorial on to make a gluten-free sourdough starter.
If you have more discard to use up, try my Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard Muffins recipe.
Recipe At A Glance:
Allergen Information:
This sourdough discard biscuit recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. Check out my Recipe Index for more allergen-friendly foods.
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with Cup4Cup flour blend. (Note it has dried milk powder.) Other 1:1 blends will also work in this recipe. Depending on the starch-to-grain ratio of the blend you use, you may need to tweak the moisture level.
- Baking Powder and Salt – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Sourdough Discard—My sourdough discard had been refrigerated for a day. If your discard has hooch (clear liquid) on top of the starter, drain it into the kitchen sink before using it. Don’t stir it into the discard.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, don’t add extra salt.
- Milk or Non-Dairy Milk – I used oat milk when testing this recipe. I brushed the tops of the biscuits with a little buttermilk made from Anthony’s Buttermilk Powder to get them to brown on top.
Tips For Sucess
1. Use cold or frozen butter. It will make much better flaky layers!
2. Chill the dough for 30-45 minutes if you have the time. It will help the layers rise high.
3. If you use a biscuit cutter, do not twist it when you cut out the biscuits. Twisting seals the edges, making it more difficult for the biscuit to rise.
4. I have a lot of helpful gluten-free baking tips that can help you become a better baker on my gluten-free resources page.
Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large
Step 2: You can cut the butter into the dry ingredients one of two ways. You can use a pastry cutter as I show above, or you can freeze the butter and use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Add the discard to your milk (not I am using oat milk in my test.) My discard became a little firm when stored in the refrigerator. It softened easily when I whisked it into the milk.
Step 4: My sourdough starter and discard are strong. It must be the gluten-free sourdough strain I got from Cultures For Health because I have never had a starter discard this active! If you have ever wanted to start a sourdough starter, this is the stuff to get. Check out all of those bubbles!
Step 5: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. I didn’t expect this many bubbles from my discard! I am so excited to see how high these gluten-free sourdough biscuits rise!!
Step 6: Mix the ingredients into a nice workable dough. The dough shouldn’t be too sticky or dry. Again, note that this can vary widely depending on the gluten-free flour blend you use. Every blend is different. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary for more information on why this is.
Optional: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes.
Remove the dough and preheat the oven to 425º F. I also check to ensure the oven rack is positioned in the middle of the oven.
Step 7: You can shape these biscuits one of two ways, in a circle with a biscuit cutter or cut them as squares (easiest!) For this recipe, I am going for easy! Dust a silicone mat with a little flour and place the dough on the mat. You can read more about how to cut biscuits with a biscuit cutter in this Gluten-Free Cheddar Biscuits recipe.
Flatten your dough with your hands or a rolling pin and fold it over itself, and flatten again three times. This helps give structure for layers to rise during baking. Try to do this quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. Take a dough scraper and use it to cut the dough into biscuit squares. You can make them any size you like.
Step 8: Place the dough squares onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If you do not have parchment paper, you can use a gluten-free baking spray to grease your pan.
Step 9: Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk. (Note: if you use plant-based milk, it will not brown much. I used buttermilk on top of the biscuits.) This will help the tops brown to golden perfection!
Step 10: Bake the biscuits for 22-25 minutes. The actual baking time can vary depending on the size and thickness of your biscuit dough. You will know the biscuits are done baking when they are risen up and the tops are golden brown.
Step 11: Remove the biscuits from the oven to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy! If you love these biscuits, try my Gluten-Free Maple Oat Biscuit recipe next!
Recipe FAQ:
That is a great question. It is hard to tell. My biscuits tend to rise pretty high because I include 2 TBSP of aluminum-free baking powder. I think the sourdough is more known for giving a little sour flavor to the biscuits than rising them.
Sourdough discard can sit in the fridge for up to 10 days. If your sourdough is on the younger side, it may not keep fresh as long as a more established starter.
Store your sourdough biscuits in an airtight container. I always recommend freezing them if you don’t plan to eat them all in a couple of days. Gluten-free baked goods tend to spoil quicker. Freeze them in a freezer-safe zipper bag. They thaw perfectly in 35 seconds in the microwave oven.
More Gluten Free Biscuit Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon Biscuits
- Easy Gluten-Free Cornmeal Biscuits
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Biscuits
- Homemade Gluten-Free Chocolate Buttermilk Biscuits
- Grain-Free, Paleo Biscuits
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This helps others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Flaky Gluten-Free Sourdough Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend * See notes
- 2 tablespoons baking powder Use aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup gluten-free sourdough discard
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter *See notes
- ½ cup milk or non-dairy milk Depending on the flour blend used, you may need 1-2 TBSP additional milk.
Instructions
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients.
- You can cut the butter into the dry ingredients one of two ways. You can use a pastry cutter as I show above, or you can freeze the butter and use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Add the discard to your milk am using oat milk in my test.) My discard became a little firm when stored in the refrigerator. It softened easily when I whisked it into the milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the ingredients into a nice, workable dough. The dough shouldn't be too sticky or dry.
- Optional: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the dough and preheat the oven to 425º F. I also check to ensure the oven rack is positioned in the middle of the oven.
- You can shape these biscuits one of two ways, in a circle with a biscuit cutter or cut them as squares (easiest!) For this recipe, I am going for easy! Dust a silicone mat with a little flour and place the dough on the mat.
- Flatten your dough with your hands or a rolling pin, fold it over itself, and flatten it again three times. This helps give structure for layers to rise during baking. Try to do this quickly so the butter doesn't melt. Take a dough scraper and use it to cut the dough into biscuit squares. You can make them any size you like.
- Place the dough squares onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If you do not have parchment paper, you can use a gluten-free baking spray to grease your pan.
- Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk. This helps the tops get nice and browned.
- Bake the biscuits for 22-25 minutes. The actual baking time can vary depending on the size and thickness of your biscuit dough. You will know the biscuits are done baking when they are risen up and the tops are golden brown.
- Removed the baked biscuits to a cooling rack.
Notes
- I tested this recipe with Cup4Cup, but any of the 10 flour blends I tested in my Gluten-Free Biscuits Recipe should work well.
- If you use another blend, it is very normal that you may need more liquid. Every flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. You can learn more about this in Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary So Much.
- I used oat milk, but regular milk or any plant-based milk will work. If you are dairy-free, use a plant-based butter as well.
- Use salted or unsalted cold butter. If you use salted, omit the additional salt.
- Store your sourdough biscuits in an airtight container. I always recommend freezing them if you don’t plan to eat them all in a couple of days. Gluten-free baked goods tend to spoil quicker. Freeze them in a freezer-safe zipper bag. They thaw perfectly in 35 seconds in the microwave oven.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
