Sourdough Pinch Biscuits are light and fluffy homemade sourdough biscuits made with sourdough starter. These homemade biscuits are so easy to make!
These sourdough biscuits are reminiscent of cowboy biscuits that would be eaten after a hard day's work on the range.
They are perfect for sopping up the juices out of the bottom of a bowl filled to the brim with a rich and savory beef stew or chili.
Slather a big pat of butter on one as soon as they come out of the oven and you will be in heaven.
Ingredients
- half cup well fed sourdough starter
- three cups all-purpose unbleached flour, divided
- 1 cup of whole milk, room temp
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, divided
FAQ
No, this recipe is meant to be made using an active homemade sourdough starter.
Whole milk is an important ingredient because the fat content helps make the biscuits soft and fluffy. You could use buttermilk instead of whole milk but another type of dairy with a lower fat content will not yield the same results.
My homemade sourdough starter is made with two ingredients. All-purpose flour and filtered water. You can find the link to the instructions down below.
Yes you can use your sourdough discard for this biscuit recipe but you will still need to feed it and build it up to ½ a cup of starter.
Equipment
- 2 medium size mixing bowls
- wooden spoon
- plastic wrap or flour sack towel
- silicone baking mat
- 8-inch cast iron skillet
- silicone brush
- a metal spatula
Recipe Prep
Feed sourdough starter: As with all sourdough recipes made with a real sourdough starter you will need to feed your starter to get it nice and active.
I pull my sourdough starter out of the refrigerator the day before baking and feed it a couple of times during the day and once before I go to bed.
The day you plan to bake with it you will feed it once more about an hour before using it to make the sponge.
FREE Sourdough Feeding Tracker
To help maintain your starter's health and track its feeding schedule, our FREE Sourdough Starter Feeding Tracker is an essential tool.
Make a sourdough sponge
The lifeblood of a sourdough sponge is an active sourdough starter. You will mix your newly fed and bubbly sourdough starter with the milk and part of the all purpose flour.
The sponge will need to rise for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. If you leave it to proof overnight you might not see that the sponge has risen.
You can see in the photo that my sponge has risen and then deflated overnight. It is perfectly fine to use it.
Mix the dough
After the sponge has proofed mix the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 ½ cups of the all-purpose flour into the bowl of sourdough sponge with a wooden spoon.
Mix the dough into the sponge until it comes together forming a shaggy dough ball.
Dust a work surface with the remaining ½ cup of flour. Turn the sourdough biscuit dough out onto the floured surface.
I like to use a large silicone baking mat when I am working with bread or biscuit dough.
Shaping the biscuits
Before beginning to shape the biscuits brush an 8-inch cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
Flour your hands and gently knead the dough a few times so it holds it shape. Work the dough into a 12 inch long log.
Pinch off a one inch section of the dough and form into a ball.
Alternately you can use a knife to mark the dough into one inch sections before pinching the dough pieces off.
Baking Sourdough Pinch Biscuits
Place each of the shaped biscuits into the buttered skillet snugly together with the sides touching.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and gently brush the top of each biscuit with the melted butter.
Cover the skillet with plastic wrap or a lint-free dish cloth and place it in a warm area to rise for 30 minutes.
After 15 minutes preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bake Until Golden Brown
Once the dough has risen to about double remove the plastic wrap or towel.
Bake the biscuits on the middle rack in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits are high and fluffy.
Brush the hot biscuits with more melted butter if desired.
Sourdough biscuits are perfect serves with soup, stews, chili or roast beef.
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Sourdough Pinch Biscuits
Ingredients
- ½ cup well fed active sourdough starter
- 3 cups all purpose unbleached flour (divided)
- 1 cup milk (room temp)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (divided)
Instructions
- Feed your sourdough starter the day before beginning the recipe
- In a medium size mixing bowl mix ½ cup of fed active sourdough starter with 1 cup of the flour and one cup of room temperature whole milk.
- Cover the bowl and place in a warm area for 4 to12 hours. The sponge will increase in size and possibly deflate depending on the amount of time you have left it to rise. If planning to bake the biscuits for dinner time you should start the sponges 8 hours before you plan to bake. The biscuits are best served hot straight from the oven.
- After the sponge has proofed mix the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 ½ cups of the all-purpose flour into the bowl of sourdough sponge with a wooden spoon. Mix the dough into the sponge until it comes together shaggy dough ball.
- Dust a work surface with the remaining ½ cup of flour. Turn the sourdough biscuit dough out onto the floured surface.
- Before beginning to shape the biscuits brush the pan with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Flour your hands and gently knead the dough a few times so it holds it shape. Work the dough into a 12 inch long log.
- Pinch off a one inch section of the dough and form into a roll. If the dough is sticky roll it in the flour before forming it into a ball.
- Place each of the biscuits into the buttered pan snugly together with the sides touching.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and gently brush each biscuit top with the butter. Cover the pan and place it in a warm area to rise for thirty minutes. After 15 minutes preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Once the dough has risen to about double remove the plastic wrap or towel and bake the sourdough biscuits on the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and the biscuits have risen.
- Brush the hot biscuits with more melted butter if desired.
- Serve the biscuits immediately.
- Makes 12 sourdough biscuits.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Proofing: The sponge takes about 4 to12 hours to get bubbly and active. Start this process the night or early afternoon you want to bake.
- Rising: You will need an addition 30 to 60 minutes for the biscuits to rise in the pan before baking. Keep this in mind.
- Baking: You will need an addition 30 to 60 minutes for the biscuits to rise in the pan before baking. Keep this in mind.
- If you aren't comfortable eyeballing a one inch section of dough you can use a knife to mark the dough into one inch sections before pinching the dough pieces off.
- To reheat leftover sourdough biscuits place the biscuits on a plate, cover with a damp towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warm in the center.
- I like to use a large silicone mat when I am working with bread or biscuit dough.
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