The Easiest Sourdough Drop Biscuits

Sourdough drop biscuits are the easiest and yummiest addition to your dinner menu. This simple recipe comes together quickly, and uses ingredients you already have on hand.

Do you ever struggle figuring out what to make for dinner? Is that even a question? You’re not alone. On days when you’ve been so busy that dinner has been the furthest thing from your mind, these easy sourdough drop biscuits will be your saving grace.

With just a few key ingredients, and in 30 minutes or less, you can bring together a batch of delicious biscuits that will have your whole family coming back for seconds. No one will think you were ill-prepared tonight! That is, unless you forget to make a second batch!

My favorite way to fill all the bellies in my house when I haven’t planned ahead is to use my own sourdough starter discard (or active starter if I happen to have it) to bring together a batch of homemade sourdough biscuits.

This is a quick recipe with great results. I also love to feed my family with a loaf of bread, like this easy sourdough bread for beginners, or with this easy sourdough flatbread, but both of these take a bit more planning ahead time.

You could also try this sourdough skillet bread, which is delicious. But I truly love these biscuits, and think they pair with everything. Soup? Duh. Chili? Yes. Curry? Mmhmm. Sausage Gravy? Most definitely! Meat and cheese? Why certainly! Butter and strawberry chia jam? Yum. Chocolate and whipped cream? Where do I sign up?

Types of Biscuits

There are two main types of biscuits: traditional biscuits and drop biscuits. 

Traditional biscuits call for cold butter– cold, pea-sized chunks of butter that are most easily formed through the process of grating– and a pastry cutter to cut the butter in to the dough.

After mixing thoroughly but quickly so the butter stays cold, home bakers find themselves creating a lightly floured surface, rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, cutting the biscuits into even circles using a biscuit cutter, and then carefully placing those perfect circles on to a baking sheet.

All of this effort results in delicious, flaky, perfectly cut biscuits, but by the time you finish making them it’s time for your kids to go to bed! Kidding! I actually love these traditional sourdough biscuits, but they are NOT a time saver when compared to drop biscuits. 

Drop biscuits call for melted butter, which is mixed gently with all the other ingredients. Once it’s incorporated, you drop spoonfuls of dough on to a sheet pan and bake until golden brown. You end up with the most delicious, tender biscuits, and all it took was a bowl and a few spoons to make it happen. Seriously, what’s easier than that!? 

This is my favorite sourdough biscuit recipe because it takes very little effort or time and they taste amazing with that hint of sour flavor from the use of sourdough starter.

These are seriously the best, and I love the rugged, uneven appearance they have compared to cut-out biscuits. So if you’re in a time pinch, give these a try! They might just be you new go-to. 

Recipe Highlights:

Delicious. Seriously, they are perfect. 

Quick, easy, simple. Comes together in a pinch! No need for special tools like a cheese grater, a biscuit cutter, or a bench scraper. All you really need is a bowl and your hands! (Okay okay, you can use a spoon.)

Healthier than store-bought. No preservatives. No chemicals. 

Great way to use up discard. Don’t throw it away!

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter: This way you have more control over the amount of salt used.

All purpose flour-: I buy organic as much as possible.

Sourdough starter: active or discard will work.

Water or milk: I like to use milk for the quick biscuits and water for long fermentation. Letting milk sit out overnight is just not appealing to me.

Baking soda and baking powder: this is what gives the dough rise, it is not from the sourdough starter.

Necessary Equipment:

Mixing bowls

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

To Long Ferment:

1. Whisk together the sourdough starter, melted butter, water, and salt. Then incorporate the flour. Cover the bowl and leave the mixture on the counter to ferment for 8 to 12 hours. 
2. When you’re ready to bake, add the baking soda and baking powder and mix the batter again. You may need to add a bit more water or milk to thin the batter out a bit.
3. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop biscuit dough on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should have enough to make 12 biscuits. 
4. Bake at 400º for 15-17 minutes. They should be golden-brown. 

Tips: 

• Don’t over mix the biscuit dough. Over mixing will result in significantly increased amount of gluten-development, and you want the development of gluten low in this recipe. 
• Adjust the baking time depending on the size of your biscuits. Smaller biscuits might take up to 5 minutes less time to bake than larger ones.
• For best results, place biscuits at least an inch apart from each other when placing on the baking sheet .
• Try different variations of this recipe by incorporating different add-ins for different flavors. Some add-in ideas are sharp cheddar cheese, garlic, and rosemary.

How to serve:

• Make a batch of sausage gravy and dig in!
• Pair these with any soup, chili, or curry.
• Put out some meat and cheese slices to make little biscuit sandwiches.
• Just need a little snack? Eat these with butter and jam.
• Need a sweet treat? These would be amazing drizzled with chocolate and topped with whipped cream. 

Storage 

• Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container. They will last three days on the counter. 
• For longer storage, put leftover biscuits in the freezer. They should last several months. 

FAQs

Love this recipe? Check out some of our other sourdough discard recipes:

• Try these Sourdough Discard Pancakes for breakfast or as another great last minute dinner idea.
• Sourdough Discard Crackers are great for any time!
• For a classic, try the easiest sourdough discard cinnamon rolls ever. 
• Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins are perfect for a cozy fall day. Pair them with this vegan pumpkin spice latte.