Amazingly crisp on the outside with flaky, tender, and rich buttery crumbs cheddar biscuits made with sourdough discard are out of this world delicious. The slight tang from the sourdough discard adds a nice complexity to the overall flavor. You don't want to miss this recipe!
If you don't have buttermilk, you can "make" one by mixing 80 g (1/3 cup) milk with 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle. I make a little extra here in case we need it to adjust the consistency of the dough. The buttermilk will also react with the baking soda to leaven the biscuits. So do not skip this buttermilk step
Make sure the butter is really cold. Use a grater to grate the butter and then keep it in the fridge
Prepare the dough:
Set aside 30 g (1/8 cup) of the cheese for topping. Measure out the starter and start with 60 g (1/4 cup) of buttermilk. If your starter is runny, that maybe all the buttermilk you need. Add the rest of the cheese. Whisk to combine. My starter is thick and so I use a total of 80 g (1/3 cup) of buttermilk. Mix until you get a thick batter-like consistency. Keep this in the fridge for 20 minutes to keep it cold
Preheat oven to 475 F (250 C) for conventional oven. 450 F (230 C) for convection oven
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
When 20 minutes are almost over, in a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the grated butter and use a dough scraper to cut and combine into uneven crumbs. Add the cold buttermilk and starter mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a dough scraper to cut and fold the wet and dry. DON'T knead the dough. It will be dry and shaggy and there maybe still some loose flour. Do not overmix. We try to handle the dough as little as possible.
Transfer the dough along with loose bits of flour into a countertop. Limit touching the dough with your hands to avoid warming up the butter too much. Use a bench scraper to collect the dough and the dry bits of flour together and press it down to form a rough rectangle that is about 1 inch thick.
Create flaky layers:
Use the bench scraper to fold the dough at the long side into half. Switch to a rolling pin. Dust some flour on the rolling pin to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough out into about 10 inches long. Then cut the dough in half crosswise at the center. Pick up half of the dough and stack it on top of the other half. Rotate the dough a quarter turn. Roll it out again into about 10 inches long. Cut in half again crosswise and then stack the top half on top of the bottom half. Rotate a quarter turn again and repeat the rolling, cutting, and stacking one more time
Then roll the dough out to about 1-inch thickness
Use a biscuit cutter:
Important tips: Use a biscuit cutter to cut the biscuit. I use the 2.5 inch round cutter. Push straight down and lift the cutter up. DO NOT twist the cutter. When you do that, you seal up the edges and it won't rise when you bake it. Cut as close as possible to minimize dough scrape
Gather all the scrapes and push them together (don't knead it) to form a dough ball. I don't recommend rolling it out and cut again because this makes the biscuit tough from too much handling. Instead, just form dough balls from the scrapes. They won't be as pretty as the cut ones, but they are still very tasty and won't be tough
Place the biscuits on top of the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart
Important tips: use your thumb to make an indentation in the middle of the biscuits. Why? This is to prevent the biscuits from tipping over to the side when they bake, which happen more often than not. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese you set aside earlier on top of the indentation. You don't have to make indentations on the dough balls you made from the scrapes
If it's really warm where you are, I recommend freezing the biscuits in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking
If not baking on the same day:
You can prepare up to this point and freeze the biscuit for one hour in the freezer. Transfer to a freezer bag, push all the air out and seal. I like to double bag them to prevent freezer burn. They can be kept frozen for up to one month. When ready to bake, they can go straight from freezer to the oven. You may want to add an extra 3-5 minutes. Monitor the time closely so you don't overbake
Bake:
Place the baking pan on the middle rack. Turn the temperature down to 450 F (230 C) for conventional oven, 430 F (220 C) for convection oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. It's important not to overbake them
Cool down and serve:
Let them cool down on the pan set on top of a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature
Biscuits are best served on the same day they are made. They are so delicious served with an extra pat of butter and honey or jam. We love them plain too!
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Full Proof Baking. It's one of the best super flaky biscuits I've ever made using sourdough discard!