The Best Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Biscuits
These hearty whole wheat biscuits are one of my favorite ways to put sourdough discard to good use—especially when the jar is overflowing! (Double the recipe and you’ll use a whole cup of discard in one go.) Soft, tender, and beautifully flaky, they carry that irresistible buttery aroma we all love in a good biscuit. Thanks to the nuttiness of whole wheat and the subtle tang of sourdough, they’re both comforting and deeply flavorful. Serve them in place of sandwich bread, alongside a nourishing bowl of soup, or with a generous ladle of sausage gravy for a hearty, old-fashioned meal.
Why you’ll love these biscuits
- Sometimes I make a large jar of starter and then life happens and I never get to make bread before the starter is past its prime! These biscuits are great for occassions like this. Just make sure that your discard is not older than 14 days or it may add a sour taste to your biscuits.
- Because of the addition of whole wheat flour, butter and milk they are very nutrient dense, much more than regular sourdough bread.
- These biscuits have such a delicious buttery flavor – they fill your whole house with the aroma of butter as they bake.
- They freeze really well and are quick to defrost. I usually make a double batch and freeze half for future use.
- They are quick and easy to make if you remember the cardinal rule of pastry making – keeping the butter cold!
Tips for making these sourdough discard whole wheat biscuits
- Make sure your butter is cold. I recommend cutting the butter into cubes and then popping the bowl with cubed butter into the freezer for about 15 minutes to get it nice and cold. Cold butter is essential to make light and flaky biscuits.
- Keep the rest of the ingredients and your mixing bowl cool. This is especially important if you are making these biscuits on a hot summer day.
- Avoid using your hands when handling the dough as much as possible. Use the tools I specified in the Directions below. Your hands would only warm the butter and make it softer.
- If you need to use up some whey, replace half of the milk in this recipe with whey.
- I personally prefer to roll out the dough to 1 inch thick. This way my finished biscuits are almost 2 inch thick, perfect for slicing in half and using as mini breads. However, feel free to make them as thick as you like – and adjust the baking time accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Directions for making these sourdough discard whole wheat biscuits
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 220C/420F. Place the whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix together with a wooden spoon. Add the cubed butter.
A quick tip – if it is a hot summer day, pop your mixing bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes so it is nice and cold before placing your ingredients in it.
Step 2
Using a pastry cutter or a knife, cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of peas.
Step 3
Add the sourdough discard and the milk and mix it in until it comes together into a shaggy sort of ball.
Step 4
Use a wooden spoon or a dough whisk when mixing the dough and avoid using your hands – they would warm the butter too much.
Step 5
Tip the dough ball onto your counter and knead it very briefly – just until it looks smooth. Don’t overhandle the dough.
Step 6
As you can see, the ball of dough is smooth and ready for rolling out.
Step 7
Lightly flour your counter and roll out the dough to 1 inch thick (or to your preferred thickness – the biscuits will almost double in height as they bake).
Step 8
Using a round cutter (or the rim of an old thermos flask), cut out the biscuits into rounds. Alternatively, you could use a knife or a pizza cutter and cut them into squares or rectangles. Make whatever shapes you like!
Step 9
Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking tray and bake on the middle shelf of your oven until risen and golden brown on top.
Step 10
Let the biscuits cool slightly before serving. They are great for any meal – with eggs and sausages for breakfast, with soup for lunch or dipped in a stew for dinner. They will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze well. To refresh biscuits pop them into the toaster for just a short time (they shouldn’t be toasted as long as a slice of bread) – they will come out tasting almost as if they were just baked.
If you would like to make biscuits with active sourdough starter, be sure to check out my Sourdough Tallow Whole Wheat Biscuits recipe.
The Best Sourdough Discard Whole Wheat Biscuits
Equipment
- baking tray
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp unrefined salt
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ¾ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C/420F.
- Add whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, soda and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix together with a spoon.
- Add the cubed butter to the bowl. Using a knife or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are the size of peas.
- Add the discard and the milk to the flour and butter mixture. Mix it in with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until it comes together into a ball. You may need to use your hands towards the end of mixing, but try to do most with the spoon (your hands will warm the butter too much).
- Tip the rough ball of dough onto your counter (but don't flour the counter yet). Knead VERY briefly until it's smooth. Don't overhandle the dough (you want the butter to remain cold).
- Lightly flour your counter and roll out the dough into a 1 inch circle. Using a round cookie cutter or something similar (I used the rim of an old thermos flask) cut out the biscuits and place them onto an ungreased baking tray.
- Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden brown on top.
- Let the biscuits cool a little on cookie racks before serving. You can cut them in half and spread with some butter or serve them alongside a soup or stew, or even with some scrambled eggs for breakfast. They are very versatile!
Notes
- If you would prefer to skip the white flour, use 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour instead.
- I like to roll out the dough to 1 inch thick because the biscuits are then thick enough after baking to be cut in half horizontally and spread with butter. They make a great alternative to sourdough bread. You can however make them as thick (or thin) as you like, just make sure you adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Your discard should be no older than 2 weeks (so it is not super sour – that could affect the flavor of your biscuits).
