Sourdough Pinch Biscuits

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

Can I use yeast instead of sourdough starter?

No, this recipe is meant to be made using an active homemade sourdough starter. a fed and active sourdough starter in a mason jar with visible bubbles on the surface

Can I use something in place of whole milk?

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.

How do you make sourdough starter from scratch with two ingredients?

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.

Can I use sourdough discard for this recipe?

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.

Example of an active sourdough starter in a clear glass bowl before mixing a sourdough sponge — **Active sourdough starter before making a 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.

Sourdough sponge in a bowl after rising — **Sourdough Sponge**

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.

mixing the sourdough biscuit dough in a clear glass bowl until it holds together — **Mixing the 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.

biscuit dough formed into a log and sliced in 1 inch slices — **biscuit dough 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.

shaping sourdough roll dough before placing in a baking pan or cast iron skillet

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.

Sourdough pinch biscuit dough in a cast iron skillet with some rolls on the side

Cover the skillet with plastic wrap or a lint-free dish cloth and place it in a warm area to rise for 30 minutes.

shaped pinch biscuits in the pan before they have risen — **Biscuits before rising**

After 15 minutes preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Homemade sourdough rolls that have risen in a cast iron skillet before baking — **Biscuits after rising**

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.

Golden brown and fluffy fresh baked biscuits in a baking pan — **Golden Fluffy Homemade Biscuits**

Sourdough biscuits are perfect serves with soup, stews, chili or roast beef.

More Sourdough Recipes

Essential Biscuit Baking Tools

Using the right tools is just as important as using the right ingredients. Make sure your recipes turn out perfect every time.

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