Sourdough can be incredibly intimidating, I would know because when my friend first handed me a sourdough starter last year, the questions started flooding in. I took it one step at a time. I started my starter and I’d say it’s going pretty well because almost a year later it is still thriving and producing fantastic bread.
I started exploring sourdough in December 2020 and I learned quickly there was so much vocabulary to absorb. I was immediately overwhelmed with terms like discard. What the heck is sourdough discard?? Don’t get me wrong, sourdough is intimidating and it takes effort to educate yourself, like reading this blog post, but once you enter the magical world of sourdough, you’ll never go back. We could spend forever talking about sourdough and sourdough discard. Don’t worry, you will find many recipes and blog posts diving into the wonder that is sourdough.
For now, I’m focusing on discard. What is discard you ask? Well simply put, sourdough discard was sourdough starter but it was discarded, hence the name, so fresh sourdough starter can be made. Discard is the part of the sourdough starter that is removed before feeding the starter. Sourdough has to be fed in order to be active, and when we feed our sourdough starter we take out some of the old starter so we don’t end up with too much and to make sure the starter is as fresh as possible. The starter that is discarded, ends up in a separate container and used for recipes like this!
Just because it is called discard, doesn’t mean you throw it away. Discard still has benefits in baking.
FERMENTATION: Discard is still fermented and has lovely gut benefits, such as aiding in digestion and providing nutrients.
FLAVOR: It adds a slight sour flavor without making them taste too off-putting or acidic.
MOISTURE: There is a lot of water locked into sourdough discard, this adds more moisture which prevents baked goods from drying out and keeps them tasting fresher for days longer.
SOURDOUGH DISCARD CHEDDAR BISCUITS
This recipe is one bowl and comes together in about 30 minutes. These biscuits are fluffy, yet crispy from the cheese. These simple biscuits go well with a weeknight dinner, a cozy soup, and salad, or just make an addicting snack! I recommend using your favorite cheddar cheese here. I have used white and yellow cheddar, mild and sharp. It all depends on your preference, so feel free to play around! I have mixed and matched and I have never had complaints. What more can you ask for with bread and cheese?!
AT A GLANCE
Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl along with the grated cheese. Make sure you give it a good mix when combining the dry ingredients with the cheese to ensure the cheese is nice and covered. This helps prevent the cheese from sinking to the bottom as well so there is a better chance for even distribution. Add your wet ingredients and give it a final mix; be sure not to over-mix. Combine until there are no dry spots left. You can of course sub regular cheese for vegan cheese and the milk for non-dairy milk if you’d like a dairy-free option!
I recommend leaving the bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes, but this is not necessary. Take a spoon with some water to prevent sticking or a cookie scoop, and place evenly distributed scoops on a baking tray lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Throw them in the oven for about 20 minutes and they are done. My husband can’t stand to wait, so many of them end up being gobbled up before dinner. They are so comforting warm out of the oven. They are delicious plain, but can round out a meal if you can wait that long to eat them!
SOURDOUGH DISCARD CHEDDAR BISCUITS
Crispy, fluffy & savory sourdough cheddar biscuits in 30 minutes or less! Made with sourdough discard, these biscuits are a quick and delicious side dish.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1TBS baking powder
- 100g shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese (can sub non-dairy cheese)
Wet Ingredients
- Sourdough discard 200g
- Milk of choice ½ cup (4oz)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prep your baking tray by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spray with cooking oil to prevent sticking.
- Gather your wet and dry ingredients.
- Grab a medium to large size bowl, a kitchen scale, and a spoon. In the bowl, add your flour, salt, and baking powder and stir until combined.
- Grate 100g of mild or sharp cheddar cheese into the bowl and mix until the cheese is coated in your dry ingredients.
- Pour in ½ cup of your milk of choice. You can use non-dairy or regular milk.
- Measure 200g of sourdough and discard into the bowl.
- Combine all the ingredients gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Mix until there are no more dry pockets.
- Using a spoon or a cookie scoop (my preferred method is to use a cookie scoop because it makes it easier to plop the biscuits on the baking tray easily as well as ensure they are even) to scoop the biscuit dough onto the lined baking tray until no dough is left in the bowl. The recipe makes about 20-22 biscuits depending on size.
- Place each biscuit about 1-2 inches apart as they will spread. You can choose to put them closer, which is fine, just know they will spread and stick together when baked.
- Put the baking tray in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. Bake until the edges and the bottom of the biscuits are golden brown.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes (if you can wait that long), serve, and enjoy!
