It's Time To Cook: January 2025

Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients:

- 1/2 c (125g) sourdough

- 3/4 c soy milk

- Stick of butter, grated

- 1 tsp sugar

- 4 oz cheese

- 2 c flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp Italian seasoning

__Instructions:__

Measure and mix dry ingredients in medium-large bowl. Measure starter, sugar, milk. Grate cold butter in to liquids. Mix, and combine with dry. Mix with hands. Roll out somewhat thick. Cut circles with small cup. Place on greased foil-lined baking sheet.

Bakes at 400 for 15 min, makes 9-12

Sourdough Discard Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup sourdough discard (unfed)

2 cups all-purpose flour (or half and half with whole wheat for a heartier flavor)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1/2 cup buttermilk (or whole milk for a less tangy flavor)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, sugar (if using), and salt. Mix well.

Cut in the butter: Add the cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Add the sourdough discard: Pour in the sourdough discard and buttermilk. Stir gently until everything is combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough; it should be a bit shaggy and sticky.

Form the biscuits: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough a few times until it comes together, then roll it out to about 1-inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter (or a glass) to cut out biscuits.

Bake the biscuits: Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are close together for soft sides. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Enjoy! Serve warm with butter, honey, or your favorite jam.

If you're looking to make more delicious sourdough creations, check out "The Sourdough Cookbook for Beginners" by Amanda George. It's full of great ideas to use up your discard!

1 ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup + 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
½ cup Sourdough Discard

For Brushing

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine.
Add the melted butter to a separate medium bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir until the butter forms small clumps. These clumps are caused by the warm liquid butter interacting with the cold buttermilk. This mimics the “cutting in” process of typical biscuits, since the result is large clumps of butter.
Add the sourdough discard to the butter and buttermilk mixture. Whisk gently to combine.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Add the sourdough, butter, and buttermilk mixture to the well of the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a silicone spatula, just until combined and all the flour is moistened. The dough will be pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Use your hands to form a rough mass.
Grease the inside of a ¼ cup sized dry measuring cup, or a #20 size cookie scoop (large size; about 3 ½ tbsp). Scoop up a heaping portion of dough and drop directly onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this until all your dough is used up, spacing each biscuit 1 ½-2” apart. If using a large cookie scoop, you will yield approximately 12 biscuits.
Brush the biscuits with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 13-17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and crisp.
Remove the drop biscuits from the oven and brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.
Serve immediately, or allow to cool on a wire rack before transferring to storage.