Light and fluffy, these overnight sourdough cast iron biscuits are delicious. Perfect drizzled with honey or a morning meal of biscuits and gravy. You will love the taste!
I love my original buttermilk biscuit recipe. They are fluffy with perfect layers and so easy to mix up on mornings for a quick meal. I also love making overnight sourdough recipes for healthy, long fermented breads for my family and decided to adapt my original biscuit recipe to be used with sourdough.
Here is how to make flaky sourdough starter biscuits from scratch.
Overnight Sourdough Biscuits Recipe without Baking Powder
For the most part, every sourdough biscuits recipe that I have ever seen is made with baking powder and baking soda. But, is it needed? When baking powder and baking soda are used in a recipe, it helps the dough to rise. However, I found that if you have a strong sourdough starter, you do not need baking powder or baking soda in this recipe.
This batch of sourdough biscuits from starter were mixed the night before without baking powder or baking soda. Then, after fermenting overnight, I rolled them out, cut them and placed them in the cast iron skillet to rise. It took around 2 hours for the biscuits to rise in a warm location, before I baked them in the oven.
Sourdough Biscuit Recipe with Baking Powder
The next batch of biscuits, I added baking powder, and baking soda to the dough the next morning after it had fermented overnight. I kneaded the dough to mix the additional ingredients in, then rolled and cut the biscuits. After being placed in a cast iron skillet, this batch rose for one hour and was ready to bake.
In my experience, if you have a strong sourdough starter, there is no need to add baking powder or baking soda to the recipe. As for the taste, only one child out of the four in our home noticed the sourdough taste in the biscuits without baking powder and baking soda. Both versions turned out fantastic!
Overnight Sourdough Cast Iron Biscuits Video
Kitchen Essentials for Long Fermented Sourdough Biscuits
Ingredients for Sourdough Biscuits Overnight in Cast Iron Skillets
- 3 1/2 cups white all purpose organic flour (350 g)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (9 g)
- 10 tbsp cold butter (sliced into small pieces)
- 1 cup fed sourdough starter (200 g)
- 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (180 g)
- 2 tbsp honey (40 g)
Additional Ingredients (if choosing to make with baking powder and baking soda)
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
How do you Make Overnight Sourdough Biscuits from Scratch
I really recommend investing in a good kitchen scale. When baking with sourdough, I can not even count the times that I have found one useful. It is how I maintain my sourdough starter and I achieve the best results when I weigh everything for the recipe.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, honey and milk. Mix well.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture. It should resemble coarse crumbs. (if you do not have a pastry cutter, you can use a fork or your fingers to mix the butter in)
- Add the sourdough mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Dough will be a little sticky but I do not add more flour.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and ferment overnight for 7-12 hours. The longer the dough sits the more sour it will become and I have found that we like ours to sit from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
- The next morning, if you are choosing to add the baking powder and baking soda, sprinkle them on top of the dough. Mix the dough with your hands.
- Then, roll out biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Cut biscuits, which I use a canning ring to accomplish this task.
- Place biscuits in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Cover and let rise for one or two hours.
- Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden brown.
- Serve hot with butter, honey or jam. Or, enjoy with a generous helping of old-fashioned homemade sausage gravy!
Sample Baking Schedule for Cast Iron Sourdough Biscuits
This is the schedule that I use for making my overnight sourdough cast iron biscuits. This is so easy to mix up the night before, allow it to ferment and bake the next morning.
I am an early riser, and like to start working my dough at 6:00 AM. Then, I begin my morning routine before waking the children at 7:00 AM and having breakfast ready to serve between 8:15-8:30 AM.
Day 1:
3:00 PM – Feed the sourdough starter
8:00 PM – Mix the ingredients, cover and ferment overnight.
Day 2:
6:00 AM – Roll out the dough, cut biscuits and place them in a cast iron skillet. (if adding baking powder, and baking soda, this would be the time to do that and then knead the dough to mix the ingredients together) Let the biscuit dough rest and rise.
7:45 AM – Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
8:00 AM – Bake biscuits for 15- 20 minutes until tops are golden brown.
Tips for Making Sourdough Biscuits
- Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting out the biscuits. When the twisting motion happens, it seals the edges and the biscuits will not rise like they should.
- Do not forget to feed your sourdough starter at least 4 hours before making this recipe. To test if the starter is ready to use, drop a teaspoon full into a jar of water. If it floats, it is ready to use.
- Baking bread can be a trial and error process. Depending on the hydration of your sourdough and the climate/temperature where you live, your results may vary. But, don’t give up! The more you know your sourdough starter, the better you will become at baking with it.
How to Store Overnight Sourdough Biscuits
Allow the biscuits to cool completely before wrapping or storing. Biscuits are best stored, covered in a container with a few pinhole size openings for ventilation. I store our sourdough biscuits in a 100% linen bread bag that is kept in a bread box.
More Easy Recipes to Make with Sourdough Starter
- Strawberry Shortcake with Sourdough Biscuits
- Sweet Honey Sourdough Dinner Rolls
- Overnight Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
Printable Recipe
Overnight Sourdough Cast Iron Biscuits
Yield: 12-14
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 12 hours 10 seconds
Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes 10 seconds
Light and fluffy, these overnight sourdough cast iron biscuits are delicious. Perfect drizzled with honey or a morning meal of biscuits and gravy. You will love the taste!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups white all purpose organic flour (350 g)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (9 g)
- 10 tbsp cold butter (sliced into small pieces)
- 1 cup fed sourdough starter (200 g)
- 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (180 g)
- 2 tbsp honey (40 g)
- Additional Ingredients (if choosing to make with baking powder and baking soda)
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, honey and milk. Mix well.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture. It should resemble coarse crumbs. (if you do not have a pastry cutter, you can use a fork or your fingers to mix the butter in)
Add the sourdough mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Dough will be a little sticky but I do not add more flour.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and ferment overnight for 7-12 hours. The longer the dough sits the more of sour it will become and I have found that we like ours to sit from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
The next morning, if you are choosing to add the baking powder and baking soda, sprinkle them on top of the dough. Mix the dough with your hands.
Then, roll out biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Cut biscuits, which I use a canning ring to accomplish this task.
Place biscuits in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Cover and let rise for one or two hours.
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden brown.
Serve hot with butter, honey or jam. Or, enjoy with a generous helping of old-fashioned homemade sausage gravy!
Did you make this recipe?
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