Easy and uncomplicated, these Butter Swim Biscuits are the perfect last minute breakfast. A little bit of sourdough discard in the batter adds a delicious tang. The biscuit batter is baked in a pool of melted butter, the result is a tender, cakey biscuit that’s delicious served with a pat of salted cultured butter and homemade preserves.
Butter Swim Biscuits are tender, cakey and buttery. They aren’t flaky like traditional biscuits but are just as delicious with a deep buttery flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture. The best part about these biscuits is that they are so easy to make and come together quickly, making them perfect for a quick, last-minute breakfast or as a side.
Baking with your sourdough discard
Biscuits are a type of bread leavened that uses chemical leaveners (baking soda and baking powder) instead of biological leaveners (commercial yeast or sourdough). Because you won’t be using your sourdough to make these biscuits rise you can bake with your sourdough discard straight from the refrigerator without activating or feeding it first.
What you need
Making these biscuits come together pretty quickly so make sure you have all your ingredients ready before starting.
- Butter - adds flavor and tenderizes the biscuits
- Sourdough discard - imparts a delicious tangy flavor
- Milk - adds moisture and richness
- Apple cider vinegar - works with leaveners to help biscuits rise and tames the bitter flavor of baking soda
- All-purpose flour - the low protein content of all-purpose flour helps impart a light, fluffy texture to these biscuits
- Baking powder - main leavener, causes the biscuits to rise
- Baking soda - helps with browning and leavening
- Granulated sugar - adds sweetness
- Kosher salt - brings out the flavor in the rest of the ingredients
How to make Butter Swim Biscuits
This biscuit batter is baked over a pool of melted butter. As the batter bakes it absorbs the melted butter, resulting in tall, fluffy biscuits with a tender, cakey crumb
These biscuits are much easier to make than typical biscuits. You don’t have to cut the butter into your flour or even make sure that all your ingredients are cold. Unlike my Sourdough Discard Biscuits which require an easy lamination, there also isn’t any shaping or cutting required and the entire process only takes about four steps.
Sourdough Butter Swim Biscuits
Ingredients
- 113 grams 1 stick butter
- 113 grams ½ cup sourdough discard
- 180 grams ¾ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 240 grams 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 grams 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 25 grams 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 grams 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Melt butter in an 8-by-8 pan while the oven preheats, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Make the batter: Combine sourdough discard, milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir together until the starter has dissolved. Fold the flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar and salt into the milk mixture. Gently stir until all of the flour is incorporated but don’t overmix or your biscuits may turn out dry and dense.
- Bake: Carefully pour the batter over the melted butter, spread it evenly in the prepared pan. Bake the biscuits for 25 to 30 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Move the pan to a wire rack and allow the biscuits to cool slightly before serving.
- Serve: Cut the biscuits into 9 portions and serve with butter and jam or homemade preserves.
- Store: These biscuits are best enjoyed the day they are baked but will store fine in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Rebecca says
Hi! 180 g of milk measures out to be 3/4 cup. Could you confirm which measurement is correct?
Hannah @ Make It Dough says
When in doubt use weight measures if they are given. These recipes are developed using metric measurements and volume measurements are my best estimation.