Easy and uncomplicated, these Sourdough Butter Swim Biscuits are a delicious quick and easy breakfast that takes less than 1 hour from start to finish! Made with tangy sourdough discard, these biscuits are baked in a pool of melted butter resulting in tender and cakey biscuits with a rich buttery flavor.
I’ve had butter swim biscuits all my life and really wanted to use some of my discard in them forever! Yours is the third recipe I have tried and MA’AM! I won’t make them any other way. Thank you
What are Butter Swim Biscuits?
Butter swim biscuits are tender, fluffy biscuits made with an easy batter that's baked in a pool of hot melted butter. As they bake, they absorb the butter, resulting in the softest, most indulgent texture you can imagine.
Although butter swim biscuits may lack the flakiness of regular biscuits, they have a melt-in-your-mouth crumb with a crisp, scraggly exterior, making them delicious in their own right.
The best part about these biscuits is that they are so simple to make! Just mix up the batter, transfer to a baking pan, bake and serve with cultured butter and homemade blueberry preserves for a delicious easy breakfast.
What you need
Sourdough discard: Both sourdough discard and active starter will work for this recipe. If you don't have any sourdough starter, simply add 56 grams of water and 56 grams of flour to your batter.
All-purpose flour: The low protein content of this flour is perfect for soft and tender biscuits. Don't substitute bread flour or whole wheat flour, or your biscuits will be too tough and dry.
Apple cider vinegar: Reacts with baking soda to make these biscuits even fluffier. Substitute lemon juice or white vinegar if that's all you have.
Milk: Whole milk works best for these biscuits. Use your favorite plant-based alternative.
Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are not expired before attempting this recipe. If they've been in your pantry for a while, test them by combining a pinch with a drop of vinegar. If the mixture fizzes, they are still effective.
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.
Step-by-step Instructions
STEP 1: Melt butter in 8-by-8 pan while oven preheats.
STEP 2: Make the batter.
STEP 3: Pour the batter over the melted butter.
STEP 4: Bake at 450 F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Baker's Tips
- Weigh your ingredients: Measuring by weight is much more accurate than by volume (with tablespoons and cups).
- Sourdough discard and active starter both work for this recipe: Sourdough discard will impart a deeper flavor.
- Gently fold your batter until only a few traces of dry flour remain: Stirring too much will cause too much gluten development and will make your biscuits gummy and dense.
- Use high quality butter: These biscuits are all about the rich butter flavor. Invest in high-quality butter like Kerrygold, Organic Valley or Plugra for the best results.
Recipe FAQs
Sourdough discard is any portion of your starter removed during the feeding process or any part not used to leaven sourdough bread. You can use it in other bakes and dishes or store it in the refrigerator.
There are a few reasons:
1. Your leaveners are expired and your biscuits couldn't rise.
2. You overworked your batter and developed too much gluten.
3. You used the wrong type of flour.
No, biological leaveners such as sourdough starters require a combination of time and gluten development to make baked goods rise. As yeast ferments, it releases CO2 which gets trapped by strong gluten networks in the dough. Gluten development will negatively affect the texture of your biscuits.
You may also like
Did this recipe rise to the occasion?
★★★★★
Please leave a star rating and a comment. Your feedback helps me create more delicious sourdough recipes. I read and truly appreciate every message.
Don't forget to PIN this recipe on Pinterest to save it for later!
Thank you for your support!
Sourdough Butter Swim Biscuit Recipe
Equipment
- 8 by 8 inch baking pan
This section may contain affiliate links
Ingredients
- 113 grams unsalted butter cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- 180 grams milk
- ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 240 grams all-purpose flour
- 10 grams baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 25 grams granulated sugar
- 5 grams Kosher salt
Click US Customary to view volume measurements
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.113 grams unsalted butter
- Make the batter: Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl.113 grams sourdough discard, 180 grams milk, ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Fold the dry ingredients into the milk mixture. Gently stir until all of the flour is incorporated but don’t over mix or your biscuits may turn out dry and dense.240 grams all-purpose flour, 10 grams baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 25 grams granulated sugar, 5 grams Kosher salt
- 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.
Tips
These recipes were developed and tested using grams for precise measurements. To increase your chances of success, I recommend investing in a kitchen scale. I've included rough volume estimates (in tablespoons and cups), but they might not be totally accurate.
Remember all ovens are unique, these recipes were tested in my oven which runs cooler than others. You might need to lower the temperature if your bake appears to be browning too quickly. Monitor your bake closely and make adjustments if needed.
Notes
- Both sourdough discard and active starter will work for this recipe.
- Don't over mix your batter.
- Substitute lemon juice or white vinegar for apple cider vinegar if that's all you have.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, any nutrition information provided is an estimate.
Patrici says
I'm overall happy with these, and my kids LOVED them with butter and jam. They make a quick and tasty addition to afternoon tea. I deducted a star for the stated bake temperature. I removed them at 25 minutes and they were extremely, overly brown. Afterward, I double checked the temp and time, which I had followed, but then noticed the tidbit about the author's cooler oven in the Tips. I recommend adjusting the temp in the actual recipe, or even give a recommended range, for example 425°-450°. I do a great deal of baking in my 3 ovens, and 450° is without a doubt too high for a calibrated oven.
Still, all in all a quick and simple, crowd-pleasing recipe. Thank you!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Thank you for the feedback! I am so glad your family enjoyed them.
Patricia says
You're most welcome! Baked them again today at 415° for exactly 20 minutes. Perfection!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
So happy to hear this!
JRocye says
Yooo.. this was my first recipe with my starter and let me tell you.. Fuggggg.. it was good. I am more of a savory guy. For those like me. I suggest using salted butter. I rubbed an 1/8th of salted butter into a cast iron pan. Then froze a stick of salted butter and grated and cut it into the dry ingredients. Followed the rest of the recipe as followed but I would suggest for those who like savory more than sweet to add 5g of salt and use 1/3 the sugar. Delicious never the less!!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Salted butter is such a great addition. Thanks for trying this one out and welcome to the crazy world of sourdough!
Amie says
These were super yummy and oh so buttery
Hannah Dela Cruz says
These are my fave! I'm so happy you loved them!
Korina says
These are insanely quick and the texture is wonderful!!! I used it with active starter. The texture of the dough is definitely weird, I thought I overmixed and that there may be too much butter, but nope everything comes together magically!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Yay! I know this recipe is a little odd at first but turns out so delicious. Glad you loved it too!
Aubrey says
Do you think you can let these rest for a few hours before cooking them after making the dough? Thinking of bringing them to Thanksgiving, but want to have it ready in a separate bowl to be put in the buttered pan. Thank you!
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Ooh I've never tried that! But I freeze my sourdough biscuit dough all the time with great results, so I'm sure it would work.
Terran W says
Hannah!
I’ve had butterswim biscuits all my life and really wanted to use some of my discard in them forever! Yours is the third recipe I have tried and MA’AM! I won’t make them any other way. Thank you
Hannah Dela Cruz says
What a compliment! Thank you so much!
KT says
These are delicious! I find that they start getting a little too brown at around 22 minutes (I’ve used a couple different ovens and had the same issue).
Hannah Dela Cruz says
Oooh good to know! My oven famously fluctuates in temp a bit so that might be what's happening. Thank you for your feedback.
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.