Sourdough Drop Biscuits Made Simple
While flipping through our vintage Golden Anniversary Cookbook (Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Ozark Empire Fair), this Sourdough Drop Biscuit recipe caught our eye. Since sourdough is so popular these days we wanted to feature this blue ribbon winning recipe to showcase the exhibitors innovation in creating a quick, easy breakfast biscuit. It is so simple to mix together and you get all the flavor of yeast and buttermilk, without the fuss that goes into making traditional sourdough. The dough stores in the refrigerator for days, so it makes it so easy to have hot, fresh biscuits with any meal during the week.
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This particular biscuit recipe comes from Brittany Nicole Garrett of Springfield, Missouri, a fair exhibitor from 1981–1984. Her recipe earned blue ribbon bragging rights and is everything you want in a biscuit: soft and fluffy interior, golden brown tops and the smell of fresh baked yeast bread, thanks to the sourdough base. We’ve adapted it slightly for our kitchen, testing it with a healthier avocado oil and a few small updates to make it more approachable for home cooks today. The result? A reliable, crowd-pleasing biscuit recipe that doesn’t require rolling or rising—just scoop and bake.
Why Sourdough Biscuits?
Sourdough isn’t just for rustic boules and crusty loaves—it also brings incredible flavor and texture to everyday bakes like biscuits. This sourdough biscuit recipe uses bubbly, active starter to create tender, soft layers with a subtle tang that sets them apart from your typical buttermilk biscuit.
Unlike traditional sourdough recipes that require long fermentation, this one keeps things simple. With help from active dry yeast and baking soda, these biscuits come together quickly without sacrificing lift or flakiness.
As part of our Fair Series, this recipe is inspired by classic county fair baking—comforting, nostalgic, and crowd-pleasing. If you’re enjoying the series, you might also love our Apricot Nut Bread, simple, satisfying, and perfect for breakfast or snacking.
What You’ll Need
- Large mixing bowl – You’ll combine the dry ingredients and later the wet mixture in here.
- Dough whisk or wooden spoon – This helps bring the biscuit dough together without over-mixing.
- Parchment paper – Keeps the biscuits from sticking to your baking sheet.
- Cookie scoop or ice cream scoop – For easy portioning and evenly sized unbaked biscuits.
- Sheet pan or baking sheet – Standard rimmed sheet pans work best here.
Optional tools that make the job easier:
- Silicone Baking Mat – For easier clean up.
- Box grater – If you decide to swap oil for small cubes of cold butter.
- Pastry cutter – A helpful alternative for cutting butter into flour if you’re going for layered, flaky biscuits.
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm tap water
- 6 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (divided)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- ¾ cup cooking oil of your choice (we used avocado oil)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Activate the yeast. In a 1-cup measuring cup, dissolve the active dry yeast in warm tap water. Let sit for 10 minutes until foam begins to form on top.
3. Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 6 cups of all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of your flour mixture. Pour in the buttermilk, cooking oil, and activated yeast mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms and begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Adjust consistency. The dough will be sticky. Add the remaining ¾ cup flour in ¼ cup increments until it becomes scoopable. Don’t overwork it—you’re looking for just enough structure to hold shape without toughening the crumb.
6. Scoop and bake. Using a large cookie scoop (around 3–4 tablespoons), place biscuit dough onto your prepared sheet pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
8. Serve. These are best served warm, either on their own or with a little honey butter, jam, or sausage gravy.
Tips for Flaky, Fluffy Biscuits
- Use room temperature buttermilk so the dough comes together evenly.
- Skip rolling and shaping. These are drop biscuits, so you don’t need a rolling pin or biscuit cutter.
- Avoid overmixing. Stir just until the dough comes together—overworking it can lead to tough biscuits.
- Store extra dough. Keep any leftover dough in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge, which makes this recipe perfect for busy mornings. Just scoop and bake when you need them.
Make Them Your Own
Once you’ve nailed the base recipe, you can experiment with mix-ins for extra flavor. Add shredded cheddar and chopped chives for a savory twist, or brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter before baking. If you want more defined layers of butter like in a pie crust or traditional homemade biscuits, try replacing the oil with cold butter cut into small cubes using a chef’s knife or box grater.
This dough is forgiving, so it’s a great way to play around with flavor or technique. If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands in biscuit dough without the stress of a perfect fold, this is a great place to start.
Serving Suggestions
- Breakfast sandwiches – Split and stack with scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon. These biscuits hold up well and reheat beautifully, making them ideal for batch-prepping breakfast ahead of time.
- With sausage gravy – For a hearty, Southern-style breakfast.
- As a side – Pair with soups, stews, or roast chicken.
- Sweet option – Serve with honey, jam, or whipped butter.
Final Notes
If you’re wanting those yummy sourdough flavors without all the time-consuming work, this recipe is for you! It’s low-effort, high-reward baking that skips the folding, shaping, and waiting. Just mix everything in one bowl, scoop straight from the container, and bake until golden brown.
Whether it’s a busy weekday morning or you’re feeding a crowd on the weekend, these sourdough biscuits give you all the satisfaction of a scratch-made bake with barely any fuss. They’re soft, fluffy, and flavorful—and yes, absolutely worthy of a blue ribbon.
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Love Sourdough? Try our Sourdough Irish Soda Bread recipe next!
Sourdough Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm tap water
- 6 ¾ cups all-purpose flour divided
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons table salt or fine sea salt
- 2 cups buttermilk room temperature
- ¾ cup cooking oil of your choice we used avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Activate the yeast. In a 1-cup measuring cup, dissolve the active dry yeast in warm tap water. Let sit a few minutes until foamy.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 6 cups of purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of your flour mixture. Pour in the buttermilk, cooking oil, and activated yeast mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms and begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Adjust consistency. The dough will be sticky. Add the remaining ¾ cup flour in ¼ cup increments until it becomes scoopable. Don’t overwork it—you’re looking for just enough structure to hold shape without toughening the crumb.
- Scoop and bake. Using a large cookie scoop (around 3–4 tablespoons), place biscuit dough onto your prepared sheet pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
- Serve. These are best served warm, either on their own or with a little honey butter, jam, or sausage gravy.
Notes
- Use room temperature buttermilk so the dough comes together evenly.
- Skip rolling and shaping. These are drop biscuits, so you don’t need a rolling pin or biscuit cutter.
- Avoid overmixing. Stir just until the dough comes together—overworking it can lead to tough biscuits.
- Store extra dough. Keep any leftover dough in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to a week. It also keeps well in the fridge, which makes this recipe perfect for busy mornings. Just scoop and bake when you need them
