Soft and flakey homemade sour milk biscuits are an easy recipe that require only five ingredients. Top them with butter and honey or a classic sausage gravy for a wholesome breakfast. This recipe can be made with soured raw milk or buttermilk.
This recipe is a great way to use up soured raw milk. Unlike pasteurized milk that has spoiled, raw milk can still be consumed when it’s begun to sour and still contains many health benefits. Raw milk that has soured is referred to as clabber. Before the invention of baking powder in the 1800s, clabber was used with baking soda to leaven many of the baked goods we know and love.
If your family does not consume raw milk and you don’t have sour milk on hand you can easily substitute buttermilk in this recipe. Do not use pasteurized milk that has spoiled in this recipe. Pasteurized milk that has spoiled is dangerous to consume.
Ingredients
Making soured milk biscuits is incredibly simple, and requires only a few simple ingredients. You may have everything you need on hand! See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and their amounts.
The Dough
- All-Purpose Flour – I use organic unbleached all-purpose flour when making this recipe.
- Salt – Salt helps to enhance the flavors of the biscuits. If you’re using salted butter, you can skip adding additional salt.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda paired with the acids in sour milk are the leavening agent in this recipe. For best results use fresh baking soda.
- Butter – When making soured milk biscuits you want your butter to be COLD. Cold butter ensures your biscuits will be tall and fluffy.
- Sour Raw Milk – If you do not consume raw milk you can substitute soured raw milk for buttermilk. Do not use pasteurized milk that has spoiled as this could be a health hazard.
Egg Wash
- Egg Yolk – You can save the egg white and beat it in to the batter of your next batch of cookies, cake, or brownies to add extra lift.
- Water – I always choose filtered water or spring water when making biscuits.
How to Make Homemade Sour Milk Biscuits
Step 1: Mix The Dough
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or fork until there are no pieces larger than a pea remaining. Alternatively, you could use a cheese grater to shred the cold butter into the flour mixture.
Pour the soured milk, or buttermilk, into the mixture just until a shaggy dough forms. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
Tip: If you don’t have a pastry cutter try using a cheese grater to shred the butter into the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Cut The Biscuits
Turn the biscuit dough out onto a well floured surface. Roll the dough out to about 1″ thickness.
With lightly floured hands, lift half of the dough and fold it into the center. Then lift the other half of the dough and fold it over the first half. Fold in the sides of the dough in the same way.
Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the folded dough out to about 1/2″ thick. Use a biscuit cutter and cut out the biscuits. When you can no longer cut any biscuits from the dough, you can gather the scraps and re-roll it.
Tip: If you don’t own a biscuit cutter you can use the mouth of a cup, or mason jar lid to cut your biscuits.
Step 3: Bake
Whisk the egg yolk and water together in a small bowl to make the egg wash. Brush the wash onto the tops of the biscuits, then place them on the center rack of a 425°F (220°C) preheated oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow your biscuits to cool for 10 minutes, then serve with butter, honey, or homemade sausage gravy.
More Recipes You Might Like
- Sourdough Pound Cake
- Sourdough Banana Muffins
- Old-Fashioned Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough Discard Crepes
- No-Knead Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade Sour Milk Biscuits
16
servings12
minutes45
minutesSoft and flakey homemade sour milk biscuits are an easy recipe that only require five ingredients. Top them with butter and honey or a classic sausage gravy for a wholesome breakfast.
This recipe was updated on 11/13/23 to accommodate majority feedback and the amount of baking soda called for was cut in half.
Ingredients
- Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
8 tbs butter, cold
1 cup soured raw milk or buttermilk
- Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 tbs water
Directions
- Mix the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or fork until there are no pieces larger than a pea remaining. Alternatively, you could use a cheese grater to shred the cold butter into the flour mixture.
- Pour the soured milk, or buttermilk, into the mixture just until a shaggy dough forms. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
- Cut the Biscuits
- Turn the biscuit dough out onto a well floured surface. Roll the dough out to about 1″ thickness.
- With lightly floured hands, lift half of the dough and fold it into the center. Then lift the other half of the dough and fold it over the first half.
- Fold in the sides of the dough in the same way.
- Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the folded dough out to about 1/2″ thick.
- Use a biscuit cutter, mason jar lid, or the mouth of a cup to cut the biscuits out.
- Use a biscuit cutter, mason jar lid, or the mouth of a cup to cut the biscuits out.
- When you can no longer cut any biscuits from the dough, you can gather the scraps and re-roll it.
- Bake
- Whisk the egg yolk and water together in a small bowl to make the egg wash.
- Brush the egg wash onto the tops of the biscuits, then place them on the center rack of a 425°F (220°C) preheated oven to bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow your biscuits to cool for 10 minutes, then serve with butter, honey, or homemade sausage gravy.
Notes
- Tip: If you don’t own a biscuit cutter you can use the mouth of a cup, or mason jar lid to cut your biscuits.
- Tip: If you don’t have a pastry cutter try using a cheese grater to shred the butter into the dry ingredients.
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These look amazing. I know what I’m making for breakfast. Biscuits and gravy.
I think that it should be baking powder, not baking soda. The biscuits had an odd taste. Every other recipe I have used when making biscuits called for baking powder, I was skeptical about this but tried it anyway – no good.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe Pat! Many recipes call for baking powder because there is no acid present in the recipe, but since sour milk is quite acidic baking soda is better suited to neutralize those acids and leaven these biscuits. This is a great article to explain the differences between the two leavening agents. Also note that taste of recipes made with soured milk will often depend on the source of your raw milk and how soured the milk has become. Recipes made with milk that has just begun to sour will vary greatly in taste from recipes made with milk that has soured to a point of clabbering.
It seemed the biscuts had to much baking soda. I could tast it in the final product. 1 tbs seems like to much.
Sandy, I’m so sorry to hear! Sour milk can very in its “sourness” which neutralizes the baking soda. Depending on how sour the milk is try adjusting the amount of baking soda. I do hope you try them again!
I made this a few months ago and was sad I did not read the comments, because I, too, had too much baking soda taste in the final product. I notice now that there was a revision, but I am not sure if I made the revised version last time or not. This time the biscuits are still very very bitter but more tolerable. I don’t have to smother in as much honey to get it to taste okay. I think the only difference is that I let my milk sit for longer. It was definitely sour but not chunky at all being almost 2 months past expiration. I love the flakey texture of these, but something is up with that baking soda. I may try one final last time later. I may just use even less baking soda this time. Today I used the 1.5 tsp baking soda, and last time I thought it was at least 2 but memory is fallible.
If you wanted to make these and freeze for later, would you cut them into balls and freeze before baking or bake first then freeze??
Hey Sarah! I always cut the biscuits and freeze them that way. Once I’m ready to bake I just pop them in the oven.
As others have said this recipe has way to much baking soda. I have used other recipes that balance the taste much better. If you don’t know how ‘sour’ your milk is, then how do you know how much baking soda to use.
Thanks for the feedback Claudia. I’ll try this recipe again soon and revise based on overall user feedback.
I’m sorry to hear Ainsley!