Sourdough Strawberry Shortcakes

Buttery and flaky sourdough biscuits, topped with vanilla whipped cream and fresh strawberries. These are perfect for an afternoon tea treat or special get together with friends.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Sourdough Discard

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 188kcal

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet or baking tray lined with parchment paper

Ingredients

Sweet Biscuits

330 g All Purpose Flour
50 g Sugar
12 g Baking Powder (1 tbsp)
3 g Salt (a really good pinch)
5 g Baking Soda (¾ tsp)
100 g Unsalted Butter Very Cold (see notes)
200 g Sourdough Starter or Sourdough Starter Discard (see notes)
80 - 100 g Cream or buttermilk (see notes)
1 Egg (for egg wash or you can use milk)
30 g Granulated Sugar for sprinkling before baking

Toppings

500 g Strawberries (hulled, washed, diced)
50 g Granulated Sugar
250 g Heavy Whipping Cream
5 g Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 190C (375F) and line a baking sheet or cast iron skillet with parchment paper.

Prepare the Toppings

Before you start, prepare the strawberries and whipped cream so they are ready when the sourdough shortcakes are done.
Hull, wash and dice the strawberries. Place them in a bowl with 50g of granulated sugar. Toss to coat them in the sugar and set aside.
Whip the cream and vanilla extract together until they form soft peaks and place in the fridge for serving.

Sourdough Biscuits

Grate the butter with a box grater and set aside in the freezer until you're ready for it.
Place flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix with a large spoon until well combined.
Take your butter out of the freezer and place into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Cut the butter through the flour. It's best to do this with a dough scraper or spatula, but you can use your fingers if you prefer (but be fast as you don't want the butter to melt).
Now tip the cream and sourdough starter into the butter and flour mix. Bring together with a rubber spatula until it's a dry dough (I start with 80g of cream and add a touch more if I need it).
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it gently until the dough comes together better. You want to create layers in the dough to give your sourdough biscuits that lovely flaky, buttery texture.
Gently roll the dough out to around a 2 centimetres thick (¾ inch) and press out rounds using a sharp biscuit cutter or a glass. Don't twist the dough, just press straight down.
Place the biscuits onto a baking sheet or cast iron skillet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Place into the oven at 190C (375F) for around 25 minutes (it will vary slightly depending on your oven).
Once the biscuits are cooked through, allow them to cool a little before splitting them and filling them with vanilla whipped cream and strawberries.

Notes

you can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard - it doesn't really matter for this recipe.
make sure your butter is COLD! In fact, take it from the fridge, grate it and then pop it in the freezer! The colder it is, the better your sourdough biscuits will be.
If you don't have cream you can use buttermilk or whole milk with a dash of white vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes before adding to your sourdough biscuit dough.
For the flakiest, tallest biscuits, you can cut the dough into four strips and stack them on top of each other before you roll the dough out. This will give you plenty of layers when they rise.
Don't twist the biscuit or cookie cutter. If you twist it, it will seal the edges of the dough and stop them from rising as much as they could. Just push the cutter straight down and then back up. You really want something with a sharp edge, so a glass is better than a mason jar if you don't have a biscuit cutter.

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