Sour Cream Biscuits

A close up showing flaky layers in a sour cream biscuit.

Sour Cream biscuits are ultra-rich, flaky, and incredibly tender. Sour cream adds a rich, tangy flavor and tenderness. Full fat sour cream works best. You can use all-purpose flour with great results but pastry flour will make the biscuits lighter and fluffier.

The small amount of sugar enhances the flavor of the sour cream and does not make the biscuits taste sweet. You can eat these biscuits with sweet or savory toppings.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 37

Servings: biscuits

Calories: 215kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

2-¾ cups all-purpose or pastry flour** 330 grams
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
12 tablespoons butter chilled
1-½ cups sour cream

For the Top

4 tablespoons cream melted butter, or an egg wash*

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate butter and stick it in the freezer to get extra cold.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients until well combined.
Add the cold, grated butter to the flour mixture and toss to coat in the flour. Use your hands to briefly rub the flour into the butter. You don’t need to rub the butter in too much or your hands will melt the butter. Just give it a few quick rubs between your hands.
Add the sour cream and combine until the dough forms a loose, messy mass. It might seem a bit dry but it will come together in the next step.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and gently press the loose pieces of dough into a ball.
Pat the dough into a 10” x 6” rectangle.
Fold ⅓ of the rectangle toward the middle then fold the other end on top of the first section. Pat the dough back down into another 10” x 6” inch rectangle.
Fold the dough into thirds again then pat it back into an 8 x 4” or 9” x 5” rectangle. It should be about 1 inch thick.
Slice the dough in half lengthwise then make three short, vertical slices to give you 8 biscuits.
Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter, cream, or an egg wash (see notes for the egg wash).
Bake for 18-24 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Pastry flour will give the biscuits a finer, fluffier, more tender texture than all-purpose flour.
White Lily Flour has the same protein content as pastry flour but it goes through a milling process that weakens the protein bonds. It is a unique flour that will give you the BEST results for your biscuits. If you want to obsess over light, tender biscuits, purchase White Lily Flour.
If you only have all-purpose flour, the biscuits will still come out amazing. The technique is more important than the flour.
If you use self-rising flour, omit the baking powder and reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Results may vary slightly depending on the brand of self-rising flour you use.
The butter and sour cream should be very cold. If you grate the butter and stick it in the freezer, it will stay cold when you blend it into the flour.
The dough should seem a bit lose and dry before you transfer it to the counter. It will come together when you press it into a ball.
Folding the dough helps create more flaky layers and prevents the dough from being over-worked.
You can use an egg wash instead of cream for the tops of the biscuits. To make an egg wash: Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to milk. If the egg wash is too thick to brush onto the biscuits, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of additional water.
The tops of the biscuits will be a darker color if you brush them with cream or an egg wash rather than butter.
Full fat sour cream works best for this recipe. If you substitute it with Greek yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream, the biscuits will not be as flakey or tender, but the recipe will still work.
Recipe adapted and modified from Epicurious.

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