Cooking Through "Little House" Sourdough Biscuits

Last fall I started a series called “Cooking Through Little House” where I decided to cook a dish mentioned in each of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House Books”.  I was planning to make sourdough biscuits but I took a long break because my starter my sadly killed. I beat around the bush for a long time before I finally bought a new starter from Cultures for Health. After some feedings I finally have a happy new starter who has yet to be named (any suggestions?). In “By the Shores of Silver Lake” Laura makes sourdough biscuits. Out on the frontier baking powder wasn’t readily available so many women depended on their sourdough starters to leaven their bread and biscuits.

“When you haven’t milk enough to have sour milk, however do you make such delicious biscuits, Laura?” she asked.

“Why, you just use sour dough,” Laura said.

Mrs. Boast had never made sour dough biscuits! It was fun to show her. 

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Sour Dough Biscuits

2 cups sour dough starter (about 8 hours after it’s last feeding, it should be bubbly)

3 cups whole-wheat flour (or you can use part unbleached white flour if you want)

6 TBS butter, chilled

¼ cup of raw milk or water if necessary

1 tsp salt (Real or Celtic is best)

1 ½ tsp of baking soda

In a glass bowl pour in the wheat flour. Cut the butter into the flour in small flakes. Add the sour dough starter and stir until the flour is mixed in. If the mixture is too dry add the ¼ cup of milk or water. Cover and let set over night,

In the morning sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the dough. You will see that the dough has risen significantly (thanks to the starter). Gently fold in.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Need a few times, you don’t want the dough to be too stiff. Roll it lightly to a ½ inch thick. Cut out the biscuits with a biscuit cutter or a glass. How big or cutter r glass is will depend on how many biscuits you make. My cutter was about and inch in circumference, so I made about 15 biscuits. Place the biscuit on an ungreased baking sheet and let rise for 30 minutes. This isn’t necessary but make for lighter biscuits. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. When they are lightly golden brown they will be done.

These are delicious by themselves, with butter or jam, served with eggs and bacon or better yet topped with gravy (I see another blog post that needs to be written).

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Hearth and Soul