This sourdough shortcake recipe is for all the nay-sayers who think sourdough can’t be used in sweet preparations.
With berry season in full swing it was time for some shortcake. I love to play around with my sourdough starter and find new ways of enjoying the fermented, tummy-friendly baked goods it creates. So…
My daughter liked the shortcakes so much that she ate the top and bottom cakes before the cream and berries. A true testament to the shortcake because berries and cream are like her favorite thing!
Remember, Sourdough Is Slow-Food and This Recipe Takes Time to Ferment and Rise Before Baking!
I use a long slow ferment overnight at room temperature for the initial fermentation. Then I shape the shortcakes the next morning, let them rise until midday, and then bake in the afternoon. They are a labor of love but well worth the wait.
If you want a quicker shortcake recipe, you can try my Sour Cream Shortcakes.
Sourdough Shortcakes
A traditionally fermented sourdough shortcake that's perfectly sweet with a soft cake-like texture.
Ingredients
Shortcake
- 226 grams (1 cup) butter
- 230 grams (1 cup) milk, preferably raw
- 187 grams (3/4 cup) active sourdough starter at 100% hydration, stirred down
- 160 grams (1 cup) coconut sugar
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 420 grams (3 cups) organic all-purpose flour
Strawberries And Cream:
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, cleaned and cut
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon honey, or sweetener of choice
Instructions
The Night Before:
- Melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature.
- In a large ceramic or glass bowl mix the milk, starter, sugar, and salt together.
- Slowly add the melted butter while mixing.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients and stir the dough until it comes together in a smooth, shiny ball that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Continue to stir the dough until it is silky smooth.
- Cover the bowl and leave it out at room temperature overnight.
The Next Morning:
- The dough should be doubled and airy with fermentation.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Flour the top of the dough.
- Pat the dough into a large square, making sure to use just enough flour so the dough doesn't stick to the work surface.
- Cut the dough into equal quarters.
- Stack the quarters on top of each other.
- Pat the dough out a second time.
- Cut the dough in quarters a second time.
- Stack the dough for a second time.
- Pat the dough out for a final time. It should be about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into nine equal rounds with a biscuit cutter. Collect the scraps and and gently press them together before cutting out three more cakes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the cakes on the baking sheet. Cover the cakes lightly with saran wrap or a damp flour sack towel.
- Let the cakes rise at room temperature for 2 hours or until almost doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Bake the shortcakes for 25 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl add the cream and honey. Whisk until the cream is whipped. Refrigerate the cream.
- Clean and cut the strawberries. Set them aside.
- Let the shortcakes cool before slicing in half. Fill the cakes with fresh cut strawberries and whipped cream.
Notes
The cutting and layering of this sweet dough gives the shortcakes a fluffy layered texture when baked.
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Anita Norden
Tuesday 14th of December 2021
Courtney, I have been using many of your sourdough recipes and my daughter and I have tweeked some of them to our own liking besides! But these strawberry shortcakes are stumping me. My starter is very active and I use it almost everyday, doing something. I've tried the shortcakes twice. The dough is very loose and the first time I ended up adding more flour, thinking I missed something. The second time this morning, it is the same. Quite buttery, like the mini apple pies, but no rise at all. The end result the 1st time was delicious but quite "heavy". Today I think I will get the same result. Any suggestions? I make everything from crackers, pizza crusts, breads, pies, rolls, tortillas and egg noodles. I am not a novice. Looking for your advice? Thank you for all your recipes tho! We are grain free and happy to see you using cassava too. We can eat the white flour because the sourdough uses up the gluten with the overnight fermentation.
Audrey
Saturday 27th of May 2023
@Butter For All, I had the same problem. No rise at all with my active and frequently used starter. The only substitution I made was brown sugar for coconut sugar by same weight.
Butter For All
Monday 20th of December 2021
Hi Anita,
Sorry for the slow response! So is it possible the dough is overproofing overnight? Maybe it's running out of gas by morning? That seems like the most likely scenario since you have such an active starter. Could you try mixing the dough in the morning, and watching it throughout the day to make sure it's rising? Then once it has doubled, either proceed with the next stacking and cutting steps, or refrigerate the dough to slow everything down for a longer ferment?
Please let me know what you try! And, thank you so much for the nice note!
Courtney
Jamie B
Monday 10th of May 2021
I made these for Mother's Day and they were a hit. I went by the recipe exactly as written and they turned out perfect!!!
Butter For All
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Hi Jamie!
That is such a nice compliment, thank you for taking the time to leave feedback here on my website!
Happy Baking!
Melody McAllister
Sunday 23rd of August 2020
Are these baked on a baking sheet? Should the baking sheet or pan be greased or lined with parchment paper?
Butter For All
Sunday 23rd of August 2020
Hi Melody!
I always proof and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet. I will update the recipe with those instructions! Thanks for the heads up!
Courtney
Lori H
Sunday 28th of June 2020
What a disappointment...I ended up with hockey pucks with burned bottoms.
I followed the instructions to the letter. After mixing all the ingredients I ended up with thick waffle batter, not a ball of dough. I added an additional cup of flour.
After rising all night, there was no change from the night before.
After the second rising, the dough just flattened out.
After baking 10 minutes the bottoms were getting dark, so I turned the oven down to 325. At 20 minutes the bottoms were burned and the dense insides were raw. Waiting for them to cool to feed to the squirrels. :(
Butter For All
Tuesday 30th of June 2020
I'm so sorry to hear that, Lori.
It sounds like an issue with your starter if there was no change in the dough and it didn't rise. How old is the starter? How long does it take to double?
Lori H
Wednesday 24th of June 2020
I’m new to sourdough starter...what do you mean by active starter, stirred down?
Butter For All
Wednesday 24th of June 2020
Hi Lori,
Welcome to the club ? If you are measuring the starter by volume, you want to have and active and bubbly starter, but to get the right amount it needs to be stirred down just before measuring to deflate the gasses. Hope that makes sense!
Courtney