Sourdough Biscuits

Ingredients

• 4 cups Sourdough Starter, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 heaping teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 stick)
• Special Equipment: 1 (16-inch) Dutch oven

Directions

Prepare the Sourdough Starter the night before. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle yeast in the starter and stir. Add sugar and stir. Add salt and stir. Add baking powder and baking soda and stir. Add oil and then gradually add flour, stirring well after each addition. Place dough on a floured board and sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Flatten dough by hand to about 1/2-inch thickness and then cut with a biscuit cutter. Spray a 16-inch Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray and then add a little oil to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Place biscuits in Dutch oven, being careful not to overcrowd them. Top with melted butter and set aside to let rise until wrinkles are gone, about 1 hour. Bake, with coals on the lid, for 25 or 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Sourdough Starter:

2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast

8 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

2/3 cup sugar

8 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 raw potato

Dissolve yeast in warm water and whisk to combine. Add sugar and whisk until sugar dissolves. Add sifted flour, 2 cups at a time, whisking after each addition to combine. Peel, wash, and cut the raw potato into quarters; add potato to the flour mixture. Place starter in a large, deep bowl, cover it with a towel, and let rest in a warm place overnight. The starter should be made ahead of time, even 3 to 4 days ahead.