Sourdough Old-Fashioned Berry Cobbler

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This easy old-fashioned berry cobbler is the perfect summer dessert recipe! It has a tender biscuit-like topping made with sourdough discard and sprinkled with coarse sugar over a tart and sweet mixed-berry filling. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream!

This is my sourdough discard version of the mixed berry cobbler with biscuit topping that my mom always made growing up. We most often make it for a 4th of July dessert!

Your friends and family will love if you bring it to share at a potluck, reunion, or BBQ. (Maybe these amazing soft sourdough hamburger buns too!)

And the best part? A sourdough old-fashioned berry cobbler is so much easier to make than a pie or even strawberry shortcake!

The cobbler dough is quick to put together, and there’s no rolling, cutting, or chilling required. This dessert is also practical to scoop out and serve.

You can easily cut the recipe in half and bake in a smaller pan, if you so desire!

Sourdough Discard Cobbler Dough (Biscuit Topping) Ingredients

The cobbler biscuit topping is delicious made with either all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour. If you mill your own flour, mill soft white wheat for this recipe.

Sourdough discard adds a little extra tang reminiscent of buttermilk. It’s a great way to use up some extra starter or discard, but I have notes in the recipe for a non-sourdough version as well!

Cream is used in the buttery cobbler dough for a more tender texture, but you can sub with milk if necessary.

Berry Filling Ingredients

After making the cobbler with both fresh and frozen mixed berries, I prefer to use fresh berries in the filling for the best syrupy texture. Any combo of berries will work.

I usually use strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries cut into bite-sized pieces. You can adjust the sugar depending on the natural sweetness of your fruit.

The lemon juice and zest brightens the flavors of the berries.

If you need to use frozen berries, you can add an extra tablespoon of flour to help thicken the juices. The cobbler will continue to thicken as it cools.

How to Make Sourdough Old-Fashioned Berry Cobbler (Step-By-Step Instructions)

Step 1 – Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish

To begin, you’ll preheat your oven to 425°F and grease a 9×13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Step 2 – Make Mixed Berry Filling

To prepare the filling, gently stir together the berries with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.

Set the filling aside while you prepare the cobbler dough.

Step 3 – Prepare Sourdough Discard Cobbler Dough

For the dough, you’ll start by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.

Cut in cold butter cubes with a pastry cutter until the butter is in coarse, pea-sized crumbs.

You can do this by hand of you don’t have a pastry cutter. Just pinch the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers.

Then in a separate small bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, egg and cream. Add this mixture into the flour/butter mixture and stir until a dough begins to form.

Then use your hands to fold the dough over itself a couple of times in the bowl until everything is fully combined. Try not to overwork the dough.

Step 4 – Assemble the Sourdough Old-Fashioned Berry Cobbler

To assemble the cobbler, pour the berry filling into the prepared pan. Use a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly.

Pull off chunks of cobbler dough (about 2-3 tablespoons or so at a time) and use your fingers to flatten the pieces slightly.

Cover the top of the berry filling to make it “cobbled”. It’s okay if there is a little space between each piece of dough.

Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar for texture and decoration.

Step 5 – Bake

Finally, bake the cobbler for about 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the cobbler topping is golden.

Allow the cobbler to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, and then serve it up with scoops of vanilla ice cream!

How to Store Leftover Sourdough Berry Cobbler

I think the cobbler topping tastes best the first day. However, the cobbler does store just fine in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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