Sourdough Discard Pancakes
This easy recipe for fluffy sourdough discard pancakes is one of the best, most scrumptious ways to use your sourdough discard!
Get ready to fall in love with making classic pancakes with your sourdough starter discard! If you’re ever wondering what to do with it, this is just one of many amazing ways to not let that gem go to waste. Think pizza dough, dinner rolls, donuts, pie crust, cookies, and of course, your new favorite way to make pancakes!
About these sourdough discard pancakes
The idea of making your own sourdough at home might sound a little intimidating, but rest assured, it’s easier than you think. It just takes a little guidance and lots of patience.
The process of creating a sourdough starter is as simple as combining a specific amount of flour, yeast, and water and over the course of about a week, watching it rise and ferment. Throughout the week you will continue to add flour to “feed” the sourdough starter. At approximately day 4, it will bubble and you will be able to remove half of it (the discard), only to continue “feeding” what is left. What results is dough that is ready for a delicious loaf of sourdough bread. The discard, if not used for anything, gets tossed out. This is why saving it comes in handy!
You’ll find that everyone’s starter recipe may be a bit different. Some might have included whole wheat flour in theirs, while some might have used gluten-free flour. It’s an active discard that has been given a chance to rise, so no matter what, sourdough discard brings an incredible tang and ultimate fluffy texture to your pancakes!
Try serving them up with an iced vanilla latte or a cinnamon dolce latte!
What’s in this recipe
- Eggs – You will need two large eggs for this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter – You could also use salted butter for this recipe, but you may want to decrease the amount of salt in the recipe slightly.
- Milk – Whatever milk you have on hand will work.
- Fed (active) Sourdough Starter – Find your favorite step-by-step guide online about a week before making this recipe. There are actually shortcut recipes out there as well that take only a couple of days.
- All-Purpose Flour – You will need to add a bit more flour on top of what’s already in the starter to create the structure of the pancakes.
- Granulated Sugar – A subtle sweetness in this recipe works wonders with the slight tang of the sourdough discard.
- Baking Powder – Helps give these fluffy pancakes even more of a rise!
- Salt – Brings everything together nicely.
FAQs
Yes, you can! If you have more than enough discard for these pancakes, you can save the rest for other recipes. It will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, and just over a week in the fridge. You can also freeze it for a quite awhile, so depending on how quickly you need it, you might consider freezing it immediately.
The colder the storage temperature, the longer it lasts. It can last anywhere from a day or so, up to months and months depending on where you keep it! The colder the better.
Sourdough discard doesn’t necessarily go bad, but it will become extremely acidic over time, which means you probably won’t want to consume it. You’ll know by the look and smell of it that it’s either time to use it quickly or toss it. There are so many uses for it, you’ll have no trouble finding uses for it before it even gets to that point!
How to make these fluffy pancakes
Preheat an electric griddle or a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a blender, blend the eggs and melted butter at low speed. Add in the milk and sourdough starter then blend until smooth. Pour the contents of the blender into the dry ingredients you set aside.
Whisk until relatively smooth, but don’t overmix.
Pour batter onto pre-heated griddle or frying pan.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side.
Flip, and cook another 1-2 minutes on the second side.
How to make these your own
- If you prefer not to use a blender, by all means, mix wet ingredients with a bowl and whisk.
- Serve with any and all of your favorite toppings. A pat of butter and syrup is a classic topping you can’t go wrong with.
- For a healthier option, try almond butter, peanut butter, or sliced fresh fruit and a dollop of yogurt
- If you like thinner pancakes, whisk in another ¼ cup milk to the batter.
Make Ahead Ideas
The sourdough discard can be frozen for many months, up to a year. This means, you can have that component of this recipe made way ahead of time.
You can also prepare the batter and leave it overnight in the fridge, however, this may have an effect on how thick or thin your pancakes are. They will still be nice and fluffy!
Storage & Reheating
Store and freeze these pancakes the same way you would your everyday pancakes. Keep in a freezer-friendly bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheating Tips
Pop in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until warmed through.
More irresistible pancake recipes
Get the Recipe: Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup fed active sourdough starter (about 200g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat an electric griddle to 375ºF or a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
- In a blender, blend the eggs and melted butter on low speed.
- Add in the milk and sourdough starter then blend until smooth.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the contents of the blender into the dry ingredients. Whisk until relatively smooth.
- If you like thinner pancakes, whisk in another ¼ cup milk.
- Pour batter onto pre-heated griddle or frying pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Flip, and cook another 1-2 minutes on the second side.
Notes
- Yield: 15-16 3” round pancakes