Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes

These light and fluffy sourdough discard pancakes make great use of a leftover sourdough starter. 

The main sourdough pancake batter is made the night before for an easy breakfast the following day.

If you were wondering what to make with a sourdough starter, here’s an easy recipe! These fluffy sourdough pancakes are so good. There's not much better than a lazy Sunday morning eating sourdough pancakes (or waffles!) dripping with butter and maple syrup.

Jump to:

• Sourdough pancake ingredients
• The discard starter
• Overnight sourdough pancakes
• Quick sourdough pancakes 
• Instructions
• Serving
• Related recipes
• Full Recipe

Sourdough pancake ingredients

To make these easy sourdough pancakes you will need:

• Flour. An all-purpose flour works well 
• Milk - I use cow’s milk but this can be substituted for oat milk, nut or seed milk too.
• Sugar - For sweetness. The sugar in the batter can be substituted for another sweetener of your choice.
• Sourdough discard starter - The addition of the starter helps to break down the flour and make these pancakes easier to digest. The acid in the starter helps to create a fluffy pancake too.
• Eggs, salt - Eggs add structure, salt adds flavour.
• Baking powder and baking soda- the baking powder and baking soda add lift and it is the baking soda that reacts with the acid in the sourdough starter to create an extra fluffy pancake. 

The discard starter

The best starter to use in sourdough pancakes is one that is unfed, runny, and acidic.

There are three reasons to use discard starter in pancakes. Firstly, the acid in the starter is what will help to create a super fluffy pancake as it reacts with the baking soda. Secondly, the sourdough starter is left to ferment the batter overnight first, which can help with digestibility.

Thirdly and most importantly! Flavour. The sourdough starter brings deep and delicious flavour to the pancakes.

If your starter is not super acidic, or you are shortening the fermenting time, you can add ½ tablespoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to the batter along with the eggs and baking soda and baking powder, to enhance the reaction between the acid and baking soda and make an extra fluffy pancake.

Overnight sourdough pancakes

The main sourdough pancake batter is made the night before. This is the flour, milk, sourdough discard starter, and sugar.

The starter will begin to break down the starches in the flour.

Quick sourdough pancakes 

The fermenting time can be shortened to 2-4 hours at room temperature instead. If you want to skip this step entirely you can but the fermenting time creates a lighter pancake. 

You can add a little vinegar to the batter as mentioned above if you're shortening the fermenting time to create a fluffier pancake.

Instructions

Mix together the flour, sourdough starter, and sugar in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate or a lid and pop it into the refrigerator overnight.

This gives the sourdough starter time to do its work, breaking down the flour and making it much easier to digest. It also makes breakfast so simple and quick the following day, as the main batter is already finished.

In the morning you will add the eggs, melted butter, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Whisk it all together but don’t over-mix it. 

Preheat a cast-iron or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Grease the pan with butter. Ensure the pan is hot, and the butter is sizzling, then pour in around ⅓ cup of batter for each pancake. If the pan gets too hot, turn down the heat a little once you've poured in the batter. 

The batter will spread out in the pan, and won’t rise just yet. Bubbles will start appearing on the surface of the pancake. Once bubbles cover the whole area (about 2-3 minutes), flip the pancake over and finish cooking the other side for another minute or 2. 

Transfer the pancake to a plate and continue with the rest of the batter until it is all used up, stacking the pancakes in a pile as you go. 

Serving

Serve the sourdough discard pancakes warm with plenty of butter and maple syrup or cream, jam or coulis. 

Related recipes

Looking for more sourdough discard starter recipes? Try puff pastry! Or sourdough chocolate cake.