What could be tastier than a stack of sourdough pancakes on a beautiful sunny morning? These pancakes are light and fluffy with a delicious sourdough tanginess that gives them a uniquely vintage flavour.
This recipe is perfect whenever you have extra sourdough starter. It’s so easy, all you need to do is set up the sourdough to ferment the night before, which makes for an easier morning.
Balancing the sourdough flavour
I tried many recipes on my way to creating this delicious sourdough pancake. It’s all about balancing the sourness. The recipes I tried had one of two problems:
- Overly sour: Using too much starter results in a sour-tasting that’s not very enjoyable.
- Quick mix: Some recipes simply involve adding a bit of sourdough starter into a typical pancake batter. Skipping the overnight ferment seems to defeat the purpose of making sourdough pancakes in the first place!
This recipe balances those two extremes for a delicious pancake that is also well-fermented. The perfect sourdough pancake!
Adding Flavour
Sourdough pancakes are perfect for all sorts of added flavours. The tanginess of sourdough naturally complements savoury flavours. However, it’s also a nice balance for sweet flavours.
Here are a few savoury and sweet recommendations.
Savoury
If you want to make savoury pancakes (perfect with eggs) don’t add any sugar to the batter. Instead, stir in 2-3 tbsp of a savoury addition.
- Chopped fresh herbs: parsley, chives, rosemary, basil
- Diced green onion
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Sweet
Pancakes are traditionally served with sweet flavours. While I don’t usually cook with sugar, I have added 1 tbsp of sugar to this recipe to balance the sourdough flavour. However, sugar is optional and if you want to avoid it, then try adding in 2-3 tbsp of a sweet flavour addition instead.
- Tiny chocolate chips
- Grated apple with 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
- Fresh or frozen blueberries, tossed in 1 tbsp of flour before being added to the batter
- Sliced strawberries can be added by placing a few on top of the pancake after it has been ladled out on the grill
Sourdough Pancakes
Sourdough pancakes are light and fluffy with a full flavour. Perfect for savoury or sweet toppings. See the section above for some delicious flavour additions.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3–4 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Sourdough
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Overnight Ferment
- 2 oz active sourdough starter (1/4 cup)
- 5 oz flour (1 cup)
- 1 cup of water (filtered and at room temperature)
Next Morning
- 2 eggs (optional – see notes)
- 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the overnight sourdough ferment in a glass container. Cover it with a tea towel and leave it somewhere warm for 8-12 hours.
- The next morning preheat your pan before mixing the batter. The pancakes will start to rise as soon as you mix everything in.
- When your pan is preheated, mix all of the remaining ingredients into the sourdough starter. Feel free to add some additional flavours (see the section above for ideas).
- Cook the pancakes on medium until nicely browned on both sides.
Notes
- This recipe doesn’t require eggs. Instead, use flax eggs: mix 2 tbsp flax with 1/4 cup of water and let it sit for 10 minutes to hydrate before stirring into the batter. I’ve done this a number of times, and it works out great!
- The sourdough gives these pancakes a savoury flavour. For a more traditional sweet pancake, add in 1 tbsp of sugar. If you want a sweet pancake without sugar, use an alternative sweetener. We like date sugar
.
- We have an amazing cast iron griddle
that covers two burners. Perfect for making a load of pancakes all at once.
.
that covers two burners. Perfect for making a load of pancakes all at once.Keywords: dinner, dessert, savoury, sweet, fermented, blueberry, strawberry, onion, chocolate chip, cheese, herb
Delicious! I doubled the recipe because my family eats a lot of pancakes. I used 2 eggs and also used the flax mixture, because 4 eggs seemed excessive. They puffed up quickly, but after I let them cook through, they settled down and were a fairly flat pancake – perfect for piling on the local strawberries that just appeared in the market. One question: do you really find that 1 oz of starter = 1/4 cup? I find that if I go by weight, 1 oz of starter is much less than 1/4 cup by volume. This time I went by volume, so I used 1/4 x 2.
★★★★★
Actually you are right. I will fix the recipe right now, as I think the volume measure is better. Thanks!
Hey, Emillie! I really like this recipe and it’s going to be a favorite of mine for years to come.
Since I really like this blog in this recipe, I would like to nominate you for the Sunshine Blogger Awards. If you’re interested, click on this link and learn more: https://theflavorfulroad.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/the-2018-sunshine-blogger-awards/
These tasted amazing and the recipe is so simple! Love these. Will be making these again!
★★★★★
Thanks!
Can I just omit the eggs all together?
I have made this with flax eggs a number of times, but I haven’t tried no eggs. You could try it, just replace the eggs with 1/4 cup of oil or water to replace the liquid. Let me know how it goes!
Hello.I am making sourdough pancakes for the he first time and want to do a 48 hr ferment.Can I ferment in the refrigerator?
Sure! It will slow down the yeast but still allow for flavour development. Enjoy!
So guess what? I made these with bob red mills gluten free flour (1 to 1), doubled the recipe and only used chia eggs. They were really good. I whipped up some whipped cream and added a spoon of that with a sprinkle of cinnamon and some maple syrup….mmmmm these are a real gem. So simple. Oh, and mine too, where flat pancakes vs puffing up ( probably because of the gluten free flour) that’s the norm with pancakes in this house because of the flour …no complaints here! Oh and I just measured out my gluten free starter with a measuring cup…vs weighing it…super simple and forgiving. Thanks for this recipe!
Great! Glad to know it worked with GF flour.
I was taught to separate the eggs, and whip the whites until stiff, then add to the batter right before baking. Also, if you want your pancakes more sour, skip the baking soda.
Thanks for your tips! My husband is a separate your eggs person too… but I’m usually not up for it first thing in the morning. 🙂 Cheers!