Summary
These sourdough discard pancakes are the perfect way to get the hang of your sourdough starter routine. These are both delicious and simple, and once you make pancakes with sourdough discard, you’ll never want to try another way again.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Sourdough Discard Pancakes
This recipe uses A LOT of discard. Discard recipes are especially great because it ensures that you don’t waste any of that beautiful sourdough starter that you work so hard to feed and keep alive. So if you find yourself in the morning with an abundance of sourdough starter and don’t know what to do with it, throw together these pancakes and your family will thank you. You can also double the recipe and freeze it for a later date.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Discard – Inactive sourdough starter that hasn’t been fed. It is equal parts flour and water that has already risen and fallen and now can be added to multiple of recipes.
Flour – All-purpose flour. I like to use Kirklands all purpose, unbleached organic flour because it’s a good price and good quality! But, use what you have on hand.
Milk – Whole milk, or any milk alternative your family prefers.
Salt – good quality salt, I like pink Himalayan.
Baking soda and powder – These are the leavening agents in your pancakes, and what will make it rise and fluffy.
Egg – one large egg
Honey – Because you eventually drizzle your pancakes with maple syrup, I like to add just a touch of honey to the batter.
👩🍳 How to Make Sourdough Discard Pancakes
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients until the starter has dissolved and everything is combined.
- Add your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk together until most of the clumps are gone. (Optional: let your batter rest for 10 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and results in a fluffier pancake).
- Preheat a large pan on the stove over medium heat. Melt 1/2 a tablespoon of butter and pour 1/4 cup of batter into your pan. Let cool on one side for 2 – 3 minutes until the tops start to bubble.
- Flip the pancakes over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until fully cooked in the center and golden brown.
- Transfer the pancakes to a plate and repeat until all the batter is gone! (this could make about 12 pancakes)
- Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Discard: Use unfed or “discard” sourdough starter that you have on hand. It can be straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
- Add-ins: Incorporate mix-ins such as chocolate chips, blueberries, or nuts right before cooking. About ½ cup of add-ins per batch is usually sufficient
- Do Not Overmix: Mix your batter until just combined. A few lumps are okay; overmixing can lead to tough pancakes.
- Rest the Batter: Letting your batter rest for about 10-30 minutes can help the gluten relax and yield a lighter pancake.
🗒 Variations
- Fermented Apple Oatmeal Pancakes – Acts Of Sourdough
- Cinnamon Roll Sheet Pan Pancakes – Acts Of Sourdough
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes – Acts Of Sourdough
You can add sausage and cheese to this pancake batter and make breakfast Mcgriddle muffins! They are absolutely delicious, and you can find the recipe here.
🗒 Best served with
- Maple syrup for breakfast
- Your favorite cup of coffee
- Brunch tacos
- Bacon and eggs
👝 How to Store Leftovers
- Leftovers: Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a toaster or skillet.
- Freezing: Pancakes freeze well. Layer them with parchment paper and freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag. They can be reheated directly from frozen.
Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Equipment
- large pan
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 TBS honey or granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbs melted butter plus more for cooking
Instructions
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients until the starter has dissolved and everything is combined.
- Add your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk together until most of the clumps are gone. (Optional: let your batter rest for 10 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and results in a fluffier pancake).
- Preheat a large pan on the stove over medium heat. Melt 1/2 a tablespoon of butter and pour 1/4 cup of batter into your pan. Let cool on one side for 2 – 3 minutes until the tops start to bubble.
- Flip the pancakes over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until fully cooked in the center and golden brown.
- Transfer the pancakes to a plate and repeat until all the batter is gone! (this could make about 12 pancakes)
- Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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So fluffy and delicious. The BEST pancakes I have ever made!
These are SO good & easy to make! I used a 1.5”-2” scoop & made smaller pancakes so it made a bunch. Great way to use up a lot of discard.
It never says when to add the vanilla and salt but I assume it’s in step 2, yes?
Yes! I just fixed it on the recipe, thank you <3
Seriously the best! Your recipes never disappoint!
Have you ever made the batter the night before, then popped it in the fridge til morning? Just curious if that would work for busy school mornings. 🤔
Yes! That definitely works, just wait to add the baking soda until the morning. But everything else can be mixed the night before and placed in the fridge 🙂
My kids LOVED these!! I’m going to be making more and freezing them for busy mornings! Thank you!!
Does the discard also make the flour in a recipe ok for gluten free people? The Sour Dough Starter works that way for me, but does the discard also have those properties??
I’m honestly not sure, but discard is just inactive sourdough starter so I’m hoping it would work for you.
These quite possibly might be the best pancakes I have ever had. Makes a lot – I put some in the waffle iron while I was making the pancakes on the stove to save time and they also make great waffles. I was cooking for a toddler and baby (both loved them as much as I did) so I omitted the honey, I did use 1 tbsp maple syrup and worked out fine. Can’t wait to make these again! Ps if you haven’t tried her chicken pot pie with biscuits yet – add that to your list too
Family fav!!