Sourdough Pancakes Favorite Family Recipes

Don’t throw away your sourdough discard – make these instead! Sourdough pancakes are one of our favorite weekend breakfasts. Don’t be deterred by the extra steps, your family will love these pancakes! They have a delicious, deep flavor, and they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ingredients in Sourdough Pancakes

All Purpose Flour Sugar Buttermilk Sourdough Starter Discard – see notes below for obtaining and maintaining a sourdough starter. Egg Vanilla Extract Baking Soda Salt Pancake Toppings – butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, berries, pecans, etc.

How to Obtain and Maintain a Sourdough Starter

Obtaining a Sourdough Starter

Obtaining a sourdough starter is the first and most important step of any sourdough journey. The starter is the rising agent and the flavor agent of sourdough bread and this sourdough pancake recipe. There are a few different ways to get your hands on a sourdough starter.

The easiest way is to ask around your friends and neighbors to see if anyone has a starter they can share. A healthy, active starter is easy to share and easy to maintain. Buy a dehydrated starter. You can buy packets of dehydrated starter in some stores or online. I got my most recent sourdough starter from The Food Nanny. The Food Nanny sells her starter, called Etta, in her store and online. It has enough starter to start 3 starters, so make some and share some with friends or family. Your starter should come with instructions for rehydrating and maintaining. Make your own starter. You can actually make your own sourdough starter. I do not recommend this route for beginners. It is a more involved process and it takes a while to introduce all the bacteria needed and get it active. If you are wanting to try this method, there are many resources online that detail how to make your own starter.

Maintaining a Sourdough Starter

Once you have your hands on a sourdough starter, you will need to feed it to keep it alive. Think of it as your new little pet. To feed your sourdough starter, first discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the starter. You can keep the starter discard to make sourdough discard recipes – like these sourdough pancakes – or just toss it. Then add 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Stir together until combined. It should look and feel like a thick pancake batter.

How Often Should I Feed My Starter?

How often you feed your starter depends on how often you want to bake bread. I like to bake bread once a week, so I feed my starter once a week. When I am not feeding it or using it, I keep it in the fridge. Starter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks without feeding. Even if you are not baking bread, you need to feed your starter at least once every two weeks to keep it active. For this recipe, you need starter that has not been fed in the past 4 hours.