Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (2024)

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Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (1)

These perfect buttermilk sourdough pancakes are mixed up the night before and ready to be cooked in the morning for a lazy weekend breakfast. They are very easyto make once you have your sourdough starter going andI believe they arethe most delicious pancakes you’ll ever taste.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (2)

Even if you aren’t interested in baking sourdough bread from scratch, these pancakes and the sourdough biscuits that I shared last week are more than enough reason to keep a sourdough starter in the refrigerator.

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Whether you get some from a friend, buy it online, or make your own (it’s really not that hard!), maintaining a sourdough starter is easy. And once you have a jar of starter bubbling away on the counter or tucked away in the refrigerator, you can use it to start making these delicious pancakes that everyone will love.

In my experience, even people who don’t normally care much about pancakes will rave about these!

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (3)

Making the batter is simple. The night before, stir together flour, buttermilk, and sourdough starter. Cover the bowl and let it sit out at cool room temperature overnight. By the way, if you don’t have buttermilk, regular milk works just fine in this recipe.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (4)

The next morning, the batter will be nice and bubbly and ready for the rest of the ingredients.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (5)

Stir in an eggthathas been beaten with salt and baking soda. I mix the soda and salt into the egg just to help everything get distributed into the thick batter a little easier.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (6)

Stir it all together until the egg is completely mixed in.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (7)

Next, stir in the melted butter. I add the butter separately so that the melted butter doesn’t doesn’t harden from being mixed with the cold egg.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (8)

That’s it! Your pancake batter is ready to go.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (9)

I cook my pancakes on a cast iron griddle that came with my stove. Because it’s cast iron and takes a while to heat, I turn it on before the final mixing of the batter. Then when I’m ready to cook, I brush it lightly with either butter or oil using a silicone pastry brush. This time I used coconut oil.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (10)

Sometimes I make big pancakes, sometimes I make small ones. It just depends on my mood and who I’m feeding. These were for my husband, so they are on the large side.

This is a pretty thick batter so the pancakes will cook upthick and fluffy. Because of that, you want to make sure your griddle isn’t too hot or the pancakes will burn before they are cooked through. You’ll know it’s time to flip them when edges of the pancakes are starting to look dry.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (11)
Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (12)

It may take a little trial and error to get the griddle to the perfect temperature, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be rewarded with perfect, golden, fluffy sourdough pancakes.

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (13)

Don’t forget the butter and maple syrup!

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (14)

This pancake recipe is adapted from the recipe that came with the original sourdough starter I purchased from King Arthur Flour about 10 years ago.

Kitchen equipment used for this recipe:
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Related Recipes:

  • How to Make Sourdough Starter
  • Easy Pumpkin Maple Sourdough Cake
  • Buttery Sourdough Biscuits
  • Sourdough Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Around the Web:

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (15)

Yield: 10–12 4-inch pancakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sourdough starter
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Instructions

  1. The night before you want to make pancakes, combine the flours and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add buttermilk and sourdough starter and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit out at cool room temperature overnight (up to 12 hours is fine).
  2. The following morning, melt butter and set aside to cool a bit. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, baking soda, and salt. Stir egg mixture into the pancake batter until well combined then stir in melted butter.
  3. Drop by spoonful (as large or small as you want) onto a moderately hot, lightly greased skillet or griddle. Cook pancakes until bubbly and starting to dry out on the edges then flip and and continue cooking until browned to your liking on the other side.

Notes

This recipe feeds about 3-4 people. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger family.

You can use all purpose flour in place of whole wheat if desired, but the whole flour tastes great in this recipe.

Regular milk can be used in place of buttermilk if that's all you have. I do this quite often and the pancakes still have a great flavor because of the sourdough starter.

If the batter seems way too thick, you can thin it with a bit more buttermilk or milk. Just be careful not to add too much or your pancakes will turn out very thin.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 267Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 603mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g

Perfect Sourdough Pancakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my sourdough pancakes gummy? ›

Gummy sourdough pancakes are usually due to cooking issues. Be sure to fully cook the pancakes all the way through.

How do you make enough sourdough starter? ›

If you do not have enough starter, just feed it some more.

Just add some flour and water to your starter the day before and presto, you have more starter. This isn't even usually necessary though, as you can add a greatly varying amount of starter to your bread as it will leaven your dough over time.

Why are my sourdough pancakes flat? ›

Why are my sourdough pancakes flat? Your baking soda and baking powder may no longer be active. If your leaveners have been in your pantry for longer than 6 months, test your baking powder and baking soda by adding ¼ teaspoon to a small amount of vinegar.

What is the most important ingredient in pancakes? ›

Flour is the main ingredient to any pancake. It provides the structure. Different types of flours alter the structure because some flours absorb more moisture or create more gluten (which binds the structure together) than others.

How do you make perfect pancakes every time? ›

Things to Avoid When Making Pancakes
  1. Don't overmix the batter. ...
  2. Don't let the griddle or skillet get too hot! ...
  3. Don't add the butter or shortening until after the griddle or skillet has been preheated.
  4. Don't go overboard with butter or shortening. ...
  5. Don't press down on the pancakes while they're cooking.
  6. Don't overflip.
Jan 18, 2023

Why are my sourdough pancakes tough? ›

Overmixing develops the gluten in pancakes and can make them gummy or “tough”. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until they are combined. The consistency of your batter is key. It should be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to pour easily.

Why is my sourdough dense and chewy? ›

Bread too dense? It might be cold dough. One of the most common mistakes is having a dough temperature that's too low for the starter to feed on all the flour in the dough, resulting in a crumb that's dense, with fewer openings. "Starter is happiest and most active at around 75 degrees.

Will sourdough pancake batter keep in the fridge? ›

Yes! This batter can be prepare and stored in the fridge up to 2 days in advance. Note that your sourdough pancakes may not be as fluffy if you make the batter in advance.

What happens if you use too much sourdough starter in a recipe? ›

If you have too much starter compared to the additional flour and water you're adding, your hungry starter consumes all the nutrients and then it's not as bubbly.

What is the healthiest flour for sourdough bread? ›

Compared to whole wheat flour, rye flour is said to be the most nutrient- and amylase-dense option for a sourdough starter. Overall, it has a lower gluten protein content than wheat flour, which means it produces slack, sticky, and dense doughs.

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

What should sourdough starter look like pancake mix? ›

Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers. A sourdough starter typically has a consistency similar to a thick pancake batter or a slightly looser dough. It should be thick enough to hold its shape somewhat when stirred but still pourable.

What do sourdough pancakes taste like? ›

TASTE: Just a word to the wise, these taste like pancakes from your favorite restaurant. Thick, fluffy, soft, and delicious! They do NOT have a sour flavor, and most likely no one would know you used your sourdough starter when making them!

How do I make my sourdough more fluffy? ›

Here are some tips to help you make your sourdough bread less dense:
  1. Use a ripe sourdough starter. ...
  2. Knead the dough for the right amount of time. ...
  3. Proof the dough for the correct amount of time. ...
  4. Use the right type of flour. ...
  5. Add the right amount of water. ...
  6. Score the bread properly. ...
  7. Bake the bread at the correct temperature.
Sep 9, 2023

What makes restaurant pancakes taste so good? ›

Restaurants tend to use real, farm-fresh eggs and real milk when making their pancakes, which as you might guess, adds to a richer, higher-quality eating experience.

What is the secret to light fluffy pancakes? ›

The secret is in the egg whites!

To give your pancakes that fluffy text, beat only the egg whites for 3 minutes on medium speed.

What not to do when making pancakes? ›

Don't let the lumps fool you into overmixing!
  1. You ignore the heat during cooking. If you are not using an electric skillet, you must pay attention to the heat when you start cooking the pancakes. ...
  2. You've been using the wrong pan. ...
  3. You flip your pancakes too soon. ...
  4. You don't fully preheat your pan.

Do pancakes taste better with water or milk? ›

Pancake lovers' biggest complaint when adding water instead of milk is that the flavor seems to change. Pancakes aren't as richly flavored with water. There are a few ways to improve your batter when you've used water, including: Add extra butter.

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