If you feed your sourdough starter regularly, you’ll know the dilemma of finding tasty recipes to make with your sourdough discard so you don’t have to toss it out. Here’s an easy recipe for sourdough discard that makes tangy, fluffy, and light pancakes.
If you’ve had buttermilk pancakes before, these are comparable and can be even more tangy depending on your sourdough starter at home. Learn some tips on getting the softest pancakes you can freeze for future busy breakfasts.
Ingredients in sourdough discard pancakes
The ingredients for sourdough discard pancakes are pretty much the same as traditional pancakes except for sourdough discard. However, since there is added liquid from ¾ cup of discard, I’ve adjusted the ratios to ensure the pancakes are fluffy and thick.
This recipe uses:
- sourdough discard
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- white sugar
- Salt
- Milk
- melted butter
- egg
Tips for making sourdough starter discard pancakes
- Bring your sourdough discard to room temperature if you have time. I find this helps loosen the discard more to help mix into the batter ingredients without overmixing the batter altogether.
- Don’t overmix pancake batter. The tried and true advice is not to overmix pancake batter because it can affect the pancake’s fluffy and light texture. Make sure to leave the battery a bit lumpy (see photo above).
- Let the batter sit on the counter for 15 minutes before cooking. This gives the ingredients like baking powder and baking soda time to create a bubbly consistency that further creates fluffy pancakes.
- Use a disher or measuring cup to get even-sized pancakes. This isn’t necessary, but having a disher pour out batter with one hand is helpful because of the built-in scraper.
- Flip the pancakes over when you see bubbles rise from the top of the dough. Gently lift the edge of the pancake to see if the bottoms are golden brown.
Can you make these ahead of time?
The best thing about these pancakes is that you can make them beforehand. So if you have discard you need to use (or, like me, it’s just taking up too much room in your fridge), you can make pancakes when you have free time and freeze them for later meals.
Here’s how to freeze discard pancakes:
- Make the discard pancakes and transfer them onto a cooling rack.
- Once the pancakes are completely cool, cut parchment paper pieces of the same size as the pancakes.
- Place one pancake in a freezer-safe container with a lid (or a ZipLock bag) and add parchment paper on the top.
- Add another pancake on top of the parchment. Add another piece of parchment and repeat the process.
Adding the parchment between each pancake prevents them from sticking to one another.
How to reheat frozen pancakes
To reheat the pancakes, microwave them with a damp cloth for about 30 seconds. You can also toast them in a toaster oven at 350 °F for about 3-4 minutes until they’re soft again.
Other recipe ideas to use your sourdough starter discard
Need more recipes for your sourdough discard? Here are a few that are my favorites at home:
Sourdough Discard Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ c (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp (12 g) baking powder
- ¼ tsp (1 g) baking soda
- ½ tsp (1.5 g) kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
Liquid ingredients
- 1 c (230 g) milk
- ¾ c (200 g) sourdough discard
- 3 tbsp (37.5 g) melted butter plus more for cooking if necessary
- 2 tbsp (24 g) cane sugar
- 1 large egg
Equipment Used
- measuring cups and spoons
- 2 mixing bowls
- spatula
- #12 disher, optional
- nonstick pan
- fish turner or metal turner spatula
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients: 1 ½ c all-purpose flour, 3 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp kosher salt.
- In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together all liquid ingredients: 1 c milk, ¾ c sourdough discard, 3 tbsp melted butter, 2 tbsp cane sugar, and 1 large egg.
- Carefully add the dry ingredients into the larger bowl and use a spatula to mix until the ingredients are mostly incorporated.
- Keep the lumps, and do not overmix, or you will end up with flat pancakes. See the photo for how the batter should look. Set aside for 15 minutes. Once it starts getting bubbly, it’s ready to cook.
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium. If necessary, add butter to the pan, and use a disher to pour one scoop (or ⅓ cup) of batter onto the nonstick pan.
- Use the back of the disher to even out the pancake so it’s evenly layered.
- Cook for two to four minutes. Once you see the top filled with air gaps from popped bubbles (not unpopped!) across the entire surface evenly (see photo in this step), then use a turner to lift a corner of the pancake and see if the underside is golden brown.
- If it's golden brown underneath, carefully flip over the pancake and cook for an additional two to three minute until browned.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter you use up all the batter.
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