Praise the heavens! These pancakes were two weeks in the making. And it all started with.. well.. forgive me.. a starter.
It turns out that a sourdough starter, a mixture of flour, water, bacteria and yeast, makes some pretty stellar pancakes. The cakes came out slightly thin, nicely browned and light as air. The starter and baking soda combination created insanely porous and light pancakes. The flavor? Combine sourdough bread and pancakes. Delicious. Super delicious. The slightly sour pancakes are perfectly complimented with maple syrup and sweet strawberries.
If you’ve followed along with me on my starter adventure, I hope you’ll try these pancakes. Jump on over. There are a few things you should know about this wacky pancake mix.
If you have no idea what’s going on, here’s a link to a link to all the sourdough starter madness.
It would seem that many things having to do with sourdough starters are an overnight process. These pancakes are no exception. For weekend pancakes, you’ll need to start you batter on Friday or Saturday night.
When combining a cup of starter with additional water and flour for the pancake, use a bowl with plenty of room. Your starter will grow a few times during the pancake making process. Make sure your bowl is made of glass or plastic. Metal does funny things that don’t agree with your starter.
Once you’ve removed the necessary amount of starter for the pancake batter, feed your original starter with a cup of water and a cup of flour, stir, cover and return to the fridge for your next sourdough adventure.
Heat a griddle and grease as you normally would for cooking up pancakes. I have to admit, it took me several rounds of pancake mistakes before I got the knack of cooking these beauties. My batter was pretty thin, maybe because my starter was thin, so it took a bit of practice to get a handle of the cooking. Not to worry, this recipe produces enough batter for a few rounds of mistakes.
Go on! Enjoy some pancakes. Let me know what you think?
I think it’s time for the real deal. Sourdough bread will be next.
Sourdough Pancakes
recipe from Glass House
Night before:
Mix 1 cup of starter, 1.5 cups warm water, 2.5 cups flour (a mix of white and wheat is good) cover with foil and let stand overnight. I put mine in the oven with the light on; it’s the perfect temp. The next morning:
Mix 1 egg, 2/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Whisk into the mixture from the night before, let stand for five minute and drop onto griddle. Try them served with warm maple syrup and fresh strawberries and blueberries.
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As a San Franciscan, sourdough speaks to me. These puppies are screaming! Sunday breakfast will never be the same.
i have been following along with your starter adventures with some envy. now, though, i am truly jealous!
I guess sourdough is just very forgiving. We started like you, with a pretty big bowl of starter. Then we pared it down and only keep about a half cup in the fridge. We feed it the night before (3 c.water, 3-3/4c flours) then we put a bit back in the morning, but never measure. We add water if it seems too thick. I’ve quit trying to understand how the pancakes can work out when the amount of starter can vary that much, but then I’ve also heard that pioneers carried just a tiny thimbleful around with them. Will be eating your recipe this Sunday and am eager to learn how to make bread too.
My recipe for pancakes or waffles:
starter
3 eggs
3T oil for pancakes or 6T for waffles
3/8 c. dry milk
1-1/2 T sugar
1-1/2 t. baking soda
1-1/2 t. salt
I know just how good they are. We made these when I was growing up. The flavor is unsurpassable. Kudos to you for mastering the sourdough!
oh those look sooooo good! :)
I hope that with all that work you are using real maple syrup!! Good for you.
Looks yummmy.
I made these too and my batter was thin as well. I experimented with added a little bit more flour, but was not happy with with results. Any suggestions for next time joy?
Beautiful pancakes! What a great way to start the day!
Joy, your breakfasts are always soooo delicious!
Those look amazing! Just looking at them has made my belly start growling quite fiercely. Not a good sign when dinner is still hours away…
p.s. I hope you don’t mind but I “tagged” you today (check out my blog). I’ll totally understand if you don’t have time to play along but I think you’re other readers will agree, we’d love to learn more about you!
Love it! I have a huge baking project this week and then I am going to get my starter going. I love these kind of pancakes! Thanks for sharing so I don’t have to think too hard!
i have been waiting for these pancakes to make an appearence! yum!
Those look delicious. I’m excited for the bread.
I’ve never had sourdough pancakes, but how I’d love to try these beauties!
Finally had time for a leisurely breakfast. We’ve had sourdough pancakes for years, but our recipe is different so we enjoyed trying yours. The batter was thin, like you said, but they made for a nice textured pancake. I added fresh blueberries which was good too. I may have used too much whole oats in my “flour” ratio because they didn’t all dissolve overnight. Overall: the kids each ate about six, my husband likes your recipe better than ours, and I didn’t taste much difference but loved them both. Can’t wait to make bread next.
Way to make great use of the sourdough starter!
Sourdough! I have grown up on this! It takes some work, but you can maintain the starter for quit awhile. Every week add equal parts lukewarm water and flour. You also have to make sure the mixture can breathe. I have the same container I use every time with screwdriver holes on the lid. And the possibilities are endless! I think sourdough donuts and rolls are my top two.
I still haven’t started my starter! Shame on me, cause I’d sure like some of these pancakes right now!
Thank you, Joy! You’ve inspired me to start my very first starter; I’m really excited about the pancakes, and am going to start researching other sourdough recipes.
I made sourdough pancakes a few months back and loved them! I don’t know that I’d make them my regular “go-to” pancake recipe, but I love pancakes so much that it’s nice to throw something different into the mix!
I made sourdough pancakes this morning using an online recipe (not
yours) with a starter someone gave me. Followed all the instructions but could not get them to cook in the center even though they looked cooked on outside. What could my problem be?
I use a 16 guage steel camp griddle that fits over 2 stove burners. Forget Teflon/aluminum alloy pans for this kind of cooking. Heat until the grease just starts smoking and adjust the temperature to hold that. Heavy steel or cast iron makes the best pancakes, either camping or at home. Backpackers should stick to cold granola, as good ‘cakes need a heavy griddle.
Of all the recipes I found last night for sourdough pancakes, this is the one I selected to try for breakfast this morning. I was not disappointed in my selection. The texture is very different than regular buttermilk pancakes, a little chewy and the appearance (especially on the reverse side) reminded me of crumpets. I think I will serve them upside down next time to better catch the butter and syrup :). They were a lot more filling than traditional pancakes as well. My husband loved them! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll be trying the easy cinnamon roll muffins next!
I’ve been trying to find things to do with my starter. I’m making these in the morning. Thanks!
I tried two different recipes, and your recipe turned out ten times better! Thank you for sharing!
where’s the sourdough starter recipe?
can’t seem to get it
Cathy:
I had the same issue, and after a bit of digging, I managed to track down her original post:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/09/start-your-starters/
The recipe itself appears to be appropriated from
http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm
Hope this helps!
I made these for brekkie today (started last night) and they were delish. I added blackberries and blueberries to the mix and topped the cakes w/ a bit of maple syrup and blackberry jam. Mmmmmm…
Thanks Joy!
Hey Joy,
Made these pancakes for breakfast…Hubby said they are the best pancakes he’s ever had…I agreed.
We topped them with your warm blueberry sauce (from one of your original posts) and then swirled just a small spoonful of sour cream into the warm blueberry sauce…WOW…you have to try it this way…it was unreal.
Love your blog…thank you for all the time you put into this…you make my laugh and your recipes have enhanced our life…THANK YOU!
Hey Joy!
I made these pancakes this morning for my kids. They both agreed that this is the best pancake recipe yet! Oh and thanks for all the info on starters.
Made these for breakie today, used cast off starter from both my rye starter and my wheat starter, and they were amazing! I didn’t add as much water to the starter last night, as my starter was already pretty wet, and had no problem with thin batter this morning. I subbed coconut oil and honey in the batter, and served with maple syrup and butter, yum! Definitely will make again, thanks for the recipe!
These were perfect! My first-ever use of a sourdough starter. Mine was pretty thick (it’s 100% hydration) and the pancakes came out thicker and fluffier than any I’ve ever eaten! We had plenty for the two of us (and a small-sized one for baby) for breakfast, froze the same amount for breakfast tomorrow, and sandwiched the remaining ones around peanut butter-chocolate spread as a pre-lunch snack, they were just that good! I sprinkled chopped banana on the first side while it was bubbling before flipping it over. Delicious!
Joy, thanks for this beautiful recipe. Made these this morning for my family with my new SF sourdough starter. Delicious, sour in an almost floral way, and simultaneously chewy and crispy!
Just tried these out. Half recipe. Added 1/3 cup of finely chopped bananas. Delicious! Easy to make and great to eat. Very fluffy. Thanks for the great recipe.
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