How to make Pancakes From Sourdough Discard

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Tasty and easy to whip up, today I’m going to share with you how to make pancakes from sourdough discard. I love being able to reduce waste and with a bonus fruit compote recipe, mornings will be a breeze!

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I hate waste!! I know there will always be some, but I always try to think if there is at least ONE way to reuse or repurpose stuff around the house and nowhere is that more true than in the kitchen.

Food scraps go in the compost bin, along with toilet roll tubes, tea bags, and other things. I’ll turn them into compost to grow our food in next year. I reuse my milk bottles in the garden as makeshift waterers or mini greenhouses! And my sourdough discard usually goes into a new dish, so I don’t waste it.

I love these pancakes. They are a couple of different recipes rolled into one, and when I have a jar full of discard in the fridge, the kids know it’s time for pancakes!

How to make Pancakes from Sourdough starter

This recipe is not far off this waffle recipe I shared a couple of weeks ago.

I just make on the hob instead of in a waffle iron.

Why you’ll love them

• Really quick to whip together, you’ll have them in hungry tummies in no time.
• They are tangy and tasty.
• It’s a great way to use up a large amount of sourdough discard.
• If you don’t have a lot, you can half the recipe and make a smaller batch.
• Or, you can double it if you have more.

These pancakes freeze beautifully. Allow to cool and place in a zip lock bag and freeze for up to a month. To reheat: allow to come to room temperature and warm in a pan

Does my Sourdough starter have to be fed?

Not at all. Sourdough discard is the part that you would throw away when getting ready to feed the starter for baking with. Instead of throwing this hungry, sour liquid down the drain, we make a pancake with it!

What should the consistency of sourdough starter pancake batter be?

It will probably be quite runny, since it is not thick bubbly fed starter, but the baking soda will help give it texture. I’ll be honest, these pancakes wont be thick and fluffy but what they lack it looks they more than make up for in taste!

What you’ll Need

A large glass bowl

A spatula or spoon

Measuring cups and spoons – I love these ones.

A frying pan or griddle – I love cast iron and have this pan set

A saucepan for the compote

Ingredients

Sourdough Discard – I save mine up in the fridge in a jar and when the jar is full, I usually have enough

Eggs

Melted Butter

Honey or Maple syrup

Baking soda

Salt

Oil for frying – I like to fry these in coconut oil

Compote ingredients: Fruit (I used fresh strawberries), sugar, and water

Method

• Begin by warming up the cast iron pan/ griddle
• Place the Discard into a fairly big bowl and add the other ingredients. Add the baking soda last. (trust me, a big bowl is a must, the soda makes it puff up and I’ve made a mess more than once by underestimating the volume!)

• When the pan is nice and hot, ladle the batter into the pan. When bubbles appear all over the pancake, flip it over and fry on the other side.
• While the pancakes are cooking, place the compote ingredients into a saucepan on a medium heat.

• When they begin bubbling, mash the fruit down to incorporate into the sauce better.
• Cook the sauce until thickened and sticky. ( it will thicken more on cooling too.)
• Once you’ve made your way through all of the batter, place the compote in a small jug for pouring and serve alongside the pancakes.

They aren’t the prettiest pancakes you’ve ever seen but they sure are tasty! my daughter loves them smothered in chocolate sauce like this:

Eat them topped with whatever you’d like, but believe me, you’ll make them again and again!

Check out some of our other sourdough discard recipes:

Strawberry Sourdough Discard Scones

Sourdough Discard Peanut Butter Cookies