Light & Airy Sourdough Discard Pancakes

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Nothing says the weekend like a stack of pancakes. Sourdough french toast is a close second. Once I solidified this recipe for sourdough discard pancakes, there have been few times that Brian has not requested them on Saturday morning.

They’re light and soft, with golden edges. I especially love the small pockets of air tucked in each bite from the sourdough discard that give these pancakes really great texture. Rather than milk, sour cream is used in the batter, making for a more tender and flavorful pancake while also adding acidity and fat for structure. And a good dose of vanilla gives the pancakes a sweet note, without a lot of sugar.

Best of all they’re easy to make and you’ll be eating warm pancakes within 30 minutes of mixing the batter. The light, fluffy texture that results is unreal. Honestly, they’re the best pancakes you’ll ever eat.

In order to keep an active sourdough starter for making favorites like the Sourdough English Muffins that ruined all store-bought versions for me, you have to feed it. But before feeding your starter, you remove, a.k.a discard, a portion of it each time to refresh the acidity levels. Sourdough discard can be stored in the fridge and is very versatile in baking! It will not make things rise on its own, but it does have great flavor and the acidity can soften the crumb of many baked goods like these pancakes.

I keep my sourdough discard in the fridge for up to 10 days.

The discard will be more sour the longer it stays in the fridge. If you don’t want the sourness to come through in a recipe, like chewy chocolate chip sourdough cookies, use discard that is less than 5 days old.

Also to note, your discard might accumulate a little liquid on the top while it’s in the fridge, which is called hooch, simply meaning alcohol that is the byproduct of fermentation. Simply pour the liquid off into garbage, scrape the very top off, and use the rest as discard.

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Best Same Day Sourdough Discard Pancakes

These soft and tender sourdough pancakes have beautiful golden edges and are easy to make. I love the small pockets of air tucked in each bite from the sourdough discard that give these pancakes really great texture! Rather than milk, sour cream is used in the batter, making for a lighter, more flavorful pancake.

5 from 25 votes

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Prep Time :15 minutes minutes

Cook Time :15 minutes minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 pancakes

Author: Amanda Paa

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Equipment

• Electric Griddle (or non-stick pan)
• Flat Spatula

Ingredients

Dry:

• 70 grams all-purpose flour
• 16 grams (2 tablespoons) cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of cinnamon

Wet:

• 45 grams sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 115 grams full fat sour cream
• 115 grams sourdough discard (unfed sourdough starter)
• 35 grams (3 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled

Instructions 

• In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, add sugar and eggs. Whisk vigorously for 45 seconds, you’ll see some foamy bubbles on the top of mixture. Add lemon juice, vanilla, sour cream, and discard. Whisk until fully combined and cohesive. Whisk in butter.
• Distribute dry mixture evenly over the top of wet mixture, and gently stir with spatula to combine. Some lumps are good, not to worry. This gives great texture to the finished pancakes.
• Preheat griddle to 350 degrees F (or preheat non-stick pan over medium heat). The batter should sit during this time (preheating usually takes 10ish minutes), and this is great for the end result of the pancakes. The rest helps the flour absorb the liquids, and the batter will thicken (and that is okay and how it should be) and create an airy pancake. Do not stir after if it sits. It will look puffy and aerated.
  
• Generously butter the griddle when it is ready, drop about a generous 1/3 to 1/2 cup batter onto it. Repeat, spacing the rounds at least an inch apart. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops are bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the other sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with more butter and the remaining batter. Serve warm, slathered with butter and maple syrup, or other toppings if you’d like.