Last updated on March 27th, 2015
I probably love these pancakes more than I should. They are slightly tangy, slightly bread-y, and screamingly delicious. They are also easy to digest, since the flour in the batter is completely fermented. Ready for a new taste-sensation? Make these cakes for breakfast!
Note #1: If you already have sourdough starter on hand, take it out of the fridge (if that is where you keep it) the day before you wish to make the pancakes. Feed it every 8-12 hours, or until you have at least 2 1/2 cups. You’ll use 2 cups of starter for pancakes. The extra 1/2 cup will insure that you don’t run out of starter.
Note #2: Sourdough starter is extremely easy to make. Here’s the simple, two-ingredient recipe.
Note #3: You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted sourdough pancakes.
First, retrieve 2 exceptionally-handsome eggs.
Crack the eggs into a pale blue bowl, and beat them with a wire whisk.
Add some sugar…
A splash of vanilla…
A pinch of salt…
And whisk to combine.
Now grab your beautiful, bubbly sourdough starter…
And tip it into the egg mixture.
Whisk it, baby.
Before an audience of Little People, mix some baking soda and water in a small bowl.
Whisk the soda solution into the batter.
Let the batter sit for 5 minutes. During this time, the soda solution will cause the batter to turn light and foamy.
Tip: While the batter is foaming, preheat your griddle. For perfect sourdough pancakes, I heat my super-duper electric skillet to 350°F.
Now ladle the batter onto the hot surface, and let the cakes cook until bubbles form and edges look dry — about 30 seconds.
Then flip ’em over, and brown the other side.
Hungry?
Let’s eat!
Stack some cakes onto a plate, and top them off with butter and pure maple syrup.
Delicious, delicious, delicious.
In the comments field below, let me know if you’d like to try these pancakes. They are easy to make, and they require no flour beyond what is already in the sourdough starter.
Here’s a copy-and-paste version of the above:
Sourdough Pancakes
Kevin Lee Jacobs (kevinleejacobs.com)
Ingredients for about 18 3-inch-diameter pancakes
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 generous 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups sourdough starter (recipe here)
1 teaspoon baking soda blended with 1 tablespoon waterUsing a wire whisk, beat the eggs in a medium-size bowl. Then whisk in the sugar, vanilla, salt, and the sourdough starter. Blend thoroughly. Whisk in the baking soda mixture, and let sit until the batter becomes foamy — about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and preheat the griddle. No grease is required for a non-stick surface. (I heat my non-stick electric skillet to 350°F.)
By the 1/4 cupful, ladle the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface of the cakes, and edges look dry — about 30 seconds. Then flip them over, and brown the other side until done — about 10 seconds.
If you are not going to serve the cakes right away, place them on a baking sheet, and keep warm in a 200°F oven.
Serve hot, topped with butter and organic blueberry syrup, local honey, or pure maple syrup.
When thoroughly cool, the cakes can be stacked and frozen in plastic zip-lock-type bags. To reheat, place on a mirowave-safe plate, and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on “high” for 60 seconds.
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cary bradley says
Yes! Better get that starter started. 😉
Tressa says
Love pancakes! I recently discovered that I like blueberry syrup better than blueberry pancakes.
Pam says
We have had fun with sour dough starter too. This looks like a good recipe. Our favorite thing to do with sourdough is make pizza crust.
gina says
If I were were one of those little people I’d be swimming in that syrup on a butter raft
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
Great photos, my mouth is watering!
Amy says
Getting my sourdough starter started this morning! 🙂
Patricia Molloy says
Exactly what I am in the mood for on this beautiful Spring morning! Too bad I would have to go buy the sourdough starter…maybe for dinner. I love your little people.
Jan Beier says
I will be trying these tomorrow!
Vickie P says
Looking forward to making these!
Ardelle says
I’m not fond of ‘ordinary’ pancakes but these sound awesome. I need to get crackin’ on this. MMM, fresh organic butter and local maple syrup!
Peggy says
Kevin, I make my whole wheat pancakes with kefir; is that kind of the same as sourdough?
jon says
Been making sourdough flapjacks (and kept my starter alive) since 1974. The vanilla is an interesting twist, I’ll give it a try… I don’t add my baking soda all at once to the batter as I find that it goes flat before it can all be used. I add the baking soda to the batter that is going onto the griddle or waffle iron, leaving the rest of the batter untouched until it is ready to be ladled up.
Bonnie says
Thank you Kevin I can’t wait to get going on this and the bread. I need a recipe to make a sourdough bread. I got the starter recipe. Thanks for the nice things you do for us folks. Bonnie
Jan Beier says
Well…I tried these today. I don’t usually like pancakes, I’d rather have waffles and cook them extra crunchy with lots of butter slathered on them. Pancakes taste generally smooshy and tasteless to me, but these were absolutely wonderful, flavorful- I had 2 plates of them for lunch! with bacon and maple syrup! Sinful…I know. Hmmm…
Jessica says
OH MY GOD I’m making these forthwith.
Allison says
I just made a new starter and it’s raring to go. I might add some cooked steel cut oats and blueberries, then serve with some ginger syrup. Thanks for the inspiration!
Allison says
Oh yeah!
Laurie says
I grew up with my mom making sourdough pancakes and I’ve carried that tradition on with my own kids and grandkids 🙂 I also love, love, love sourdough cinnamon rolls!
Dianne says
Thank you Kevin for this recipe. I made these this morning and they were delicious. So good with just unsalted butter. Great that they are easy to digest. I’ve made bread using the sour dough sandwich bread recipe you’re shared. It too, is to die for. I use the sour dough starter to make biscuits, recipe from KAF website, they are the best I’ve ever had. This recipe uses unfed starter, another way to use starter, rather than discarding. Love your blog and your sense of humor.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Dianne – So glad you enjoyed both the sourdough bread and the sourdough pancakes. I’ll have to try the biscuits!
Cheryl Hodges says
I have been making these for many many years. We moved to Alaska when I was a kid before the oil boom and it was Heavenly but tough living up there. My starter is from the gold rush miners and I make bread and pancakes with it. My starter can also be found in the air anywhere but I’m glad it’s from my old home. I have an Eskimo cookbook that is just wild! I’ll take some pics of it for you. It has recipes like “Oogruk”. And seal flippers when put on a shed and allowed to rot are very good but mostly the young people don’t like them. Living in Alaska was such an adventure and now we live in North Central Montana…I had a beautiful yard, garden, chickens, peacocks, milk cow and draft horses until my husband had a massive stroke 3 years ago. Now we are snowed in often and the farm is melting in the wind and cold. Love your recipes, have your book.
Adriana Nowacki says
We’re definitely trying the sourdough pancakes to start the New Year. We make our own breads using a starter my husband has nurtured for 20 years. And I have to say I enjoyed your commentary along with the directions. You always make me laugh! Also made my soul happy to see your window garden! So lovely. Right now I have five geraniums that I took in from the cold back in late fall. All have small blooms in pink, lavender and Ruby red. My front room has sansevieria, peperomia, schefflera, Jade, rosemary, angel wing begonia, Norfolk pine, and three varieties of dracaena. Keeps me happy til spring plantings! Happy New Year and looking forward to more interesting recipes,etc from you!