Simple Sourdough Starter Pancakes from Fed or Discard

Pass it along!

If you are looking for a super quick and easy breakfast made more nutritious and digestible with the addition of sourdough, look no further! These delicious sourdough starter pancakes come together in a few minutes and are a perfect breakfast for any day of the week!

It is no secret that we are big fans of sourdough around here. With our batch cooking sourdough days, deep dish pizza, and scones, there are always cheers when the bubbly starter gets pulled from the fridge ready to be fed and turned into something delicious.

Benefits of Sourdough

Sourdough is a traditional form of bread made from naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria that causes the bread to rise as opposed to yeast. This fermentation process causes a lot of the carbohydrates in sourdough to be broken down and turned into acidic compounds giving sourdough its telltale sour taste.

The fermentation process that occurs when making sourdough transforms the usually hard to digest grains to be much more digestible. Often people who have a hard time digesting regular wheat-based bread feel completely different when eating sourdough.

And because sourdough is easier to digest, that also makes the nutrients present more bioavailable. For example, the magnesium, zinc, and iron are much more easily absorbed in sourdough bread as compared to standard yeast bread.

Which Flour to Use in Sourdough Making?

This is a question we get a lot. Honestly, one of the beauties of sourdough making is that it is extremely flexible. You can use whatever kind of flour you prefer. If you like to use standard all purpose white flour or a more heritage wheat, both will work! In fact, sourdough even does very well switching between different flours.

Our routine is to use a rye flour when feeding our sourdough starter. Then we typically use a blend of an ancient Einkorn Wheat and a Glenn Wheat from our favorite local mill, Janie’s Mill.

How to Get Started with Sourdough?

If you are new to making sourdough, the first thing you will need is a sourdough starter. There are multiple ways to do this. 

1. Make your own sourdough starter. This is the route we went several years ago and our homemade sourdough starter has been going strong ever since. Here is a great tutorial on how to make your own sourdough starter.
2. Purchase a dehydrated sourdough starter. There are many reputable places to simply buy and rehydrate an already made sourdough starter. Cultures for health is our favorite source for this.
3. Take some sourdough starter from a friend. The beauty of sourdough is that every time you want to use it, you need to feed it and it just continues to grow and grow. Therefore, people often have an abundance of sourdough starter and are happy to share. So, if you have any sourdough making friends, reach out and see if they can’t give you some starter to get going.

Fed vs. Unfed Sourdough

One of the great things about these sourdough starter pancakes is that it can be made with either fed or unfed sourdough starter.

Fed starter means that the sourdough starter has been fed (usually at least 2-3 times) with equal parts of flour and water. This makes the starter very bubble and active. Fed sourdough starter, with a build up of natural bacteria and yeast, allows sourdough breads and other sourdough creations to naturally rise.

Unfed sourdough starter means that it has gone more than 12 hours without being fed. This could mean simply pulling it out of the fridge and using it. In order for this starter to get bubbly again and cause a rise to occur, it will need to be fed a few times with flour and water. But in the case of sourdough starter pancakes, they are flat and rising isn’t necessary. 

So unfed or fed sourdough starter both work well.

Sourdough Starter Pancakes – Questions

Can you freeze sourdough starter pancakes?

YES! In fact, this is what we usually do. I love to make a big batch of sourdough pancakes, freeze them in a single layer of a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (so they don’t stick together), and store them in Ziplock bags in the freezer to be heated for a quick future breakfast.

Do you need coconut flour?

No. I like to add a tablespoon or so of coconut flour to the pancake batter if the batter is on the thinner side to help absorb some liquid and thicken it. However, if your sourdough starter is quite thick to begin with, adding coconut flour will not be necessary. You could also simply add regular wheat flour to thicken the batter if needed.

What type of fat do you cook them in?

That’s up to you too. We always recommend using a highly heat stable fat. Coconut oil or leaf lard are our favorite cooking fats for cooking sourdough starter pancakes in.

Sourdough Starter Pancakes – The Makings of a Perfect Breakfast

In our house, my two criteria for our weekday breakfasts are that they are QUICK and NUTRITIOUS. 

Thankfully, these sourdough starter pancakes fit the bill perfectly. We like to serve them with butter and maple syrup or some fresh berries. In our house, they generally show up alongside some scrambled eggs or yogurt. And voilà – you have a delicious breakfast with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates to keep you and your family full all morning!

Sourdough Starter Pancakes Recipe

Yield: 

12 Pancakes

Ingredients:

1.5 cups sourdough starter (fed or discard)
2 eggs
½ tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp coconut flour (optional if batter seems to thin)
cooking fat

Directions:

• Whisk together all ingredients until everything is fully mixed.
• Heat large frying pan and add a dollop of cooking fat.
• Spoon 2-3” pancakes onto cooking fat.
• Flip after pancakes are fully cooked on one side.
• When both sides are cooked, remove from pan. Continue until all the pancakes are made.

Serve and enjoy!

---

If you are looking for more delicious from scratch breakfasts, check out our baked oatmeal or potato crusted quiche!