In the last few months I’ve been practising making sourdough bread. This involves keeping a starter around that I feed from time to time with flour and water. A loaf of bread only takes a few tablespoons of starter to bake, so I end up with lots of leftover starter around.
It’s a common predicament for sourdough bread bakers, and many have come up with various ways to use it (see my previous post on sourdough buckwheat crepes, and Clotilde’s post on sourdough crumpets).
Last week I got a hankering for pancakes and Carl Legge pointed me to this wonderful recipe for sourdough buckwheat pancakes by Northwest Sourdough. The recipe turned out a real treat – simple, light, fluffy pancakes, perfect for a Saturday morning.
I just enjoyed some of these pancakes with fresh picked blackberries, homemade blackberry and plum jam and a bit of natural yogurt (creme fraiche with have been amazing). Purists would adore these with maple syrup, or perhaps strawberries and whipped cream.
And just look at the interior of these pancakes: beautifully bubbled and airy, speckled with lovely buckwheat.
I’ve tweaked the recipe just a tad from the original, using slightly less butter in the batter and maple syrup for sweetening. Next time I’d like to try mixing the flour, water and sourdough starter the night before to let things ferment a bit and bring out the sour flavour a bit more. I’d also like to try upping the buckwheat quotient. Then again, why tweak a recipe that’s already pretty stellar to begin with? Because I’m like that.
This recipe makes a LOT of pancakes so scale it down if it’s just one or two of you. Or don’t – they should freeze well, and who wouldn’t want a stockpile of yummy fluffy pancakes in the freezer?
Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes
Adapted from a recipe at Northwest Sourdough. The recipe makes a LOT of pancakes. I like mine on the small size, about 3-4 inches in diameter, and this recipe made over 30 pancakes (yowza!). But the good news is they freeze well. Reheat in the toast and you have the ultimate pancake breakfast, available at your fingertips!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sourdough starter
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup milk
- 4 beaten eggs
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 cup of buckwheat flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- Butter for cooking
Method
- In one bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (sourdough starter, warm water, milk, egs, maple syrup and butter).
- In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, buckwheat flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder).
- Heat up a pan to just above medium – you want a fairly hot pan (sourdough likes hot temperatures according to Northwest Sourdough).
- Just before you’re about to cook, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed.
- Put a little butter into the pan and spread it around.
- Pour dollops of batter into the pan (I use a 1/4 cup measure that’s about 2/3 full). As you first start to see bubbles in the centre (this will happen quickly), flip the pancakes. After a minute or so check the bottoms. When their nice and golden, take off the heat.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Per pancake: 77 Calories | 2.4 grams Fat | 12.5 grams Carbohydrates | 2.5 grams Protein | 0.7 grams Fiber
These look fantastic, Monica. I’ve never tried baking sourdough but think it would be a great technique to master. These pancakes are particularly selling it to me!
Laura, thank you so much for the comment. Sourdough is great – for bread, too, obviously! Give it a go. I could even send you some sourdough to get you started. 😉