This recipe is specifically formulated to be used with sourdough discard.

Pancakes bring back a flood of childhood memories. My dad loves pancakes. I think they are his all time favorite food. Pancakes, hot off the griddle with butter and maple syrup (the fake stuff…cringe!). I remember many Saturday mornings sitting on the counter and mixing up some Bisquick to make pancakes together. I loved pancakes as a kid and I love pancakes now as an adult, though my taste buds have changed in favor of more flavor, real maple syrup and adding in some sourdough discard for a subtle tang. 

Make the Batter the night before or the morning of

These sourdough discard pancakes are really delicious. The batter can be made the night before for a quick morning breakfast or you can whip them up the morning of if you don’t want to plan ahead and have a hankering for pancakes on a lazy Saturday morning. The sourdough discard in these pancakes gives them a delicious tang that is more pronounced if you let the batter sit overnight. I love a recipe that will use up sourdough discard and one that tastes so good. 

One other benefit of using sourdough discard in these pancakes is the tenderness the discard brings to the pancakes. The batter may feel thick (you can thin it out a bit with some extra milk or buttermilk if you want), but it bakes up light and fluffy, just the way you want a delicious pancake.

You can also use fresh sourdough starter instead of discard

If you don’t have sourdough discard in your fridge and would rather use sourdough starter or fresh discard from a sourdough starter, that will work too. Just add the same amount of starter as you would discard and you will be good to go.

I always like buttering my griddle before plopping on some batter. The sizzling sound of morning pancakes and the buttery crust that forms may be one of my favorite parts of good pancake. I love topping my pancakes with pure maple syrup, but any old topping will do. My mom doesn’t like maple syrup and instead prefers them with butter and jam. Whatever you choose to top them with, they are delicious…and guess what…my pancake-loving dad likes them too! Even though he may still be partial to his “fake” maple syrup. It’s okay. They will taste good no matter what you put on them.

Light and Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes

Yield: About 12 pancakes, I often double this recipe for my family of six and freeze any leftovers

Time: 10 minute mix, 20 minute bake in a pan or griddle

Ingredients:

Night Before:

• ¾ cup sourdough discard
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups all purpose flour

Morning of:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. The night before you intend to make the pancakes, mix together sourdough discard, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, melted butter and flour. Cover and let sit overnight in the fridge. 
2. The morning of making the pancakes, take your batter out of the fridge and mix in the baking soda, baking powder and salt. If you want to make the entire pancake recipe the morning of, whisk all the ingredients together now.
3. Preheat your griddle or pan to medium-low heat.
4. Butter your griddle/pan and using a ¼ cup measuring cup, place batter onto pan in a circle. The batter will be a little bit thick. Cook until the bottom is brown and bubbles are forming on the top of the pancake and then flip to cook on the other side. Each pancake takes about 4 minutes total.
5. Continue with the rest of the batter and serve with butter, fresh fruit and maple syrup. Enjoy!

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