Vanilla Bean Sourdough Discard Pancakes

Vanilla Bean Sourdough Discard Pancakes

Whether it’s a slow weekend morning or it’s a breakfast for dinner type of night (we love these types of nights), few things hit the spot quite like a stack of homemade pancakes! So why not make them a bit more gut friendly with sourdough discard?

 

This sourdough discard pancake recipe uses simple pantry staples plus sourdough discard (or active starter). These fluffy sourdough pancakes come together pretty fast and result in a light, fluffy texture with a bit of tang from the sourdough discard (promise it’s not overpowering). These pancakes are subtly sweet. We’d say closer to a savory pancake due to less sugar added (but feel free to add more if you’d like).

 

  • Easy
  • 40 mins
  • 10 servings

Uses: Vanilla Paste, Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

  1. Using your preferred pan size (non-stick preferred), put it on a burner on low-medium heat.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix together until combined. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl add sourdough discard (or active starter), eggs, and vanilla paste. With a whisk, mix them until thoroughly combined. Next, add milk and melted butter and mix until everything is combined. Ensure the butter isn’t too hot when pouring. The butter should be warm to the touch.
  4. Next, pour your dry ingredients into your wet and with a spatula, gently fold everything until there are no more clumps of flour. It should be a slightly thicker batter due to the sourdough.
  5. Add a bit of butter to the skillet if it’s non-stick and let it coat the pan. Pour batter to preferred pancake size and cook on one side for about 2-4 minutes and then flip to the other side. Cook the other side for 2-4 minutes before taking off the heat. Both sides should be a golden-brown color.
  6. Add your preferred toppings and enjoy!

Notes:

  • You can add additional ingredients to the batter like berries, nuts, and/or chocolate chips.
  • Sourdough discard and eggs can come right from the fridge to use for this recipe.
  • These pancakes aren’t as sweet as regular pancakes so feel free to add an additional tablespoon or two of preferred sugar if needed. Vanilla paste is sweet so be aware of that when using it.
  • Using active starter instead of discard? It works the same way and can give your sourdough starter pancakes a little extra rise!
One ingredient to call out is Rodelle’s Natural Vanilla Bean Paste. It adds a rich vanilla flavor, and we like to see the flecks of vanilla seeds throughout the pancakes. You can substitute with Rodelle Vanilla Extract too if you don’t have vanilla paste on hand! Vanilla bean paste vs vanilla extract: the paste does add a bit more sweetness and creaminess to the batter, plus those signature vanilla bean specks. If you’re feeling adventurous or want some additional flavors mixed into your sourdough pancakes, we recommend adding nuts, bananas (sourdough banana pancakes are a favorite of ours), chocolate chips, berries, and of course maple syrup or maybe smear some of the pancakes with a nut butter or jam (yummm!). This sourdough pancake recipe is a good base for other sourdough pancake combos so play around! What Is Sourdough Discard? Sourdough bread begins with a sourdough starter. It’s a live culture made with flour and water that naturally ferments over time. As part of maintaining a healthy starter, bakers regularly remove a portion of the starter before feeding it fresh flour and water, aka sourdough discard! This discard tends to go in a large, sealed jar and into the fridge until needed. Most bakers don’t want to waste this sourdough discard, so recipes have been invented to use it up, and one of the most popular is sourdough discard pancakes! What we love about sourdough is how it’s gut-healthy! The wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria inside sourdough starters pre-digest the flour during a slow fermentation process. The process helps break down some of the gluten proteins in bread. If you’re sensitive to gluten (but not celiac), many people find sourdough easier to digest!

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