Healthy Pancakes made using Whole Wheat Starter Discard
This recipe is a delicious and easy way to use up the starter discard you collected after each starter feeding to prevent wasting flour. If you are like me and try to avoid waste at any cost, this will be a perfect combination that lets you save the starter and treat yourself and your family to yummy and healthy pancakes.
I have to admit I was not a pancake person. Making pancakes for me used to be something I did for my boyfriend because I knew he likes them; I would eat only one pancake to taste, and he would finish the rest of the batch. Also, in most of the recipes I've tried the pancakes did not taste good the next day after being refrigerated. And, since it's only the two of us, it's not possible to finish them all on the same day even if I ate more than one.
That all had changed after I tried Sourdough Pancakes - I believe I ate four pancakes the first time I made them and had to skip dinner! The texture was moist - so there is no need to drench them in the syrup to be able to swallow a piece without choking, and the flavor was amazing - sourdough starter added a tiny bit of tang to them. I also tested them eating cold, and even then, they tasted great.
In this recipe I used 1 cup of my Whole Wheat Sourdough Starter, but you can use more or less, whatever you have. Remember to adjust the quantity of flour and milk accordingly, since the starter is 50% flour and 50% water. If you add more starter, subtract that extra amount from both flour and milk. If you add less, add that difference to both flour and milk.
These pancakes were made with coconut milk (which I prefer), however you can add any milk. I also used coconut oil for frying, but neither coconut milk nor coconut oil adds any distinctive coconut taste to the pancakes.
To make this an even healthier snack, I topped them with honey and fresh blueberries. Now I can eat them guilt-free and get protein, fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants all in one bite. The bigger the amount of whole wheat flour the more protein will be in the pancakes. Since I already had whole wheat flour in my sourdough starter, I used unbleached all-purpose flour for the batter.
This Sourdough Pancake recipe is good to use as a base and modify to create different flavors of pancakes. Here are some things you can add to the batter by themselves or in various combinations:
Fruits: apples, pears, peaches, bananas
Berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Pumpkin Puree
Spices: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
Vanilla Extract
Nuts: walnuts, pecans
Chocolate Chips: white, milk, dark
Peanut Butter Chips
Cocoa Powder
Chopped Snickers Bar
What do you put in your pancakes? Please, share it in the comments section below.
Check out my Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes recipe, a perfect addition to your Sunday breakfast this Fall.
Useful Tips:
If your sourdough starter discard has lived in the fridge for a while, it is probably starving and will taste more sour. It will add more tangy aftertaste to the pancakes in this state; if you prefer a milder flavor, use a little bit less of it. Try to use it up every week; there are so many delicious recipes it can be used in.
Use less sugar if you want the pancakes to be barely sweet; these are medium-sweet.
Don't over-mix the batter to avoid gluten development from the flour, which will make the pancakes chewy.
Let the batter rest for 15-20 min before baking for the pancakes to come out light and fluffy.
Cook on an evenly heated, well-oiled surface.
Flip the pancakes only once; over-flipping can cause the pancakes to deflate.
As usual, I simplify my recipes, so they are easy to follow for beginners. I avoid using complex numbers and ingredients, so the recipe is less intimidating for new bakers.
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup Sourdough Starter Discard
1.5 cups Coconut Milk (or regular)
1 Large Egg
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1.5 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Baking Powder
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Coconut Oil for frying
Instructions:
Whisk together sourdough starter discard, coconut milk, egg, vanilla, and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl.
In another bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add them to the wet ingredients and stir them together to combine.
Heat the frying pan to medium heat, add a little bit of oil (I used coconut oil). Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the frying pan and cook the pancakes for 2-3 min on each side until golden brown.
Serve the pancakes warm with any toppings you like (I used raw organic honey).
Enjoy Baking!
Tools for Sourdough Bread Baking:
