Overnight Sourdough Pancakes

These Overnight Sourdough Pancakes begin with an overnight, room-temperature ferment. This not only adds a lovely, balancing tang, but it also provides all of the great gut-health and digestibility benefits of sourdough. Then the next morning, a few more ingredients are added right before cooking.

Pancakes are a beloved weekend tradition in many homes and ours is no exception. Making them is one of the coziest ways to get the morning going and it really makes the weekend special. I used to be so amazed at how my grandma could mix up pancake batter without looking at a recipe. I was in awe of the fact that she had made them so many times that she just knew. While she never made a sourdough discard pancake recipe, these still remind me of her.

I'm the first to admit that Sourdough can be intimidating

(but it doesn't have to be) - There is a lot of rigid scheduling, measuring, weighing, fussing over the hydration and the perfect blend of flours - bonus points if you grind your own wheat berries. I don't mean to sound snarky, but this recipe has none of that - I just don't cook that way. Some will frown upon those of us who cook and bake without using a scale for everything, but I am totally unapologetic. I do use a scale in my kitchen, and it does have a place in some recipes, but this overnight sourdough pancake recipe is a very simple, very friendly, no-fuss sourdough recipe.

For this recipe, I use unfed starter, either room temperature or straight out of the fridge, what some might call sourdough discard - although I don't really ever discard my starter. As soon as you add the sourdough starter to the other pancake ingredients, it becomes active and bubbly right before your eyes as it hungrily feeds on the flour and honey. It's like magic and it makes me smile everytime.

How to cook these sourdough pancakes

I like to fry these pancakes in my cast iron skillet - nice and hot with plenty of coconut oil. I love the flavor the coconut oil lends and I also love the crispy edges the pancakes get from both the cast iron and the coconut oil. We do have an electric griddle which is great for pancakes, but I really prefer the cast iron for these.

Some resources for the more laid-back sourdough enthusiasts

These are both from Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone. I'm a big fan of hers - and of her blog and Youtube Channel. She has such a laid back approach to sourdough that really opened my eyes and made me love the process so much more.

How I ACTUALLY use my sourdough starter

Maintaining and Feeding a Sourdough Starter

There are lots of other great sourdough resources, and I've linked to several in my Sourdough Pizza Crust post. I think the bottom-line with sourdough is, you have to figure out what works best for you and for your style of cooking and baking. It took some trial and error, some frustration, and a long break, but I finally landed on my style and I love it. I encourage you to do the same. I'm always around to help (or try to help) if you have any questions.

I hope you enjoy this overnight sourdough discard pancake recipe

My husband LOVES pancakes, and these have become his new favorite variety. He enjoys them the way he grew up eating pancakes with his dad: with a fried egg sandwiched in the middle of two pancakes and King Syrup drizzled on top. I love them with good, salted butter and maple syrup, but also the way my sweet granny taught me: topped with plain yogurt and sour cherry jam. So, so good. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite pancake toppings.

xo - Anita

PS: these make great waffles too 🙂

Overnight Sourdough Pancakes

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

These Overnight Sourdough Pancakes are a beloved weekend tradition. A great way to use up your sourdough starter, they start with a simple overnight ferment. A few ingredients are added the next morning before frying them up and serving with your favorite pancake toppings. 

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

for the overnight ferment

• 1 cup sourdough starter, unfed
• 1 cup milk *see notes
• 1 and ¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour *see notes
• 2 teaspoons honey

for the final batter

• ¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

For frying

• Coconut oil (or oil/butter of choice)

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl or spouted pitcher, mix the sourdough starter, milk, flour, and honey until thoroughly combined. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature until the next morning.
2. The next morning, add the remaining ingredients and whisk well to combine. 
3. Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat until nice and hot.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, allow to melt, and then add about ⅓ cup of batter per pancake. Fit as many as you can into your skillet without overcrowding.
5. Cook until golden brown on the first side, flip, and cook until golden brown on 2nd side.
6. Repeat, adding more coconut oil as needed for remaining batches.
7. Serve with plenty of butter and syrup.

Notes

I usually use raw, full-fat milk but I have used both whey and buttermilk before with great results. I am sure you could use goat milk, plant-based milk, really whatever milk you prefer.

Just plain, all-purpose is great, but I love using whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe. It is a very finely ground whole wheat flour. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour but want to use some whole wheat, I'd suggest using a blend of regular whole wheat flour and all purpose. I think all whole wheat would be too dense. Rye flour is very good here too.

Recipe adapted from NY Times

• Category: breakfast, sourdough
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: overnight sourdough pancakes, sourdough pancakes recipe, sourdough pancakes discard