I hope you guys found yesterday’s sourdough post informative. Maybe a few of you even found yourself in the kitchen putting a starter together?? If so, you’re in luck, because that means you’re only a few days away from having these pancakes in your life, and that’s a very good thing! If you happen to already have a sourdough starter in your fridge, no need to wait – you can make these pancakes for your family this weekend! Everyone will be glad you did ๐
As I mentioned yesterday, once you make your starter, it has to be maintained. That means every week or two you remove 1 cup of the starter and stir in fresh water and flour. But what to do with that portion you removed? The first 5 or 6 times I fed my starter, I simply threw away that extra cup. Eventually I realized what a giant waste that was and wondered about using that starter in other cooking/baking projects. I was a little skeptical at first about introducing sourdough tang into anything but sourdough bread, but figured there wasn’t much harm in trying once. The first recipe I made was a success, and now that I’ve gone down that road there’s no turning back. I want sourdough everything! Well except, oddly enough, the bread ๐
These chocolate chip pancakes are right at the top of my list of favorite ways to use discard starter. They do require a little bit of advance planning because there’s an overnight sponge to be made, but they’re worth the effort. The pancakes are on the thin side – not as thin as crepes, but also not super thick and fluffy. They have just enough tang to set them apart from more traditional pancakes, I loved the depth of flavor. And of course I added chocolate because I always look for an excuse to eat it, but these would also be good plain. The recipe makes a lot of pancakes (especially if, like me, you’re the only one in the house eating them), but leftovers freeze perfectly. Oh, and if you’re not a pancake person, you can use this exact same batter to make waffles too! Either way, the recipe is a winner.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Pancakes
from King Arthur Flour
Sponge
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups buttermilk
Pancake Batter
sponge
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
chocolate chips
canola oil (for the pan)
To make the sponge: Remove your starter from the refrigerator and stir to incorporate any alcohol that may have collected on top. Remove 1 cup of the starter. In a large bowl, combine the starter, flour, sugar and buttermilk. Cover the bowl and let the sponge sit at room temperature overnight.
(Note: Remember, after removing a portion of the starter for this recipe, you’ll want to feed the remainder of your starter before putting it back in the fridge.)
To make the pancakes: In a measuring cup whisk together the eggs and oil. Add to your sponge, whisking to combine. Stir in the salt and baking soda until incorporated – the batter will bubble up slightly. Set the batter aside while you preheat your pan (my batter was pretty thin at first but thickened as it sat for a few minutes).
{If you aren’t going to serve the pancakes until you’ve cooked all of them, preheat oven to 200 F. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set it inside a baking sheet then place the baking sheet in the oven.}
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium heat (or spray with nonstick cooking spray). Once the oil starts shimmering, use paper towels to wipe the pan so only a thin, even coating of oil covers the bottom and sides. Use a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter into the pan. Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the surface of the pancake. Cook on the first side until the edges are set and bubbles form on the surface. Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook on the second side until golden brown and cooked through. {If not serving immediately, transfer the pancakes to the wire rack in the oven.} Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan if necessary.
Makes about 20-22 pancakes
I could eat a big stack of these!
YUM! ๐
I love this! Your sourdough post was great, and I love new ways to use it. These sound so scrumptious!
i am so making these!! should have made my starter last night; going to do it today!! sooo yummy. thanks for the recipe and i am totally looking forward to more sourdough recipes. i live in spain and cant buy sourdough bread here. so this is going to be so fun for me!!!
such a great twist on a regular pancake! love that it’s sourdough instead of the original “flavor” of pancakes! and i like the inclusion of chocolate chips ๐
I’m sort of drooling over those strawberries! Where’s the syrup though?! ๐
I have never had a sourdough pancake before, but I want to! I need to make a sourdough starter again. I let my last one die because I wasn’t the best at maintaining it. Got bored with bread! Thanks for the additional recipe option!
*cries* This morning all my blogging buddies are on a pancake rampage! I woke up this morning craving pancakes but I’m completely out of syrup. I want those they look oh so delicious! :p
these look DELICIOUS!! and beautiful pic too!
xo,
mini baker
Wow those look wonderful…and they come with or without chocolate chips, right? Good. I love sourdough pancakes…will need to try this one.
Your pancakes are always THE most beautiful and just such perfect lighting!
I love a good stack of pancakes and these look perfect, Tracey! Definitely worth a try in my kitchen this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tried sourdough pancakes!! Yum!
I have been wanting to try my hand at sourdough for a while now… you just inspired me. Pancakeeeeessssss…yummy!
OK, two more things to put on my cooking/baking list: sour dough bread and sour dough pancakes!
I didn’t even know you could make sourdough pancakes. Sourdough is my absolute favorite bread, and of course I love pancakes too (who doesn’t?). Therefore, I’m pretty sure this would be a stack of heaven!
If I had these on the breakfast table in the morning, I would have no problem waking up at 5:30Am every day.
These look really good. I haven’t had pancakes in such a long time. But I don’t have a sourdough starter. Maybe I should make one ๐
By the way I’ve always been jealous of how beautiful your pancakes and pancake photos turn out. They are beautiful!
Sourdough pancakes?! My mom gave me a loaf of sourdough when I visited her last weekend, and since then I simply can’t get enough of it! I never thought of sourdough and chocolate in a pancake together though–it sounds delightful!
Yum! I like thinner pancakes, so these sound perfect.
Really am a morning person…I love big and healthy breakfast options…Thanks for sharing!
I`ve tried this recipe and i`m really impressed, it has a very good taste. My both child tried it and they like it a lot. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Those look so good…much better than the sourdough pancakes I made (which no one in my family, except me, actually liked)! You’ve inspired me to restart my starter…I was sick of burning through flour feeding the thing and not using up the discards. I need some new ideas!
I LOVE pancakes, but have never made them with a starter before! Totally inspired ๐
I forgot about my starter awhile ago and had to toss it. Boohoo. ๐ I need to start another one so I can make these! Love the sourdough and chocolate combo!
I’m intrigued! I’m not a pancake girl, but this sounds so interesting. My hubby was just talking about making a starter (he’s been on a bread baking kick lately). If he does, we will have to try this. Your pancakes look beautiful by the way!
I love seeing your sourdough posts – I am addicted to my sourdough starter. There’s a new group, actually, that you might be interested in: sourdoughsurprises.blogspot.com. We’d love to have you sourdough with us!!