Sourdough discard pancakes: fluffy, tangy, ten minutes

Whisk 200 g of discard with a little flour, milk, an egg, sugar, oil and salt; add the baking soda last and watch it foam. Cook on a medium-hot pan, 2–3 minutes a side. Makes about 8 pancakes.

Save to Pinterest

Discard you have

The recipe as written — makes about 8 pancakes.

Sourdough discard

¾ cup + 2 tbsp (200 g)

All-purpose flour

½ cup (60 g)

Milk

½ cup (120 g)

Sugar

3 ¾ tsp (15 g)

Oil or melted butter

3 ¾ tsp (15 g)

Salt

¼ tsp (2 g)

+ 1 egg

+ ½ teaspoon baking soda

Step by step

Mix the batter

Whisk the discard, milk, egg, sugar, oil and salt, then stir in the flour until just smooth — a few lumps are fine.

Add the baking soda last

Stir it in and wait a minute: the acid in the discard makes it bubble and lifts the pancakes.

Cook on a greased pan

A ladle per pancake. Flip when bubbles cover the top, after 2–3 minutes, and give it the same on the other side.

Keep them warm

On a plate in a low oven while you cook the rest.

Always cook discard — like any raw flour and dough, it is not safe to eat raw. Discard with mold on it goes in the bin, jar and all.

Questions

Can I use old discard?

Yes, up to about 14 days in the fridge — older discard just makes tangier pancakes. Any mold: throw it away.

Why baking soda?

Discard is sour; baking soda reacts with that acid and makes the batter rise straight away — no waiting for the starter.

Can I make the batter the night before?

Mix everything but the baking soda, keep it in the fridge, and stir the soda in just before cooking.

More discard recipes

Sourdough discard crackers: thin, crisp and easy

Sourdough discard flatbread in a pan, no oven

How to store sourdough discard

All discard recipes

Get the LoafTime app for reminders

It remembers your starter, plans every bake around your day and reminds you at each step — no alarms at 3 am. Coming to the iPhone App Store before Christmas.

Get the app the day it launches

One email when the iPhone app is on the App Store, then a short baking tip now and then.

Your email

No spam, and never shared. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe.