What makes this sourdough pancake recipe unique?
My technique uses a thick batter made of flour, water, and sourdough starter. This dense batter ferments overnight at room temperature. The next morning you will add the additional ingredients and continue fermenting the batter until it’s bubbly.
Chewy, Fluffy, Light, and Puffy
These are just some of the ways to describe these irresistible sourdough pancakes.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter going you better get on that ASAP! These real fermented sourdough pancakes are a treat you don’t want to be missing out on.
This special technique allows you to make pancakes without any leavening besides the wild yeast in your sourdough starter.
Think of This Recipe as a Guide
I’ve found that with the many variables of sourdough, following someone else’s recipe is almost impossible. I will try my best to describe things and give examples, but in some cases you will have to use your judgment. Always know that I’m only a few clicks away to answer questions!
Perfectly Chewy Sourdough Pancakes
This overnight batter produces the best sourdough pancakes with real sourdough flavor!
Ingredients
Pancake Starter Batter
- 560 grams (4 cups) organic all-purpose flour
- 460 grams (2 cups) filtered water
- 125 grams (1/2 cup) active sourdough starter at 100% hydration
Secondary Additions
- 64 grams (4 tablespoons) butter
- 115 grams (1/2 cup) milk
- 30 grams (3 tablespoons) coconut sugar
- 4 eggs
- 7 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
Instructions
The Night Before
- In a big ceramic or glass bowl mix the flour, water, and starter into a sticky, thick batter. Depending on the consistency of your starter you may need to adjust the flour or water measurements. It should be almost as thick as a muffin batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter ferment overnight on your counter, or in the oven with the light on if your house is kept on the cooler side.
The Next Morning
- First thing in the morning check on your batter. Hopefully it will have lots of bubbles and a pleasant sour odor.
- Melt the butter and whisk it with the milk, sugar, eggs, and salt. I like to use a glass measuring cup for this step. Slowly incorporate the butter mixture into the fermented flour mixture. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and evenly distributed. This will take some elbow grease! The consistency should be like a typical pancake batter. If it looks thin add some flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk. This is when judgment comes into play. Cover the bowl again and let the mixture ferment for at least one hour.
- Preheat your griddle over medium heat (I use a cast-iron griddle and season it with a light coating of coconut oil). Cook your pancakes to golden brown.
- Serve your sourdough pancakes with any of your favorite toppings.
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Want To Learn Everything About Sourdough?
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Eric
Wednesday 26th of March 2025
THIS is a real SD pancake recipe. Thank YOU!
Butter For All
Sunday 27th of April 2025
Hey Eric! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. It's a generational favorite!
Abby
Saturday 10th of June 2023
Thank You!! Every recipe I've found using sourdough starter also uses baking powder or baking soda. I am happy to wait for the dough to be ready because I know the benefits are worth it.
Butter For All
Saturday 1st of July 2023
Hi Abby!
This is the perfect recipe to use only time and temperature for fermentation. It was one of the first recipes I perfected about 20 years ago and I still use it weekly! I hope it becomes a family staple for you too!
In health,
Courtney
Angelique
Thursday 4th of May 2023
Hi! If using sourdough starter I already have( no need to make it). How much starter am I using?
Butter For All
Tuesday 9th of May 2023
Hi Angelique,
You would add flour and water and starter together, so you would need 1145g of starter total. You can always half this recipe if that is too much, because it does makes 6-8 large servings.
I hope that helps!
Helen
Friday 31st of March 2023
Hi,
I’ve recently made clabbered milk (after following your guidelines on here — thanks for those by the way!) and now I have leftover whey so I was looking for something to do with it and am leaning towards pancakes. This recipe looks great because, as someone else mentioned, there’s nothing but the sourdough to leaven it (why make sourdough pancakes if you’re going to add baking powder?) but I was wondering, is there a reason you don’t mix the whole batter the night before and let it bulk ferment altogether? And could I use whey instead of water and milk? (I’ve made your banana nut muffins a couple of times and the second time I skipped the first stage and just let the muffins do all the fermenting once in the casings, which worked well).
Anyway thanks for all the great recipes :)
Helen
Butter For All
Tuesday 25th of April 2023
Hi Helen,
First, yes, feel free to substitute whey for water! Sourdough is a great way to use up the whey! Secondly, I prefer the structure of the pancake when the additions are made the next day. I think fermenting the eggs breaks down a lot of their protein, which is fine, but they lose a little of the loft that happens during the rise. You'll have to play around with it. I know it wont hurt either way. I'd love to hear your results if you do! Thanks so much for the sweet feedback on the recipes and I'm so sorry for the slow reply 😊
Courtney
Amanda
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
I have been loving your recipes sooo much! Thank you!!! Can I use buttermilk instead of regular milk in this recipe? Thank you!
Butter For All
Tuesday 25th of January 2022
Hi Amanda!
Yes! Absolutely! Buttermilk will be amazing. You might need to add just a touch more since it's thicker than milk, but this recipe is very forgiving!
Enjoy!
Courtney