Sourdough Starter Discard Pancake Recipe

Sourdough starter discard pancakes are a simple and delicious way to use up leftover sourdough discard. These pancakes can be made with just a few basic ingredients and are a great way to enjoy the unique flavor and texture of sourdough

I have been really becoming fascinated with sourdough and homemade starters. To be honest, I really know nothing about them other than I am so interested in learning more! Just like learning how to bake Homemade Petits-Beurre Recipe | French Butter Cookies and Petits fours à l’anis | Anise Cookie Recipe.

That’s the best kind of learning in my opinion – curiosity learning!

That’s why I love being a homemaker, there is always something new to learn! Sourdough being one of them!

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A few months ago, back in the winter, I tried my hand at making a sourdough starter of equal parts water and flour. All went well until I forgot to feed the starter for days and it got all moldy.

But since I’ve been watching YouTube videos about sourdough while I run on the treadmill, I figured I had to give it another shot! I’m on day 5, and things are hopefully going in the direction I need them to!

How To Make A Sourdough Starter

As I mentioned above, I’m not an expert in this and am learning along the way. I’ve read and watched many tutorials on how to begin a sourdough starter. From what I can tell, it’s really simple; equal parts flour and water. *always use filtered water (that doesn’t have chlorine) and use unbleached all-purpose flour. If all goes well, you should have an active sourdough starter at the end of 7 days.

• Day 1 = 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel
• Day 2 = Discard 1/2 of the mixture and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel
• Day 3 = Discard 1/2 of the mixture and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel
• Day 4 = Discard 1/2 of the mixture and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel
• Day 5 = Every 12 hours Discard 1/2 of the mixture and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel
• Day 6 = Discard 1/2 of the mixture and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel
• Day 7 = Discard 1/2 of the mixture and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup water. Stir and cover with a tea towel. By the end of day 7, your sourdough starter should be “active” = bubbly and grown in size

Sourdough Discards

While you’re starting to “grow” your sourdough starter, you have to discard half of the mixture every day. Typically this would just go in the garbage can, however, there are some recipes that you can use the sourdough discard in…like pancakes!

Be sure to check out my FAQ section below!

Sourdough Starter Discard Pancakes

Sourdough starter discard pancakes are a great way to use up leftover sourdough starter and create a delicious breakfast treat.

The pancakes are easy to make, and the sourdough starter adds a unique flavor and texture to the batter. I did notice that the batter was a bit “heavier” than “normal”, non-sourdough starter pancake batter. But overall, the batter was easy to whisk and definitely easy to pour onto the hot skillet.

My son said that these pancakes should be served with garlic and chicken! HAHA! He’s a true southerner!

My family really loved these. I can’t say they loved them as much as my “normal” non-sourdough homemade pancakes…but I think that is because 1. they are so used to those pancakes and 2. that recipe is PER-FEC-TED!!! Like it’s legit. Those pancakes really are the bomb!

Top the pancakes with your favorite syrup. My family loves locally tapped and made syrup from a historical farm in our town!

If nothing else, the pancakes and dripping jar of sourdough starter, are absolutely gorgeous!!! As a recipe creator and food photographer junkie, these just look so beautiful to me!!

FAQ’s

What is sourdough starter?

A sourdough starter is a live fermented culture of flour and water that is used to make sourdough bread. The starter is what makes sourdough bread rise and brings that classic sour flavor.

To make a sourdough starter, all you need is flour, water, and a little bit of patience. The process involves mixing together flour and water and allowing it to ferment, while feeding it continually and keeping it in happy condition.

Once established, a sourdough starter can be used for a wide variety of sourdough bread recipes.

Why do you discard sourdough starter every day?

Sourdough starter needs to be discarded every day to build a healthy and thriving sourdough starter. When you create a sourdough starter, you are creating a microbial population, and discarding some of the starter helps maintain the balance of the organisms.

Discarding is necessary to keep the starter manageable and prevent it from growing too big. Once the sourdough starter is established, you no longer need to discard half of it every day, and you can just give it flour and water.

What other recipes can you make with sourdough starter?

Sourdough starter is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipes. Here are some recipes that can be made with sourdough starter: I created a chart with recipe ideas and then recipe links to non-sourdough recipes that I’ve created!

Recipe Idea	Regular (Non-Sourdough) Recipe Link
Sourdough bread	26 Bread & Muffins Recipes
Sourdough waffles	Back-To-School Grab-N-Go Croissant Waffle Breakfast Sandwiches
Sourdough pancakes	The Best Homemade Pancake Recipe From Scratch
Sourdough pizza crust	Homemade Pizza Dough
Sourdough crackers
Sourdough muffins	26 Bread & Muffins Recipes
Sourdough biscuits	Blueberry Biscuits
Sourdough cinnamon rolls	Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Sourdough bagels
Sourdough pretzels	Stuffed Pretzels

As I learn more about using my sourdough starter and sourdough starter discard, I definitely hope to tackle some of these delicious recipe ideas with sourdough!