These Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes are a great weekend breakfast - make ahead friendly, healthy, and they turn out fluffy even with whole wheat!
I've been meaning to share my favorite pancakes with you for quite some time now. Since I started making these Overnight Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes around three years ago, I have hardly made any other pancakes. I love these ones because I can mostly make the batter the night before, pop it in the fridge and it's almost ready to go in the morning.
Obviously, with these being sourdough pancakes, this recipe requires a sourdough starter - something few people are likely to have hanging around.
However, if you've still got some left from the early pandemic days, or even if you've ever considered getting one, I highly encourage you to try it out.
Starters are relatively easy to maintain - all you need is flour and water, and the payoff is huge. I'd keep mine just for these pancakes, but you also get the benefits of homemade sourdough bread, pizza crust and even a delicious fizzy drink!
If you know anyone that already has sourdough starter available, just take a little of theirs (I'm happy to share mine with any of my local friends!), order online, or, if you're willing to invest a little more time, try making your own.
How to Make Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes:
The first thing to note about this recipe is that it can easily be customized. I love blueberries in my pancakes, but maybe you don't. Or perhaps you just don't have any on hand. If you like your pancakes plain, skip the blueberries. If your family loves chocolate, use chocolate chips instead. Or sliced bananas. Or raspberries.
You can also adjust how much whole wheat flour you put in your pancakes, or use none at all.
Note that this recipe requires a fairly large amount of sourdough starter and the starter needs to be active. If you normally keep your starter dormant in the fridge, make sure to take it out a couple of days before you plan to make these pancakes and feed it several times to make sure you have enough starter.
Other than the sourdough starter, making these pancakes is quite similar to making other pancakes. Simply stir the ingredients together without the baking powder and baking soda, then keep the batter in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add the baking powder and baking soda and you're ready to cook your pancakes.
I cook mine on a cast iron griddle, but you could also use a large cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet.
Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes Ingredients:
- Sourdough starter: recently fed, and bubbly
- Milk: use your favorite non-dairy milk to make this recipe dairy-free
- Eggs
- Butter: use dairy free butter alternative to make this recipe dairy free)
- Canola oil: or replace with another neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour: or replace an equal amount of more all-purpose flour if desired
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Fresh or frozen blueberries: if frozen do not thaw; or replace with a different kind of berries, sliced bananas, chocolate chips, or skip mix-ins altogether
- Maple syrup: for serving
Tips for Making Perfect Pancakes:
After all these years of pancake making, there is one thing I learned. The temperature of your skillet or griddle is very important.
At least for me, with my stove and cookware, it takes a long time to get the temperature just right. I usually end up heating my cast iron griddle over medium heat for quite awhile while I'm getting ready to cook.
Then just before I spoon my batter on, I reduce the heat slightly. Sometimes I'll need to adjust from there, either up or down. Either way, if your pancakes are getting too dark too quickly, or aren't browning enough, adjust temperature as needed.
And don't even worry if they don't turn out round and perfect. They will still taste great. Trust me - I know from experience!
Want more Pancake recipes?
Overnight Blueberry Sourdough Pancake Nutrition Notes:
The above nutrition information in the recipe below is for a medium-sized pancake (the recipe makes roughly 12 medium pancakes). The calculated nutrition info is for a pancake with no added maple syrup, and using 2 cups of blueberries in the recipe. Any additional toppings you add to your pancakes will be extra.
Overnight Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups sourdough starter recently fed and bubbly
- 1 cup milk (use your favorite Non-Dairy milk to make this recipe Dairy Free)
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted (use Dairy Free butter alternative to make this recipe Dairy Free)
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Pour sourdough starter into a large glass or plastic bowl. Whisk in milk vigorously until frothy. Stir in eggs, butter, oil, sugar, flours and salt. DO NOT add baking powder and soda yet. Cover and refrigerate batter overnight.
- In the morning, heat griddle or a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to griddle or skillet and wipe most of it away with a bunched up paper towel.
- Immediately before you're ready to cook pancakes, stir baking powder and baking soda into batter. It will become bubbly. Pour small amounts (¼ cup to ⅓ cup depending on how large you want your pancakes) of batter into skillet using a ladle or small measuring cup. Make sure you don't place batter too close together or pancakes will run together and become difficult to flip. Drop desired amount of blueberries on top of the batter. Cook until batter starts to become firm at the edges, bubbles rise to the top of the batter and the bottom is golden, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low if pancakes brown too quickly. Flip pancake and continue to cook until bottom is golden brown and pancake is cooked through, about 3 more minutes.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup or keep warm in a 200°F oven. Pancakes can be completely cooled and frozen in a freezer bag. Reheat in microwave.
Notes
Nutrition
Darryl Alder says
Loved this recipe but as to plate sized cakes traditionally sourdough dough pancakes are measured as silver dollar size ( see this from Wikipedia: “ Sourdough was used by prospectors and pioneers to make pancakes without having to buy yeast. Prospectors would carry a pot of sourdough to make pancakes and bread, as it could last indefinitely, needing only flour and water to replenish it.[53] Sourdough pancakes are now a particular speciality in Alaska.[54] They are also found in many American pancake houses and restaurants elsewhere in America.
“A silver dollar pancake refers to a pancake about two to three inches (5 to 7 cm) in diameter, or just a bit bigger than the pre-1979 silver dollar coins in the United States. This is usually made by frying a small spoonful of the same batter as any other pancake. One serving usually consists of five to ten silver dollar pancakes.”
Carissa says
Yes, you are certainly welcome to make your pancakes any size you like. I make mine larger because it's less flipping that way 🙂