Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
As the weather begins to drop and the leaves are falling, nothing celebrates the season than a pumpkin recipe. These fluffy sourdough pumpkin pancakes are the perfect breakfast to enjoy the autumn weather. Reminiscent of my favorite sourdough pumpkin bread, these sourdough pancakes are a fast and easy breakfast that are sure to satisfy your pumpkin craving.
How to Use Sourdough Starter in Pancakes
The sourdough starter used in pancakes is typically used to prevent wasting sourdough discard. This means the starter is not used to leaven the pancakes. Baking powder is the main leavening agent in these pancakes. The starter will add a slight tang taste but you probably won’t even notice it.
Pancakes are very forgiving when it comes to the moisture content in the batter. So use whatever sourdough discard you have on hand. It can be any percentage of hydration and it will work just fine.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour: You can also substitute bread flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Milk: You can use any type of milk or vegan milk in these pancakes.
- Sourdough starter: Discard or active starter will work well in this recipe.
- Pumpkin puree: Be sure you are using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling will have extra ingredients that will affect the flavor of these pancakes.
- Eggs
- Maple syrup: You can substitute agave, honey, or even plain sugar in this recipe.
- Butter: You can use unsalted butter or salted butter or your favorite vegan butter substitute.
- Vanilla extract: Although I always recommend pure vanilla extract, imitation vanilla is a fine substitute.
How to Make Vegan Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
To make these pancakes vegan, simply substitute the eggs, milk and butter for vegan alternatives. I love the Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and ener-G egg replacer. You can also make a flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water.
I recommend oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk in substitution but other varieties will work well too.
How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
Step 1: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. I love cooking in cast iron skillets. They maintain even temperatures and are teflon-free.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Combine the wet ingredients.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Step 5: Melt butter in the preheated pan and scoop pancakes batter into the pan. I highly recommend using a measuring cup for portioning the batter in your pancakes. I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup which creates 8-10 5 inch pancakes.
Step 6: Cook for 3-4 minutes per side. The edges should appear set and the top will have bubbles.
Step 7: Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.
How to Store Sourdough Pancakes
Store these pancakes in an airtight container, gallon ziplock bag or on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap. These pancakes can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also freeze them in a gallon freezer bag.
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard or active starter will work
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat a small or medium sized skillet over medium-low heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the batter until combined. Do not over mix. The batter should be lumpy but no streaks of flour should remain.
- Place a small pat of butter in the now preheated skillet.
- Pour ⅓ cup of batter into the pan. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side. The edge of pancake will appear set and the surface will start to form bubbles when ready to flip.
- Transfer the pancakes to a plate and serve immediately.