My No Fail, Family Favorite Pancake Recipe (With Sourdough Discard)
Pancakes have always felt like the heart of homemaking to me. Which is why it’s been so frustrating that I could never get them right. For years, I lived off box mixes or gave up after dense, heavy flops. At one point, I even abandoned pancakes altogether and decided waffles were where it’s at, until my waffle iron melted (literally) and I realized how toxic it was.
This year, I was determined to finally figure it out. After months of trial and error: rock hard, dense, flat pancakes, sour discard disasters, and a few “we’re eating them anyway” mornings, you guys, I found the recipe. It all started with a recipe from the cookbook When Southern Women Cook, and the first time I made it, the smell alone felt like home. I’m telling you, that vanilla, buttery smell lingered into the night, and it was amazing!
Of course, I had to make a few tweaks (because I always have sourdough discard on hand), and what came out was soft, buttery, slightly tangy perfection.
How do I know this is a no fail recipe? My kids, bless them, who always add a bucket of maple syrup to my past pancake failures have not asked for syrup any time I’ve made these!
My No Fail, Family Favorite Pancake Recipe (With Sourdough Discard)
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
½ cup sourdough discard
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
2 large eggs
3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Butter for the griddle
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk sourdough discard, buttermilk, yogurt, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet mixture. Stir gently until just combined. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth.
(If using discard, your batter might be more runny than lumpy depending on the hydration of your starter. You don’t want your batter to spread and turn into a crepe :) If it’s too thin to hold it’s shape on the griddle, add 1-2tbsp of flour.)
Let sit 10 minutes.
Heat griddle to 250°F (or medium-low on a skillet). Melt a pat of butter until bubbling, then ladle ¼ cup portions of batter.
Cook until edges look set and bubbles form, flip, and cook 1–2 minutes more.
Fun Add-Ins
Sprinkle chocolate chips or blueberries on the batter before flipping.
Add 1 tsp cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice for a cozy flavor twist.
I’ve subbed the sour cream for blended cottage cheese, you’ll miss out on the slight tang you get from sour cream or yogurt but it was a good substitution in a pinch.