Cast-Iron Sourdough Pancakes
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus overnight fermentation
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- ½ to 1cup sourdough starter
- 2cups all-purpose flour
- 2cups whole milk
- 3eggs
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- 1teaspoon salt
- 1tablespoon sugar
- 1tablespoon butter, plus more for serving
- 3 to 4peeled and sliced pears (you could also use sliced apples, peaches or strawberries, or whole blueberries)
- Maple syrup, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
550 calories; 11 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 965 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Mix sourdough starter with flour and milk, then let it sit out at room temperature, covered with a cloth, overnight and up to 24 hours. Stir well, and transfer a scant cup of this mixture into a plastic container with lid or glass jar to store in the fridge, for another batch of pancakes.
- Step 2
Whisk the eggs, baking soda, salt and sugar into the rest of the fermented flour and milk. The batter will loosen and take on the thick, airy liquid texture of a milkshake. If the batter seems a little too stiff, add a splash of milk.
- Step 3
Preheat the oven to 450, with a cast-iron skillet inside the oven. (You can use a 4-inch pan for individual pancakes or an 8-inch pan for a larger pancake, which can be cut to share.) When the pan is hot, remove it, and swirl in 1 tablespoon butter until melted, then add a thin layer of fruit, so that you can still see some parts of the bottom of the pan. If using firm fruits like apples or pears, place the pan on medium heat on the stovetop, and let the fruit sizzle for a minute or two until it has softened on its edges, then add batter. If using softer fruits or berries, add the batter right away. Add enough batter to totally cover the fruit and make a substantial pancake about a half-inch in thickness.
- Step 4
Return pan to oven for 15 minutes, or until the top of the pancake is evenly browned and the edges are crisp. Flip pancake onto a plate fruit-side up, and serve hot with another knob of butter on top and a generous glug of maple syrup. Repeat with remaining batter.
Private Notes
Comments
I already have a sourdough starter that I use regularly, so did not want leftover from this recipe. For this batter I used 1/2 cup of my starter and 1 cup each of flour and milk, other ingredients as written, 10 inch cast iron skillet. Fruit was home preserved pear slices, drained well. Needed an extra 5+ minutes in the oven. Got 2 very tasty 10 inch pancakes, topped with yogurt and a splash of pear syrup. They did not stay puffy, like the photo, but still had a nice texture.
Where is the recipe for the sourdough starter? Did I miss it?
How much of the refreshed starter goes into the pancakes? The recipe says to use .5–1 cup of starter...would be better to be specific or provide quantity in weight.
This was an outstanding recipe, and a great use of my starter discard. I used 1/2 cup of my starter and used the entire fermented flour mixture. I had fresh peaches sprinkled with cinnamon.
I make this as a large 'dutch baby' style pancake. I make the batter as written, use my largest skillet, and pour all the batter in. It leads to a thick pancake (~1 inch) and makes 4-6 servings. I prefer to do it this way for breakfast as I don't want to have to pull them in and out of the oven to make a bunch of smaller ones.
I was about to put the first pancake in the oven when I realized I hadn’t read the comments on the recipe. Big no-no, and I paid for it. Always read the comments on NYTimes recipes! I agree with those who found the “custardy” interior not to their liking. It just seemed like uncooked pancake batter to us. And what’s the deal with the “1/2- 1 cup” sourdough starter? And then you put aside a cup the next morning? If you have sourdough starter, why would you want to create more with this recipe? Especially since it contains milk. Only if you plan to regularly make these pancakes, I guess. For anyone who bakes sourdough, this is an obvious candidate for using the “discard” that results when feeding the starter. That’s what I used and I did not put aside a cup of the base mixture from this. Anyway, I will return to my sourdough discard pancake recipe using a variety of flours.