Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes

These sourdough blueberry pancakes are light and fluffy with sweet and juicy pops of blueberry.

This recipe is based on these overnight sourdough pancakes but with the addition of sweet vanilla and blueberries. They are a great use for sourdough discard starter.

The batter

These sourdough blueberry pancakes make the easiest breakfast. That’s because the main pancake batter for the pancakes is made in the evening or even the day before you want to eat them. This way the bacteria in your sourdough starter can begin breaking down the starches in the flour.

This helps with digestibility and the acid in the starter also creates a fluffy and tender pancake.

You can make the pancake batter up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator. 

Same-day sourdough pancake batter

The fermenting time can be shortened to 2-4 hours at room temperature instead. If you want to skip this step entirely you can but the fermenting time creates a lighter pancake. 

If you’ve got no starter, you can make these sweet cream pancakes instead!

The starter

The best sourdough starter to use is a discard starter that hasn’t been recently fed, so it’s runny and acidic.

If your starter is not very acidic or you are shortening the fermenting time, you can add ½ tablespoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to the batter along with the baking soda to enhance the reaction between the acid and baking soda. This makes an extra fluffy pancake.

Ingredients

For the blueberry sourdough pancakes, you will need

• Flour – all-purpose flour
• Milk – Use cows milk or plant-based milk.
• Sugar – This can be substituted for another sweetener of your choice.
• Sourdough discard starter – The addition of the starter helps to break down the flour and make these pancakes easier to digest. The acid in the starter helps to create a fluffy pancake too.
• Vanilla – Use a good qaulity vanilla paste like if you can, like Heilala vanilla. It’s so delicious.
• Eggs, salt – Eggs add structure, salt adds flavour.
• Baking powder and baking soda – The baking powder and baking soda add lift and it is the baking soda that reacts with the acid in the sourdough starter to create an extra fluffy pancake. 
• Blueberries – You can fresh or frozen blueberries for sourdough blueberry pancakes. If using frozen, there is no need to defrost them first.

Step by step instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, milk, sugar, sourdough starter, vanilla paste, butter eggs, and salt. Cover the bowl with a plate or a lid and pop it into the refrigerator overnight (or up to 24 hours.)

This gives the sourdough starter time to do its work, breaking down the flour and making it much easier to digest.

In the morning

In the morning, whisk in the baking powder and baking soda.

Preheat a cast-iron or non-stick pan over medium-high heat, then grease the pan with butter.

Ensure the pan is hot, and the butter is sizzling, then pour in around ⅓ cup of batter for each pancake. Drop a few blueberries into the batter in the pan, about 5-6 per pancake.

The batter will spread out in the pan, and won’t rise just yet. Bubbles will start appearing on the surface of the pancake. Once bubbles cover the whole area (about 2-3 minutes), flip the pancake over and finish cooking the other side for another minute or 2. 

If the pan gets too hot, turn down the heat a little once you’ve poured in the batter. 

Transfer the pancake to a plate and continue with the rest of the batter until it is all used up, stacking the pancakes in a pile as you go. 

Serve the sourdough blueberry pancakes warm with plenty of butter and maple syrup.

Related recipes

If you love berries in pancakes, you might like these strawberry banana pancakes. They’re so light and tender. For more sourdough recipes, try this sesame sourdough loaf, or a sourdough pain au chocolat!