Julie Clark
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Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes
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Use sourdough discard and heart healthy whole wheat flour to make these quick & easy Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes with a touch of honey.
Matt and I have had to change our diet slightly this winter. It stinks to get old. 😑 In order to follow a more heart healthy diet, we’ve added in a lot of whole grains, natural sugars and sourdough.
Sourdough discard pancakes with all purpose flour is one of our most popular recipes. I combined that recipe with our honey wheat pancakes to create this fluffy, simply flavored Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancake recipe.
About Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes
- Flavor: The pancakes have a simple, yet full flavor. You’ll get a slight tang from the sourdough, nuttiness from the whole wheat and slight sweetness from honey.
- Texture: The pancakes are soft and fluffy, although slightly heavier than our traditional sourdough pancakes. That is understandable considering the whole wheat flour. It is important that you do not overmix the batter to keep the pancakes fluffy.
What is sourdough discard?
You can read our complete sourdough guide, but once you start making sourdough, you either have to bake with it or discard part of the start or it will keep growing.
In order to not be wasteful, you can make recipes with the sourdough discard. These discard recipes use other leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda or yeast) to get a rise in the baked good. See below the recipe for some of our favorites.
Don’t have sourdough discard? Simply make our honey wheat pancakes.
Tips for Making Pancakes
- The sourdough starter does NOT have to be active. In fact, it mixes in better if the starter is spent and not stretchy. If it is a little active, it will be fine to use. Notice in the recipe I gave the weight of the discard starter I used in grams so you can get an accurate measurement, whether there are bubbles in the starter or not.
- Add spices if you’d like. Add cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla extract. We like the spice. 🙂
- Mix the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients. Then combine the two and mix only until combined. Do not overmix the pancakes or they will be tough. It is ok if there are lumps in the batter. They’ll cook out.
- Pancake griddles are amazing if you make pancakes often. Use butter to grease the griddle if you like a little crispy edge. Use cooking spray if you want lower fat. You can also use a flat pan or skillet.
- Use a ¼ cup of batter for each pancake so they are all about the same size. This will give you about 16 5″ pancakes. You can always make them smaller or larger if you’d like.
- Fry each pancake over medium-low heat until it is puffy and bubbly, and then turn to to make it golden brown on the second side.
Pancake Toppings
We love pure maple syrup on our pancakes, but here are a few other options if you’re looking for something different:
- Strawberry Syrup
- Raspberry Syrup
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon Sugar
- Confectioners’ Sugar for dusting
- Cinnamon Butter
- Melted Peanut Butter
- Fresh Berries
- Cranberry Sauce (for a Christmas treat!)
Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes
Use sourdough discard and heart healthy whole wheat flour to make these quick & easy Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes with a touch of honey.
Servings 12
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard 205 grams
- 1 1/2 cups 2% milk* 341 grams/12 ounces
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons mild olive oil 30 grams
- 2 tablespoons honey 42 grams
- 2 cups whole wheat flour** 250 grams
- 2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder 6 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt 7 grams
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the sourdough starter, milk, egg, oil and honey. Mix well until everything is combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix gently just until combined. Do not mix vigorously and do not overmix. This will ensure your pancakes stay soft and fluffy.
- Spray a pancake griddle with cooking spray or grease well with butter. Heat to about medium heat, 300-350º Fahrenheit.
- Pour ¼ cup pancake batter on the hot griddle using a measuring cup or a ladle. Cook until the pancake starts bubbling on top, then flip the pancake.
- Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the pancake is cooked through.
- Serve warm with melted butter and syrup.
- Made about 12 pancakes that were 6” in diameter.
- Wrap any leftover pancakes in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm leftovers in the microwave. You can also freeze pancakes for up to 2 months.
Notes
*Buttermilk works great, too.
**Spelt flour is another whole grain option.
You can use this batter in a waffle maker for sourdough waffles.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 pancakes, with 1 serving being 1 pancake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg
Sourdough Discard Recipes
These discard recipes use other leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda or yeast) to get a rise in the baked good. See some of our favorite recipes using sourdough discard here:
I have a new 6-day-old whole wheat starter that is going crazy. It’s already doubling 4 hours after I discard and feed. I’ve been saving the discard in a jar in my fridge, and already have 2 cups. This recipe is the first discard recipe I’ve ever made, and I’ve also never made pancakes from scratch. They were amazing! So light and fluffy! I used kefir instead of milk, so they had a lovely tangy flavor. I was tempted to use all purpose flour instead of whole wheat but went ahead with whole wheat. Thank you for this great recipe!
My new go-to pancake recipe. They are fluffy and tasty, and do not crumble as other whole wheat pancakes do.
Congratulations, I really like your site and I am more inspired by you for my own creativity. I wanted to thank you for a number of useful and tasty recipes. Most recently, I used this recipe to make breakfast for my family. Husband and children are delighted. Thanks for the help.
These are the best pancakes I have ever eaten! They are fluffy, healthy, and using the sourdough discard is a bonus. The whole family loved them. Thank you!