Overnight Sourdough Pancakes

These overnight sourdough pancakes are a delicious way to use your excess sourdough starter. They are soft, tender, and fluffy and remind me of breakfast at grandmas house. Letting the sourdough sit overnight will give it the best sourdough flavor, but for a milder flavor, you can cook them right after you mix the batter. This is how you need to start your day.

We love our sourdough bread, and I make it on repeat in this house. That means I have to maintain my sourdough starter even when I am not baking bread. Many times when I feed my starter, I simply toss out the excess or give it to a friend.

Other times I tap into one of my recipes that I can use with the excess starter. This recipe for overnight sourdough pancakes is one of my most loved, mostly because it reminds me of my childhood.

Food that evokes nostalgic memories of grandma’s house will always make it on my “favorites” list.

Ingredients Needed

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for overnight sourdough pancakes. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details. 

• Sourdough starter
• Buttermilk
• Flour
• Sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Salt
• Baking soda
• Baking powder

Recipe Highlights

Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect with this recipe for sourdough discard pancakes. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

This recipe is incredibly simple to toss together, and the results are absolutely amazing. The overnight fermentation gives them a pronounced tangy sourdough flavor. In my mind, that is what a good sourdough pancake is supposed to taste like.

However, I know some people prefer a more mild hint of sourdough, and that is definitely achievable with this recipe. 

If you like a less ‘tangy’ pancake you can just let it sit for a few hours. And for an even milder flavor, you don’t have to let them sit at all. Just mix the ingredients up and pour the batter on a skillet.

This recipe is divided up into two steps. The first step is to make a sourdough sponge which will sit overnight. The second step happens in the morning when you combine the rest of the ingredients and make the pancake batter.

The Overnight Sponge

1. Mix sourdough starter, buttermilk, flour, and sugar together in a large bowl. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter overnight.

In the Morning:

1. Stir the butter, eggs, salt, and leavening into the batter. Mix well to combine.
2. Pour a ladle full of batter onto a preheated skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Tips for Success

• When you use your discard for this recipe, ensure you have enough starter left to maintain so you can make more sourdough recipes like spelt sourdough bread or einkorn sourdough bread.
  
• Make sure you put the overnight sponge in a large bowl. The bowl should be big enough to allow the batter to double in size. During the night, it will fill up with lots of gas pockets and double in size, then start to sag back down.
  
• Even though there is some natural leavening in the batter from your sourdough starter, you still need to add some additional leavening in the form of baking soda and baking powder.
  
• Make sure the skillet is hot before you add the pancake batter.
  
• If you have additional discard, try making our sourdough pizza dough or sourdough crackers.

More Recipes You Will Love

Did I mention you need a sourdough starter if you’re going to make these overnight sourdough pancakes? If you don’t have a starter, you better get started making one. Check out our Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter. Give it several weeks to grow then start making the best sourdough recipes of your life! 

These overnight sourdough waffles are amazing. The batter is a bit thinner than our pancake recipe and it makes perfectly crisp waffles that are tender and soft on the inside. You might have a hard time deciding which one you like best. 

There isn’t an overnight step to these sourdough ricotta pancakes. You can just wake up and whip them up. The ricotta gives the pancakes a custard-like center. Crazy good!! 

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