weekend pancakes
sourdough discard + freezer berries + two hot cast irons
As a kid, I thought I was a waffles person.
In reality, I was in it for the à la mode GLORY.
It was the dinner-time permission (as if I knew this was even a thing to ask!) to order scoops of grasshopper-green mint chocolate chip ice cream that would slowly melt into the golden squares of a warm Belgian waffle.
These fond memories hail from a special occasion, family favorite spot that we may have visited a dozen times total. Nevertheless, it sticks with me. Waffles! For dinner! Why wasn’t this everywhere?!?
I don’t remember what the rest of of family ordered, nor do I recall what the eatery looked like. I know it was in Rockville Centre, and that there were no qualms about me ordering and no doubt, devouring, a big plate of waffles and ice cream as my pre-teen years approached. That was cool.
Those nooks and crannies of ice cream-soaked waffles aside, the warm & eggy pull of giant pancakes from way more regular stops at local diners and IHOP were clearly even stronger. Pancakes! PANCAKES!!!
(And in retrospect, those ever-present diners stand ridiculously far more iconic than the chain..)
Nowadays, I haven’t owned a waffle iron in years, and even when I did, it was oft-forgotten in a cabinet somewhere. I gave sideways glances to a dusty bottle of spray oil up on a shelf, and maintain an increasingly modern (mature!) wrinkled nose at most “nonstick” appliances. In other words, I didn’t move up to Alaska with one.
I do entertain the notion of acquiring a serious cast iron waffle pan one day, and loving it the rest of my functional life. Passing it down to my brother’s eventual kids...not my cats.
Speaking of cast irons, I have two mighty, well-seasoned pans in constant rotation in my kitchen – & over summertime campfires! – and I dare say this past year-ish marks a first for not sticking one ! single ! pancake !
My go-to pancake recipe in recent times is centered around sourdough discard, naturally. Mmmm, spongy tang. Really.
These literal pan-cakes hit varying degrees of lovely & hearty & wholesome & fruity & berry-stuffed & well, deliver that steadfast breakfast satisfaction.
Plus, I can’t leave out the semi-regular addition of a few chocolate chips into the batter after the first couple of pancakes are made, because they go so well with wild Alaskan blueberries and give a nod to the (gasp!) smaller silver dollar chocolate chip pancakes I’d order with my mom as a kid. Ah, nostalgia.
Since I got on the sourdough (covered) wagon – admittedly somewhat before all the pandemic stuff & subsequent home baking trends, ahem – I’ve been throwing the excess discard into pancake batter. It makes sense! I was really into the King Arthur recipe where you make an overnight sponge for a while there, but then I got my own copy of Artisan Sourdough Made Simple (which really lives up to its name) after a friend’s passionate recommendation, and rarely stray.
Author Emilie Raffa’s recipe for waffle batter is far more straightforward, morning-friendly, and more importantly, it’s great as pancakes.
The following pancakes may not be fluffy, per se, but they are the best dang pancakes I can remember making in some time. I take the ASMS waffle recipe, thin it out a bit with liquid, cut back on the oil a smidge, incorporate a flax egg, some water/seltzer and/or occasionally some pumpkin purée or applesauce, reach for my stash of frozen berries, the requisite syrup, heat the cast iron(s!), and here comes breakfast.
And not pictured: a smile on Jules’ face.
Sourdough Berry Pancakes
makes 4 large or 6 small pancakes
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup of sourdough discard
½ cup + 2 tablespoons of water*
½ cup of nondairy milk
2 ½ tablespoons of water** + 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon of grapeseed of other neutral liquid oil
1 cup of flour – I like ¾ cup whole wheat flour + ¼ unbleached white flour, sometimes more, sometimes less
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1-2 teaspoons of neutral oil for greasing the pan(s) and ladle
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of fine sea salt
½ cup of fresh or frozen berries
maple syrup, vegan butter, fresh fruit for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Start making the batter: Use a fork to quickly stir the ground flax and the 2 ½ tablespoon of liquid (and/or some fruit purée) in a small bowl and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk or fork to combine the sourdough discard, water, milk, oil and flax egg together.
Get the stovetop ready: Lightly oil and heat up your cast iron or preferred pancake-friendly pan(s). I start with high, and turn down to medium after the batter hits.
Back to the batter: Whisk in the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. You can switch to a silicone spatula or wooden spoon if it’s easier at this point, but it’s not necessary.
Gently stir in the frozen berries and/or chocolate chips, if using.
Get cooking: Use a lightly greased ladle to make each large or small pancake. Lower the heat a bit as needed, wait until bubbles form across the uncooked side, and use a flat spatula to flip. Cook for another 1-3 minutes, lowering the heat in case it starts to cook too quickly (uh, burn!)
Serve immediately with vegan butter, syrup, fruit, jam – whatever you like!
NOTES:
*Swap the two tablespoons of water for seltzer and use to thin out the batter at the end for more “fluff". It’s a tempura trick.
**Flax egg time is where I’ll sometimes substitute applesauce or pumpkin purée for a tablespoon of liquid. Let’s be real, I typically just throw the flax “egg” ingredients into the batter for ease, too.
To reserve on maple AND work in more berries, I make a quick pancake syrup of maple syrup, agave or brown sugar, water, cinnamon - powder or stick, and some frozen berries or spoonful of whatever jam we have open, cooked down a bit in a saucepan, and served warm. Any surplus syrup goes on - or into - the next batch of pancakes.
I rarely add more oil to the pan as I go. There’s already a bit in the batter and a well-seasoned cast iron/pancake pan should have no issue. Sometimes I forget to oil at all…
Reheat any extra pancakes briefly in the toaster oven or microwave with a splash of water.
Consider these options:
1-2 teaspoon of matcha powder + 1 teaspoon vanilla extra stirred into the batter
1 large or 2 small bananas, sliced and gently pressed into the uncooked batter side before flipping
1 diced apple (keep the peel, or not) or pear + ¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg folded into the batter
2 tablespoons or more! of chocolate chips, stirred into the batter (makes it less messy to flip vs. sprinkling onto the open side)
Replace a tablespoon of the whole wheat flour with buckwheat or cornmeal
Recipe adapted from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie Raffa
Foraging bluebs, speaking to sourdough, wiping down cast irons & typing culinary missives on the internet – the Alaskan frontier meets the 21st century
References, Relevant Links + More Pancakes:
Alaska’s Wild Berries and Berry-Like Fruit by Verna E. Pratt
Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie Raffa
Classic Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes, King Arthur Baking
Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jen Manion
International Delight Cafe in Rockville Centre on Tripadvisor, now known as “Azealas”
Puffy Pillow Pancakes, The Post Punk Kitchen so good!
Vegan Pancakes made with Aquafaba, Serious Eats okay, complex but great!
Why Longtime Alaska Residents Are Called ‘Sourdoughs’, Atlas Obscura January 15, 2021
I love pancakes, they are a perfect food for any time of day. I do have an electric waffle maker appliance, that I have used a few times, but pancakes just make everything so much easier.
I feel like I am the last person alive who never ended up making sourdough during the pandemic!
Foraging bluebs, that’s my dream! I’ll have to stick to foraging lili pili berries here in aus 💚