Sourdough starter is easily made — all you need to do is whisk together some flour and water — and its benefits are many. Not only does it give baked goods, from breads to pancakes to waffles to muffins and everything in between, great flavour and texture, it’s also really good for you because of its amazing probiotic benefits.
So, I have my sourdough starter from which I’ve made bread, pizza and focaccia, now what? Breakfast pancakes! These are US style rather than French crepes and are fluffy and melt-in-the-mouth awesome. My beloved and I have become instant converts. This recipe is perfect for a big crowd — you can just pop one or two large pancakes into the oven to feed everyone together, rather than slaving over a hot stove making them one by one.
I like to serve them at week-ends so these vegan, sourdough, pancakes with fresh seasonal fruit get your Saturday or Sunday off to a perfect start.
Ingredients (serves 8 hungry cyclists)
Sponge
- 265g (1 cup) sourdough starter
- 250g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour (you can use plain, whole wheat or a mixture of half and half)
- 1 tbsp raw sugar
- 500ml (2 cups) almond or any non-dairy milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Pancakes
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 95g (1/4 cup) apple sauce
- 3 chia or flax eggs (3 tbsp chia/flaxmeal whisked with 9 tbsp water)
- 4 ripe eating apples (or equivalent in pears, plums, nectarines, peaches) sliced
- 1 tbsp coconut nectar
- 1 tbsp calvados or white wine
- I vanilla pod
Method
1. Make the sourdough sponge the previous evening by mixing in a large bowl the sourdough starter with the flour, sugar, almond milk and apple cider vinegar.
2. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and allow the batter to stand overnight in a warm spot. In the morning, it should be puffy and visibly bubbly.
4. Before making the pancake(s), preheat the oven to 230 ̊C/210 ̊C fan/450 ̊F/gas Mark 8.
5. Add the bicarb (baking soda), applesauce and chia/flax eggs to the sourdough sponge and mix thoroughly but gently.
6. Heat an oven-safe frying pan on the hob (stovetop) add sliced fruit, coconut nectar, seeds from vanilla pod and alcohol. Cook gently until fruit softens, and all the liquid is gone. Turn off the heat and remove half of the fruit (for the second pancake) and arrange the remainder to cover bottom of the pan.
7. Pour half the pancake batter over the fruit. Immediately place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the pancake appears golden-brown and the sides are pulling away from the pan.
8. Flip the pancake upside down onto a plate and cover with aluminium foil to keep warm. Repeat the process one more time to make the second pancake.
9. Serve the pancakes warm with maple syrup or anything else your heart desires!
10. Any uneaten pancake – as if! – can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days. You can either reheat or eat cold.
