Multigrain Sourdough Pancakes

When my Mother passed, I inherited one of her recipe boxes. My sister inherited the other. I’m not sure what’s in the box my sister has, but mine is a treasure chest of recipes. Every time I open it, I discover something new and exciting.

Some of the recipes I remember from my childhood. Several I don’t. Some of the recipes I would never make--Minute Rice 7 Seas Casserole, anyone? Others just beg to be made and many of these are actually my Grandmother’s recipes, including this one.

I’ve rediscovered quite a few sourdough recipes of my Grandmother’s. I’m not sure if sourdough starred heavily in the meals of my Mother’s childhood, but it sure seems like a distinct possibility. I have a feeling it’ll be a big part of my family’s food traditions from now on. Especially these sourdough pancakes. They are awesome!

I will admit, I changed the recipe a little bit to fit a healthier modern lifestyle, but they are still true to the original recipe. They are wonderfully fluffy and a welcome breakfast treat.

You’ve started your sourdough starter, right? If not, you’ll want to. You’ll need the starter to make these.

Multigrain Sourdough Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup sourdough starter
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup melted butter or canola oil
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup whole wheat flour
⅓ cup rye flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder*
¼ to ½ cup milk

*High Altitude Instructions: Reduce baking powder to 1 ½ teaspoons.

Method:

Start heating up your cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat. If you don’t have a griddle, a cast-iron skillet works great too. The key is to preheat your pan over medium-low heat.

Place a foil-lined cookie sheet in the oven and set to 200 degrees.

Mix sourdough starter, eggs and fat in a small bowl or measuring cup. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. Add the starter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. 

Add milk to desired consistency. I use the full ½ cup, but if you like thicker pancakes use less.

Grease your cast-iron griddle and pour batter onto griddle. 

If I want smaller pancakes I use a 2T cookie scoop for portioning out batter. If I want larger pancakes I use a ¼ measuring cup.

Once the edges start to dry out a bit and you see a few bubbles, it’s time to flip. With my griddle, I find that the pancakes in the middle of the pan take a little longer than the ones on the outer edges. I just leave them to cook a bit longer before flipping. 

Continue cooking on the second side until browned. The second side should be done much quicker than the first side. No walking away from the stove! 

Place cooked pancakes, on the cookie sheet, in the oven while you cook the rest. You’ll want to grease the griddle in between each batch.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes 18 small pancakes or 9 large.

Oh, and don't forget to feed your starter!