Sourdough Pancakes and Maple Syrup

These were a bit last minute, when I realised that it was Pancake Day and I hadn’t made pancakes for a while.

 

So, I dug out my trusty Wok Party. It’s been a while since I mentioned the Wok Party. Here it is:

If that ain’t a wok party, I don’t know what is.

I decided to make some sourdough pancakes, since Louis has been very neglected of late, he doesn’t like to be left out. I found a recipe on the Guardian, but altered it here and there until I ended up with something quite different. Here’s the recipe to make six small pancakes.

• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp active sourdough starter
• 8 tbsp milk
• 3 pinches caster sugar
• 3 heaped tbsp plain flour
• butter for frying

Pancakes are exceedingly straightforward, though that hasn’t stopped me from getting it wrong before now. However, this time, it went right. Extremely right. Almost as right as things can go without going back to wrong.

 

First of all, whisk together the egg, sourdough starter, milk and sugar. Whisk them up until really bubbly and loose. Add the flour and whisk again until smooth and still pourable.

Heat a knob of butter in your pan or, as in my case, pans. I went for a substantial cube of butter for each pan, which gave the pancakes super crunchy edges (which were the best parts). However, it probably was a little too much – I could easily have halved it. But I’m glad I didn’t.

When the butter foams and then starts to fizz, pour in enough batter to fill the pan. I think that if you wanted to make small pancakes in a big pan, you might need to thicken the mix with a bit more flour. The batter will bubble up round the sides and, if you’re using too much butter like I did, you’ll see some peeking out over the top.

Let the pancakes cook until solid on top and browned underneath – you can have a peek under them to check this as you go along, but with these ones I could see the edges browning and getting crispy, too.

Flip them! This is the most fun part. I’m pretty good at it, but you’ll have to take my word on it. Solo photography does not lend itself to easily capturing a pancake flip. Plus I made these while I was wearing my jammies. Sh.

Cook for just a minute or two longer, to brown the other side, and then flip them again and slide them onto your serving plate. If you’re making in batches, keep the serving plate in a low oven so that they’re warm when you serve them.

And now for some gratuitous pancake porn. Stack ’em up and drizzle (drown) with maple syrup.

These pancakes are dense and super moist inside, not light and fluffy and risen. They are excellent straight from the pan – the sourdough adds a tang to the batter, kind of a sweet and savoury vibe, and the aforementioned crispy edges are divine. But of course they are improved by pouring a boatload of syrup over the top.

If you’d like to see some other pancake recipes I’ve done, here is a handy list! It’s too late for Shrove Tuesday, but why can’t every day be pancake day?

Hale and Hearty Pancakes, Three Ways

Pancakes with Strawberries and Maple Syrup

Sesame Prawn Pancakes