CARROT CAKE SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

Thick, fluffy, sweet and moist pancakes meet carrots, warm autumn spices, and sourdough. Sprinkled with crunchy walnuts and drizzled with glossy golden-brown, sweet maple syrup... could you really wish for more? Unless, of course, for a topping of maple-syrup-caramelised sweet and salty slices of bacon...

Sourdough adds an interesting tang and flavour to pancakes. I usually make them when I have a big amount of sourdough starter, but I'm too lazy to bake SOURDOUGH BREAD. I hate to just discard it. I would normally make simple SOURDOUGH PANCAKES, drowned under anything sweet one can think of, but mostly an embarrassing and unjustifiable amount of Nutella ;-)

Anyway, these Carrot Cake Sourdough Pancakes are different. They don't need Nutella (did I really just say that?). They ask for walnuts and maple-syrup... Well, yes... and caramelised bacon... Not convinced yet?

Scroll to end of page for recipe only view

Makes app. 20 pancakes of app. 11cm - ¼ inch diameter, using ¼ cup as scoop

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (240ml) milk, slightly warmed

1 ½ cups (360ml) active sourdough starter

1 ¾ cups (280g) organic wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup (60g) brown (or white) sugar
¼ cup (50g) melted butter
2 cups finely grated carrots from 4 carrots (app. 300g unpeeled)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
½ cup (60g) chopped walnuts
Sunflower oil (or butter) for frying

To serve: roughly chopped walnuts and maple syrup
Optional (omit for vegetarian version): caramelised bacon: slices of breakfast bacon, maple syrup

Important: If necessary, revive your Sourdough Starter a day ahead and feed it several times, so you increase the amount to at least 1.5 cups (360ml), plus the starter you want to keep behind for storage!

Pre-heat the oven to 200°F/90°C/70°C fan to keep the finished pancakes warm while frying.


Prepare the ingredients: Warm 1 cup (240ml) milk, melt 50g butter, chop 60g walnuts, and peel and grate 4 carrots (app. 300g unpeeled) very finely with a box grater.

Mix the wet ingredients: Break 3 eggs into a large bowl and beat them with a balloon whisk or electric mixer until fluffy. Add 1 Cup (240ml) warmed milk and 1 ½ cups (360ml) revived Sourdough Starter, then mix gently.

Mix the dry ingredients: Sift together 1¾ cups (280g) flour, 1½ tsp salt, ¼ cup (60g) sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda (Note: in case the mixture is not used immediately, leave the baking powder and baking soda out at this point, and add them just before using the sourdough mix to make the pancakes).

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, but gently, so as not to stimulate gluten development in the flour. A few clumps in the dough are not a problem, they will cook out later.

Add the grated carrots, ½ cup (60g) chopped walnuts and ¼ cup (60g) melted butter and mix well.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is quite hot - test with a little drop of water - it should sizzle in the pan. Lightly grease the pan with oil. To do so, you can make a ball out of kitchen paper. Wrap another sheet pf paper around the ball, twisting the paper to a little handle on top. Dip the ball into the bowl with oil, then use it to oil the pan. This works very well and leaves just a little amount of oil in the pan.

For each pancake add a ¼ cup of the pancake dough to the pan. Cook until little air bubbles form and start to burst on the surface, the top starts to look a little bumpy, and the outside looks cooked, app. 2-3 minutes, then turn the pancake over and cook on the other side until nicely browned and done. This will take less time, maybe 1-2 minutes, depending on the heat of the pan. In total the pancakes take app. 3-5 minutes cooking time.

Put the cooked pancake on a plate and place it in the oven to keep it warm. Repeat, oiling and frying, until all the dough has been used up, keeping the pancakes warm in the meantime.

Serve hot, with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Optional (non-vegetarian version): serve with caramelised bacon: fry a couple of slices of breakfast bacon until browned and crispy. Once fried, add a little maple syrup for caramelisation. Serve with the pancakes.

Tip: Make a big batch and freeze the leftovers: Leave the pancakes to cool completely, then freeze them with pieces of parchment paper between to prevent them from sticking together. They should last for 1-2 months in the freezer. 

You can reheat them in the microwave, toaster, in a pan, or, in case you are reheating a larger amount, in the oven covered with foil, until nicely hot and fluffy. 

_________________________________________________

CARROT CAKE SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

Makes app. 20 pancakes of app. 11cm - ¼ inch diameter, using ¼ cup as scoop

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (240ml) milk, slightly warmed

1 ½ cups (360ml) active sourdough starter

1 ¾ cups (280g) organic wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup (60g) brown (or white) sugar
¼ cup (50g) melted butter
2 cups finely grated carrots from 4 carrots (app. 300g unpeeled)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
½ cup (60g) chopped walnuts
Sunflower oil (or butter) for frying

To serve: roughly chopped walnuts and maple syrup
Optional (non-vegetarian version): Breakfast bacon slices, maple syrup

1) Feed Sourdough Starter: If necessary, revive your Sourdough Starter a day ahead and feed it several times, so you increase the amount to at least 1½ cups (360ml), plus the starter you want to keep behind for storage.

2) Pre-heat the oven to 200°F/90°C/70°C fan to keep the finished pancakes warm while frying.


3) Prepare all the ingredients: Warm 1 cup (240ml) milk, melt 50g butter, chop 60g walnuts, and wash, peel and grate 4 carrots (app. 300g unpeeled weight) very finely with a box grater.

4) Mix the wet ingredients: Break 3 eggs into a large bowl and beat them with a balloon whisk or electric mixer until fluffy. Add the warmed milk and 1½ cups (360ml) revived Sourdough Starter and mix gently.

5) Combine the dry ingredients: Sift together the 1 ¾ cups (280g) flour, 1 ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup (60g) brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp baking soda 

(Note: in case the mixture is not used immediately, leave the baking powder and baking soda out at this point, and add them just before using the sourdough mix to make the pancakes).

6) Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, but gently, so as not to stimulate gluten development in the flour. A few clumps in the dough are not a problem, they will cook out later.

7) Add the remaining ingredients: Add the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and ¼ cup (50g) melted butter and mix well.

8) Bake: Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is quite hot - test with a little drop of water, it should sizzle in the pan. Lightly grease the pan with oil. To do so, make a ball out of kitchen paper. Wrap another sheet around the ball, twisting the paper to a little handle on top. Dip the ball into the bowl with oil, then use it to oil the pan. This works very well and leaves just a little amount of oil in the pan.

Add ¼ cup of the pancake dough to the pan. Cook until little air bubbles form and start to burst on the surface, the top starts to look a little bumpy, and the outside looks cooked, app. 2-3 minutes. Turn the pancake over and cook on the other side until nicely browned and done. This will take less time, maybe 1-2 minutes, depending on the heat of the pan. In total the pancakes take app. 3-5 minutes cooking time.

Put the cooked pancake on a plate and place it in the pre-heated oven to keep it warm. Repeat, oiling and frying, until all the dough has been used up, keeping the pancakes warm in the meantime.

9) Serve: Serve hot, with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Optional (non-vegetarian version): serve with caramelised bacon: fry a couple of slices of breakfast bacon until browned and crispy. Once fried, add a little maple syrup for caramelisation. Serve with the pancakes.

Tip for leftovers: Make a big batch and freeze the leftovers: Leave the pancakes to cool completely, then freeze them with pieces of parchment paper between to prevent them from sticking together. They should last for 1-2 months in the freezer. You can reheat them in the microwave, toaster, in a pan, or, in case you are reheating a larger amount, in the oven, arranged in a single layer on top of parchment paper and covered with foil, until nicely hot and fluffy. 

SaveSave