These pancakes are quick to mix up with your discard, spend the overnight in your refrigerator, and bake up light and puffy. Lots of ground apples, not sugar, give the pancakes moisture and tame the sourdough tang--but only a bit. You still get plenty of sourdough flavor in the pancakes. If you are diabetic or want to "eat healthy," you should know that the pancakes are loaded with beneficial fiber from whole grains and the apples. I like to grind the apples in the food processor in advance (i.e., when I'm using the food processor for something else), mix in a teaspoon of lemon juice to prevent the apples from discoloring too much, and refrigerate them to add later to the pancake batter. I don't add baking powder to the batter as my starter/discard is quite robust. If you're worried that your sourdough discard won't have enough leavening power, you can add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to the batter when you add the spices. The pancakes make a filling, special breakfast that is still nutritious and quite tasty! Try the pancakes topped with a dollop of yogurt, a bit of unsweetened applesauce, and a dusting of cinnamon in lieu of syrup if you want an even more nutritious breakfast. Enjoy!
Sourdough Apple Pancakes -- Serves 4+
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups of ground apples (core the apples but don't peel them and grind the apples
in a food processor or blender into little mushy bits)
3/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup of quick oats
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (optional--use only if your starter/discard isn't mature)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of apple pie spice (or use a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
In a large bowl mix together well the starter/discard, oil, egg, vanilla, and milk. Stir in the ground apples until well mixed. Add the flour, oats, baking powder (if you're using it), salt, and spices and mix them into the batter well and until completely combined. The batter will be quite thick. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and, if you can, let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours to rise a bit. Stick the covered batter in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove the batter from the refrigerator, stir the batter well, and let it sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes, if possible. If you don't have time, that's okay, too. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and spritz or brush the pan with a little oil. Drop small portions of batter on the pan and let them cook until the edges are done and the inside portion of the pancakes takes on a slightly matte appearance. Flip the pancakes and let them cook a few minutes more or until done. The pancakes will spread and puff up as they cook, so I don't advise making large pancakes. The pancakes also will be much easier to flip without breaking if you keep them on the small to medium side. Serve the pancakes with syrup or yogurt, applesauce, and cinnamon on top.
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