Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (Printable)

Fluffy pancakes bursting with lemon zest and blueberries for a bright, tangy breakfast treat.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1 cup sourdough discard, unfed at room temperature
02 - 1 cup milk
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for cooking
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - Zest of 1 lemon
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

→ Dry Ingredients

08 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
09 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Add-ins

13 - 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough discard, milk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.
02 - In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring just until combined. Do not overmix; a few lumps are acceptable.
04 - Fold blueberries into batter gently.
05 - Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush lightly with butter.
06 - Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the skillet. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and edges appear set, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
07 - Flip pancakes and cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
08 - Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate and keep warm. Repeat cooking process with remaining batter, adding more butter as needed.
09 - Serve pancakes warm, optionally with maple syrup, fresh blueberries, or a dusting of powdered sugar.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • Your sourdough discard finally has a purpose beyond the compost bin, and it makes these pancakes impossibly fluffy.
  • The tanginess cuts through the sweetness in a way that feels sophisticated but still tastes like comfort food.
  • They're on the table in 30 minutes from start to finish, which means you can actually make them on a weekday without stress.
02 -
  • Do not thaw frozen blueberries; they'll release their juices and turn your batter purple, and while that might look cool, the berries lose their integrity.
  • Room temperature ingredients make a real difference here—cold eggs and milk take longer to incorporate and can make the batter lumpy.
  • The sourdough discard needs to be unfed and at room temperature so its natural fermentation works with your leavening agents.
03 -
  • If your skillet is smoking when you add butter, it's too hot; turn the heat down to medium and wait 30 seconds before pouring batter.
  • The batter thickens slightly as it sits because the flour absorbs liquid, so if it seems too thick after 10 minutes, stir in milk a tablespoon at a time.
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