This easy sourdough Dutch baby pancake has a delicious, soft center with the classic puffiness of your favorite German pancake recipe but made healthier with fermented grains. It’s the perfect recipe for all that sourdough discard.
Sourdough Dutch baby pancakes, German pancakes, or cast iron pancakes – whatever you want to call them – they are an extremely easy and delicious breakfast. By golly, sometimes we have them for lunch, as well.
Throw all the ingredients into a blender, pour into a hot cast iron skillet, and you are only a few minutes away from a nourishing and healthy breakfast.
These are easy enough to whip up and bake while we head out for chores, with the excitement of coming back to a satisfying breakfast. They are even fancy enough for Christmas morning, dusted with powdered sugar and served with berry syrup.
Personally, while I like regular pancakes, I hate standing over the stove flipping them over and over. The kids disappear with them, enjoying them together at the table, while poor mom is stuck flipping the last pancakes and then sitting at the table alone to eat since everyone else has finished.
Surely, I am not the only one who feels this way? So to be able to make a pancake that is baked in the cast iron skillet and not have to stand there flipping… sign me up.
Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancake Tips:
- Make sure your cast iron skillet is nice and hot. This helps it bake fast and the sides to be nice and puffy.
- Sauté some chopped apples first in the cast iron skillet with a little cinnamon until soft, add the butter; once melted, pour the batter over the apples and bake. Seriously so yummy.
- This recipe can be made using sourdough discard or active sourdough starter.
- Don’t open the oven door until the pancake has been baking at least 15 minutes. Opening it too soon can make the dutch baby deflate.
FAQ
Are Dutch babies and German pancakes the same?
Yes, German pancakes are the same thing as “Dutch babies”, which originated in Germany.
What makes a Dutch Baby rise?
The eggs and the milk are what really gives this pancake its rise, due to the steam that is created when the pancake bakes in a hot oven.
What does a Dutch baby taste like?
It tastes like a custard-like pancake with fluffy sides. Not too sweet, but delicious with a variety of toppings.
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Tools you may need:
Blender or large bowl and whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- Eggs – Preferably pasture-raised for those beautiful and healthy dark golden yolks.
- Sourdough starter – This can be active starter or even discard.
- Milk – I prefer whole milk for extra creaminess.
- Salt – Don’t forget this important ingredient. It helps bring out all the flavors in the dish and, if you skip it, your recipe may taste dull and flat.
- Vanilla – Homemade or store-bought, it adds the subtle undertones of vanilla throughout the recipe.
- Maple syrup or honey – Either will work and lend itself to slightly different flavors and a pleasant sweetness.
- Butter – I love using homemade butter from our own dairy cow, but since most people don’t have one of those bellowing in their yard, use the best quality butter you can.
How To Make Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancakes
Preheat oven to 425.
In a large bowl or blender, add eggs, sourdough starter, milk, salt, vanilla, and honey. Whisk or blend until smooth. I love using the blender for this, because it literally takes like three seconds.
Add butter to a 12 inch cast iron skillet and place into the hot oven to melt.
Pour the batter over the melted butter and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed up. Do not open up the oven to check on the Dutch baby. Opening the oven too early can cause the pancake to lose its puff and deflate.
Serve right away with butter, fruit, or syrup.
Find More Delicious Sourdough Breakfast Ideas:
- Sourdough Breakfast Strata
- Breakfast Pizza Recipe With Sourdough Crust
- Sourdough French Toast From Scratch
- Mascarpone Stuffed Sourdough French Toast Casserole
- Sourdough Scones
- Cast iron French toast casserole
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you!
Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancake
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups sourdough starter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 6 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a large bowl or blender, add eggs, sourdough starter, milk, salt, vanilla, and honey. Whisk or blend until smooth.
- Add butter to a 12 inch cast iron skillet and place into the hot oven to melt.
- Pour the batter over the melted butter and place into the preheated oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed up.
- Serve right away with butter, fruit, or syrup.
Notes
- Make sure your cast iron skillet is nice and hot. This helps it bake fast and the sides to be nice and puffy.
- This recipe can be made using sourdough discard or active sourdough starter.
- Don’t open the oven door until the pancake has been baking at least 15 minutes. Opening it too soon can make the Dutch baby deflate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could you make this savory? If so, how? So interested in trying, but much prefer savory breakfast 🙂
You can add anything savory to the top of it, similar to a quiche!
This recipe is great! So easy and delicious, it’s like a custard pancake.
Great!! Thank you Lisa!
Regular breakfast now for our family of 5 😉
God bless you all
Delicious!
This was so quick and easy to make and was a big hit with the whole family. We made it for dinner and my four year old asked if I would make it again for breakfast the next day!
Is it supposed to be kinda dense? Wondering if I blended the ingredients too long…
I think so. When I made this I was definitely thinking of the puffy German pancakes, but it is kind of a dense pancake so I investigated and the pictures here do have it more dense. Along with another comment calls it similar to a custard pancake.
My family loves these! It is a go to breakfast recipe for us. Simple, tasty, and quick. I found that, to me, it tastes better with discard than active starter. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
I made this for the first time and it didn’t puff up. Any ideas what went wrong? It still tasted great 😊
I want to try making these Dutch Baby Pancakes. They look delicious!
I also wanted to tell you my solution for moms/pancake makers to eat with the rest of the family. I would heat the oven to about 200° or 250, then as I fried the pancakes, I would put them in the oven on a jellyroll pan. Put some parchment paper in the pan first, so they don’t stick to the pan. We fry the eggs and bacon and put that in the pan as well. So when all the food is prepared, we set this pan on the table and we all eat together.
Thanks for the tip. 🙂
Love this recipe! Other Dutch babies are too poufy but I love how this is like a custard and dense in the middle. I could eat the whole pan!
I’m a newbie to sourdough! Our family loved this simple breakfast recipe. So easy to make and insanely delicious!