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.
Can you replace the eggs with something else?
Good Morning! I guess everyone else knows how much two cups of starter is. I do everything by weight if possible. So is it wet or dry cups? Thank you.
She posted about it’s 454grams
Hi!! Hope you’re doing well! So I made it this morning and didn’t open the oven at all, but the sides puffed up tall and the center stayed a bit “deflated” with butter still floating on top – do you know why this may have happened? Thanks!!!
There’s two things that may have happened. If you didn’t wait 15 minutes before opening the door to your oven to get the dutch baby out, it can cause it to deflate. Also if you didn’t put it in a hot cast iron, that can also cause the issue. Hope this helps!
I have made Dutch babies since the 70’s with flour, milk, eggs, and butter. Oh my goodness what a delicious difference making it with sourdough! It was so light and fluffy. Very tasty!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This turned out amazing! My two toddlers devoured it and so did my husband. The flavor and texture are lovely, and it packs lots of protein for a seemingly “sweet treat” kind of breakfast. This is a new household favorite.
I have used my 9 inch and 12 inch cast iron for this recipe. I personally loved it even more in the smaller pan
So glad you enjoyed it!
Love this fast easy recipe!! We make it for a quick dinner sometimes because it’s high protein but like a dessert lol
So glad you enjoy it! Happy new year!
Since there are just the two of us, we had leftovers! Cut in slices and put in toaster oven the next two days. Loved the crispy exterior. I added Ceylon cinnamon as well. Yummy! Will make these again!
Great idea! so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to have sooo much butter pooled on top. It’s like it spilled over the sides of the batter and into the middle and just sat there. The photos do not look like what I ended up with 🙁
I’m sorry you had a hard time with this recipe. The butter should not pool up like that. I would retry!
Would you suggest using a measuring cup, or would you use 454g for the 2cup starter measurement? I tried making this and was going to measure out the 2cups in grams and it looked like a lot more than 2cups in the mixing bowl. (Newbie to starter here!) Thanks!
I would measure out the 454g on your scale!
This was so good! I needed to use up more discard so I can feed it today and it was the perfect thing for breakfast. My kitchen is a mess after Thanksgiving but this didn’t add much to it!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe.