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.
Ok, this was awesome!! Looking for a way to use more eggs and discard, and this fit the bill. Kids lived it and wondered why I didn’t double the recipe! Will go back to this several times, I’m sure. Thank you!
My husband absolutely loved this recipe! So easy, yummy with fruit or maple syrup.
Our whole family loves this recipe!
I’ve been making this almost weekly for my kids and it’s always a hit! We have it with fruit, syrup, homemade fruit syrup- whatever we have on hand. I love that it’s mostly eggs and fermented grains. Even my 7 month old can have some!
This Is delicious, and a great way to use up sourdough discard. I especially love the hint of maple syrup in the batter. It’s an easy, oven,baked, custard-like pancake. My only quibble is that it is NOT really a Dutch Baby, which is much, much airier, with the consistency of a popover or the British Yorkshire pudding. I think maybe the sourdough starter is what makes it dense, so I’m not sure it’s possible to get around the consistency if you’re trying to use up discard. It’s a good recipe, and I may make it again, but when I want a real German pancake or Dutch Baby, I’ll stick to my German cookbook or a Pennsylvania Dutch website.
Is there supposed to be apples in this? If so what do you do to add them and prepare them?
I make them without apples.
I’m a sourdough newbie and this is my first time trying this recipe- it was simple to follow and made a delicious breakfast my whole family loved. It’s like a buttermilk pancake meets French toast🤤 also, it literally took five minutes to put together and 20 minutes in the oven! Pancakes may be replaced permanently in our household, tbd. Thanks for sharing this recipe and all of the helpful, non intimidating sourdough knowledge!🫶🏻
I’ve now made this 3 or 4 times(figured out how to get it not to deflate like the first one recently though lol), with the apples sautéed, and it’s such a great recipe. It feeds my partner and I for several days, which is great as we both have chronic pain/fatigue issues and so can’t always cook. We make it with the maple syrup, and it’s such a great way to make sure my partner can eat breakfast(they have a gluten allergy, but sourdough is good for them) since they’re vegetarian and so many regular breakfast items are scratched off the list.
This is my favorite discard recipe, because it uses so much, is SO simple and fast, and is actually really delicious. I was nervous to try it, because I’d never heard of anything like this, but my family eats it pretty much weekly, for months and months now. Thanks for the recipe!
Really love this recipe! So easy and tasty!