Golden, Fluffy, Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes

Built for Flavour, Texture and Rise

I developed this sourdough pancake recipe to do three things really well: deliver a soft, light crumb, give you golden, lacy, crisp edges, and balance the sourdough flavour so it’s noticeable but never overpowering.

It’s built with structure in mind but still flexible, meaning you can use a levain fermented overnight or sourdough discard straight from the fridge. Either way, the result is a pancake that feels light and tender, with just the right amount of chew and tang.

Whether you’re new to sourdough or just looking for a reliable, flavour and textural focussed pancake recipe that actually rises, you’ll find everything you need here: a full breakdown of the method, the baker’s percentage formula, a suggested timeline, a detailed video walkthrough, and tips for adapting the recipe to suit your starter, flour and taste. There’s even a section on making it your own and answers to the most common questions to help you get the very best from every batch.

The Madness Behind the Method

This isn’t a throw-it-together pancake recipe. Every part of the formula — from the flour choice to the timing of the leavening — has been built to maximise flavour, texture and rise.

I start with a mature overnight-fermented levain, which brings complexity and structure without tipping into "seriously sour" territory. It gives the batter flavour and a gentle tang, but because it’s used at peak fermentation, it keeps things balanced and mild.

That said, the recipe still works beautifully with discard. I’ve tested both. You’ll just need to slightly reduce hydration if your starter is very slack.

For the flour, I’ve chosen a strong white bread flour with around twelve per cent protein. This gives the pancakes enough structure to rise and hold together without becoming chewy. If you prefer a softer texture, you can experiment with lower-protein flour. There’s room to adjust.

The rise comes from a carefully balanced mix of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. The powder delivers a reliable, steady lift during cooking. The soda reacts instantly with the acidity in the levain to give you that first pop of air and, just as importantly, helps create those thin, crisp edges when the batter hits the pan.

The formula is designed using baker’s percentages, so you can scale it easily and adjust hydration or leavening depending on whether you’re using discard, fresh levain or a different flour altogether. It’s all about control and understanding how each component contributes to the final result.

The Equipment You'll Need

You won’t need a lab setup to get great results — just a few everyday tools and a good pan. Here’s what I use:

• Mixing bowl – for combining dry
• Jug or second bowl – to whisk together the wet ingredients and levain
• Whisk – for smooth, even mixing
• Digital scales – highly recommended for accuracy
• Micro scales – not absolutely necessary, but helpful for weighing small quantities like bicarbonate of soda accurately
• Non-stick pan or cast iron skillet – both work well; I prefer cast iron for even heat and a crisp base
• Squeezy bottle (1L) or ladle – a squeezy bottle gives more control and produces perfectly round pancakes, but a ladle is just fine
• Spatula – for flipping the pancakes cleanly
• Clean cloth or paper towel – for wiping the pan between batches if needed

Getting into the habit of weighing your ingredients accurately is one of the easiest ways to get better, more consistent results — especially with sourdough, where even small shifts in hydration or leavening can change the outcome.

I’ll link to the exact scales I use in my own kitchen: the My Weigh KD8000 for everyday use and the Weigh Gram micro scale for those smaller amounts like bicarbonate of soda where precision really helps.

Building Blocks: Recipe Vitals & Percentages

This recipe is built using baker’s percentages, which makes it easy to scale, tweak and understand how each ingredient is working in the mix. If you’re new to this way of structuring a recipe, don’t worry. It’s simply a way of expressing each ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes an incredibly useful tool for comparing, adjusting and customising your own formulas with confidence.

This formula makes enough batter for around twelve pancakes, using roughly fifty grams of batter per pancake. It’s a great batch size for a weekend breakfast and easy to scale up or down depending on how many you’re feeding or how many you want to stash in the freezer for later.

Baking Timeline: Scheduling the Bake

This timeline is based on the levain fermenting overnight at 25°C (77°F). If your kitchen is warmer, the process will move faster; if cooler, it will take longer.

Day 1:
21:00 Mix levain and leave to ferment overnight

Day 2:
08:00 Mix pancake batter
08:20 Cook pancakes
08:30 Breakfast time

How to Bake It: The Recipe & Step-by-Step Method

Making the sourdough levain

80g Strong white bread flour (12% protein)
80g Water
8g Sourdough starter 

Method:

In a jar, mix the flour, water and sourdough starter until fully combined. Cover and leave to ferment at room temperature until fully fermented. This will typically take 8 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. It should be well-risen, light, and airy with a mild, slightly sweet aroma when ready to use.

Baker's tip: This recipe makes slightly more levain than is needed, taking into account the weight lost naturally during the fermentation process. 

Making the Pancakes

164g Strong white bread flour (12% protein)
164g Water
4g Salt
141g Sourdough levain
8g Baking powder
1.8g Bicarbonate of soda
19g Sugar
2 Eggs (100g)
125g Blueberries (fresh)

Mixing the batter:

1. Mix the dry ingredients
   In a large bowl, combine the bread flour and baking powder. Whisk to distribute evenly, then set aside.

2. Combine the wet ingredients
   In a separate jug or bowl, whisk together the water, salt and sugar until fully dissolved. Add the eggs and mix until smooth, then whisk in the ripe sourdough levain.

3. Bring the batter together
   Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and whisk until just combined. The batter should be smooth, but don’t overmix — a few small lumps are fine.

4. Rest the batter
   Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes. This gives the flour time to hydrate and allows the mixture to relax slightly, which helps with texture and structure.

5. Preheat your pan
   Before adding the bicarbonate of soda, make sure your pan is fully preheated and ready to go. I use a cast iron skillet set to medium heat — around five out of nine on the hob — but a good non-stick pan works just as well. Adjust the heat as needed based on your stove and pan.

6. Add the bicarbonate of soda
   Once your pan is hot and ready, stir the bicarbonate of soda into the batter. Mix just enough to incorporate it evenly — you’ll likely see the batter begin to puff slightly.

7. Transfer to a squeezy bottle (optional)
   If you’re using a squeezy bottle, pour the batter in now. It makes portioning and shaping easier, but a ladle will work perfectly well too.
   
   

Cooking the Pancakes:

8. Grease the pan
   Add a little vegetable oil and a small knob of butter to your preheated pan. The oil helps prevent sticking, while the butter adds flavour and encourages those golden, crispy edges.

9. Portion and top with blueberries
   Squeeze or ladle about fifty grams of batter into the pan for each pancake. Immediately scatter a few blueberries over the top of each one while the surface is still wet. This method gives you better control over the fruit placement and prevents them from clumping.

10. Flip once the edges are set
    Cook until the edges are set and small bubbles begin to form on the surface. The base should be golden and crisp. Flip gently and cook the other side until fully set and lightly browned.

11. Repeat and refresh the pan
    After each batch, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, then add fresh oil and butter before cooking the next round. This helps keep the pancakes evenly coloured and prevents any burnt butter from carrying over between batches. Transfer the pancakes to a plate and keep warm if needed.

If you’d like to see the full process in action, you can watch the complete step-by-step video tutorial below.

Serving Suggestions

These blueberry pancakes are best served warm, straight from the pan. I like to pair them with a swirl of blueberry yoghurt, made by gently sautéing a small handful of blueberries in a little butter until soft and oozing, then letting them cool and folding them through thick, full-fat Greek yoghurt.

Finish with a drizzle of maple syrup for classic sweetness, or use honey if you prefer a slightly floral note. The combination of warm pancake, cool yoghurt and maple syrup makes for a seriously satisfying bite — fluffy, crisp, fruity and gently tangy all at once.

Make It Your Own: Variation Ideas

This batter recipe is designed to give you a reliable, flavourful base — but there’s plenty of room to adapt it to suit your own preferences.

I use strong white bread flour (12% protein) for structure and lift, but if you prefer an even softer pancake, you can switch it out for soft flour with a lower protein content. Just keep in mind that the batter may need slightly less water, so adjust the hydration accordingly.

The recipe is designed around a purpose-built levain, but discard works too. You’ll get a slightly tangier result and a looser batter, so be prepared to tighten it up slightly by reducing the water.

The sugar level is balanced for my taste and helps give the pancakes a nice golden colour in the pan, but it’s not set in stone. Feel free to reduce it if you prefer something less sweet.

As for the fruit, I’ve used fresh blueberries here, but frozen berries work well, too — just make sure they’re fully thawed, drained and dried on kitchen paper before adding them to the batter.

You can also swap the blueberries for other berries, like raspberries or chopped strawberries, depending on what’s in season or what you have on hand. A splash of vanilla works beautifully too, if you’d like to round out the flavour with a little warmth and sweetness.

This recipe uses a combination of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, each playing a different role in the texture and rise. The baking powder gives the batter a steady lift as it cooks, while the bicarbonate of soda reacts quickly with the natural acidity in the levain to provide an instant rise and a softer, more open crumb. It also helps encourage those delicate, crispy edges.

You can leave one or both out if needed, but just know that the final texture and volume will be different — slightly denser, with less rise and less contrast between the centre and the edges.

Watch the Video Tutorial

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use sourdough discard instead of a levain in pancakes?

Yes, you can. This recipe is designed around a ripe, active levain, which gives the pancakes a balanced flavour and structure — but discard works well too. The result will be slightly tangier and the batter a little looser, so you may want to reduce the water slightly to keep the consistency just right. 

2. What’s the best flour to use for sourdough pancakes?

I use a strong(ish) white bread flour with a protein content of around 12%. It gives the pancakes just enough structure to rise and hold their shape, without making them chewy. If you prefer an even softer result, you can swap it for soft all-purpose flour — just be aware that you may need to slightly reduce the water to keep the batter from becoming too thin.

3. Can I make these sourdough pancakes without baking powder or bicarbonate of soda?

You can, but the texture and rise will be different. Baking powder gives the pancakes a steady lift, and the bicarbonate of soda reacts with the acidity in the levain to create a quick puff and a tender, airy crumb. It also helps encourage those delicate, crispy edges. Omitting them will make the pancakes denser and flatter, with less textural contrast between the centre and the edges.

4. Why are my sourdough pancakes flat or dense?

There are a few possible reasons:

• Your levain may not have been fully ripe

• The batter might have rested too long after adding the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda

• Your pan might not have been hot enough to create that initial lift

Make sure your levain is light and bubbly, add the bicarbonate of soda just before cooking, and get your pan preheated and ready before you start.

5. How can I adjust the hydration if my batter is too thin or too thick?

If your batter feels too thin (especially when using discard), reduce the water slightly in your next batch. If it’s too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it just before cooking. The batter should be pourable but thick — enough to hold its shape in the pan without spreading too far (you can see the consistency in the video tutorial above).

6. Can I use frozen blueberries in pancake batter?

Yes, absolutely. Just make sure they’re fully thawed, drained and dried on kitchen paper before using. This helps prevent the batter from becoming watery and avoids grey streaks from the blueberry juice. You can also switch them out for raspberries, chopped strawberries or whatever’s in season. 

7. What temperature should my pan be for pancakes with crisp edges?

Medium heat is ideal — I use five out of nine on the hob. You want the batter to sizzle gently when it hits the pan, not burn. Cast iron is great for crisp edges, but a good non-stick pan works too. Adjust based on how your setup behaves, and don’t be afraid to test the first pancake and tweak it as needed.

8. How do I know when to flip sourdough pancakes?

Watch for the edges to set and bubbles to form on the surface. Once you can easily lift the edge with a spatula and the base is golden brown, it’s ready to flip. The second side usually takes a little less time to cook, so watch out.

9. Can I make the batter ahead of time?

You can mix the levain the night before, but the full batter should be made fresh in the morning. Once the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda are added, you want to cook the pancakes quickly to make the most of the rise. 

10. How do I store and reheat leftover sourdough pancakes?

Let them cool completely, then stack them with baking paper between each one and store them in an airtight container. They keep in the fridge for up to three days or can be frozen for longer. To reheat, warm gently in a pan, toaster or low oven until heated through. (Just remember they'll never live up to a freshly cooked pancake). 

11. Why does the recipe use both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda?

Baking powder gives a steady rise as the pancakes cook, while bicarbonate of soda reacts quickly with the acidity in the levain to give a fast initial lift and softer texture. It also helps create those thin, crispy edges. Using both gives you height, tenderness and better textural contrast.

12. Can I double or halve the recipe easily?

Yes — because the recipe is built on baker’s percentages, it’s easy to scale up or down. Just be mindful of pan space and timing if you’re cooking for a crowd. You’ll find the batter holds well at room temperature for a short time while you cook in batches. 

13. Why is the recipe designed using baker’s percentages?

Using baker’s percentages makes it easier to understand how each ingredient relates to the total flour weight. It allows you to scale the recipe up or down, adjust hydration, or substitute ingredients while keeping everything balanced. It’s a professional method that gives home bakers more control and flexibility — especially when working with sourdough.

14. Can I make these pancakes gluten-free?

This recipe was developed using wheat flour, so results will vary with gluten-free alternatives. That said, some readers have had success using gluten-free flour blends designed for baking. You may need to adjust the hydration and add a binder like psyllium husk for structure.

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