Go Back
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin Spice Sourdough Discard Pancakes

A 25-minute weekday breakfast that uses up sourdough discard with real pumpkin puree and warm spices - the same batter also works in a waffle iron.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings (about 12 pancakes)
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 190 g / 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 30 g / 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 240 g / 1 cup sourdough discard, unfed
  • 180 g / ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 180 g / ¾ cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 30 g / 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the griddle

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale
  • Griddle or large nonstick skillet or a waffle iron - see Tips
  • Wide spatula
  • Wire cooling rack keeps pancakes from steaming and going soggy while you finish the batch

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the sourdough discard, pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and melted butter until smooth.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk just until combined - a few small lumps are fine; overmixing makes tough pancakes.
  4. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat and lightly butter it.
  5. Pour scant ¼-cup portions of batter onto the griddle, spacing them a couple inches apart.
  6. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, 2–3 minutes, then flip and cook 1–2 minutes more, until golden on both sides.
  7. Transfer cooked pancakes to a wire rack (not a stacked plate) to keep them from steaming, and repeat with the remaining batter, re-buttering the griddle between batches.
  8. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Notes

This is the recipe I make the first cool-feeling morning of the fall, even here in South Florida where "cool" is relative. It's built directly off the site's original Discard Pancakes, just with a full spice blend and real pumpkin folded in - I wanted it to feel familiar to anyone who already makes that one.
Don't skip weighing the pumpkin puree if you can - it's dense and easy to over- or under-measure by volume, and this batter is sensitive enough to spice and moisture that it's worth the extra minute.
I keep a stack of these in the freezer basically all of pumpkin season. They're one of the few things around here that reheat from frozen better than they do refrigerated.