Sourdough Protein Pancakes with Wholewheat
These fluffy Sourdough Protein Pancakes with Wholewheat are a wholesome and nutritious twist on traditional pancakes. Packed with protein from the addition of protein powder, which enables us to skip the sugar, these pancakes are not only delicious but also a great way to use up your sourdough discard.
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Why You Will Love This
Protein
While there are a few sourdough discard pancakes recipes out there (I got my inspiration from one of my favourite sites about sourdough “Farmhouse on Boone”), I wanted to add protein and part wholewheat in my Sourdough Protein Pancakes with Wholewheat. For both flavour and nutrition. The wholewheat flour adds nuttiness and fibre, while the protein powder contributes the benefits of protein, but also sweetness, so I was able to skip the sugar, lowering the calories in the process. Great for those of us watching our weight.
I was brave here with the 2 scoops of protein powder, knowing it will become creamy and delicious if I pre-mix it into the wet ingredients. For me this works particularly well with “MyProtein” Whey (Not sponsored or affiliated), as it adds no floury or chalky feel to the batter and tastes incredible on its own. I’ve used “Cinnamon Danish” here, since I love the flavour it gives, but you could use any vanilla protein powder you enjoy. Or chocolate. Go wild. 😉
Why Do I Add Protein?
You mean apart from the well known physical benefits of protein for the body like helping you to build muscle, keeping your bones strong and increasing satiation, meaning you stay fuller for longer and with that can maintain your weight easier?
Lesser known is, that it also effects the brain by helping it to effectively transport information through neuropathways using the amino acods found in Protein.
This even has been shown to help protect from age related dementia.If you’d like to read more about how and why I use protein, I wrote a blog post about it.
Great Use for Sourdough Discard
Having a whole jar of sourdough discard in my fridge is a blessing. So many delicious recipes, each with its own endless possibilities. If you look closely, you see that my discard is a mix of white and rye sourdough discard. Which is completely fine to use.
There are lots of recipes for it you can find in the Bread and Sourdough Category of this site (Buttermilk Sourdough Waffles with Protein anyone?) but today, on special request, Pancakes!
Benefits of Sourdough
The beauty of sourdough is not just its unique flavour, which is very gentle in these pancakes, so they go fantastic with any sweet toppings you might like. Or, as special weekend treat, try them with maple sirup and crispy bacon. I promise you won’t look back.
It also makes flour easier to digest, for those of you with gluten sensitivity (not intolerance. If you are gluten intolerant, please switch to gluten free flour). It also lowers the glycemic index, important for diabetics and weight loss, as it means insulin will be released slower into the blood and with that less fat storage is triggered. And of course, it acts as a natural raising agent. Good news for fluffy pancakes, right?
The Ingredients
- Sourdough discard – Adds a lovely gentle tang to the pancakes and, if left overnight in the fridge, gives a bit more rise
- Flour – I’m using a mix of whole wheat for better nutrition and all-purpose flour for soft fluffyness for these.
- Protein powder – My alltime favorite is the whey protein from MyProtein (neither affiliated nor sponsored) as I found it tastes best in all baked goods and desserts.
- Baking powder – As raising agent. If you are not using sourdough discard, but active starter and leave it overnight in the fridge you could probably leave it out. But personally I love the puffyness it adds. Just add it max 30min before frying.
- Soy milk – Or any milk of your choice as the liquid
- Large egg – We are making pancakes after all
- Coconut oil – Keeps the pancakes moist and soft inside and adds to a crisp crust outside
- Flavorings – Kosher salt (use half of the amount given if using sea salt), vanilla extract and a bit of cinnamon (optional)
The Process
Mix the wet
- In a large mixing bowl*, combine the sourdough discard, egg, soy milk, protein powder, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Mix the Dry
Note: You can prepare the batter the evening before, but if you do, leave out the baking powder until the next morning, as it would lose some of its effectiveness overnight.
Alternatively, if you have a very active sourdough starter, you could try to leave it out. But I’m using discard here, hence baking powder.
- In a separate bowl*, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
Mix the wet into the dry
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing; a few lumps in the batter are fine.
Fry
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan* or griddle* over medium heat. If needed, lightly grease the surface with additional coconut oil.
- Once the pan is hot, pour approximately 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into it for each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles start to form on the surface.
- Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm while you cook the remaining batter.
How to Serve
As you see in the pictures, I love mine with blueberries and icing sugar. But in the end I decided to add a new maple syrup mix I discovered in Tesco: Half maple, half carob fruit syrup, meaning less calories. And god was I glad I did! None of the artificial flavour of the 0 calorie maple stuff, but “real” sweetness. Am I making sense? Do you know this weird “This is not really sweet” feeling some of the artificial ones leave? Or is that just me?
Meal Prep
On the meal prep side of things, it doesn’t get much more practical than these Sourdough Protein Pancakes with Whole wheat. You can prepare the batter in the evening and keep it in the fridge overnight, where it will develop more flavour and get even fluffier due to the sourdough doing its thing. Just leave out the baking powder until morning if you do so, as it loses some of the effectiveness if left for longer.
And you can freeze them when done, just toasting the pancakes for a few minutes whenever a craving hits or you need a super quick, healthy breakfast.
A Tiny Note on this Post:
I wrote the whole thing very early in the life of my blog and, being native German speaker, am still constantly learning about the correct spelling of ingredients. Hence the title here being very directly translated from German using “Vollkornmehl” in one word to “Wholewheat” instead of the correct spelling “Whole wheat”. *sigh*
It really bugs me these days, but changing it would mean changing the title of this post, which would lead to an error/redirect. And since you all love this particular post so much, I have no intention of hiding it from you in any way. Even if the typo drives me ever so slightly nuts and possibly some of you as well. Because what has been seen can not be unseen. So sorry!I did however dare to update it a fair bit with the 24/25 site overhaul, to make it easier to read, give it “jump to” sections and get a few things clarified.
I hope that helps and balances the typo torture. 😉
Looking for More Sourdough Ideas With Protein?
The perfect way to use overripe Bananas: Sourdough Chocolate Banana Bread with Rye and Protein
A fall favourite: Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles with Protein
Deeply chocolate-y and fudgy Sourdough Brownies with Protein
Bright and zesty Lemon Poppy Sourdough Zucchini Bread with Protein
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Sourdough Protein Pancakes with Wholewheat
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 scoops protein powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cup soy milk or any milk of your choice
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Mix the wet
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough discard, egg, soy milk, protein powder, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Mix the Dry
- Note: You can prepare the batter the evening before, but if you do, leave out the baking powder until the next morning, as it would lose some of its effectiveness overnight.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
Mix the wet into the dry
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing; a few lumps in the batter are fine.
Fry
- Preheat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. If needed, lightly grease the surface with additional coconut oil.
- Once the skillet is hot, pour approximately 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles start to form on the surface.
- Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm while you cook the remaining batter.
Hello! I just found and put together your recipe. I’ve mixed everything except the baking powder in because I want to cook them in the morning.
I was wondering how thick the batter is supposed to be? Mine is quite thick and I’m wondering if I should add some more milk. At this point, I’d have to scoop the batter into pan instead of pour it. Before I add anything I want to check for your advice.
Also, my coconut oil already solidified into chunks. Is this a problem for cooking the pancakes in the morning?
Hey, I’m sorry your pancake batter is behaving odd. I hope I’m not too late for saving it.
If your batter is too thick I guess there is a bit too much flour. This happens in cup based baking recipes when the cup isn’t losely filled by adding the flour with a spoon, but rather dragged through the flour, which can compact it and give you a lot more than the recipe says. Cups are honestly not a great measurent, but many people don’t have scales, so that’s what I use if possible.
I would say yes, definetely add a bit more milk. Pancakes are pretty forgiving generally.
For the coconut oil: I’m unsure how you mixed it, as I would never be able to see or feel it in any batter once I whisked it. There shouldn’t be chunks, as it should split into teeny tiny droplets while mixing. But nothing is lost: simply vigorously re-whisk or blend or use a handmixer for a minute when you add the baking soda and it’ll be grand. It will melt in the pan while frying.
I hope this helps. Let me know how they turn out.
Yes! This made it in time. You assumed correctly and now it seems obvious. I did drag the measuring cup through the flour and didn’t vigorously whisk the liquids. I warmed the milk I added this morning and that helped bit any chunks of coconut oil seem to have melted and were fine in the pan.
These are delicious! Thank you for the recipe and your fast reply to my situation
Ahhhh, phew! So glad it helped and the pancakes were saved in time. Thanks so much for letting me know. 🙂
What a great way to add some extra nutrition into pancakes. Perfect for brunch on the weekend. We all love pancakes!!
What a lovely plate of pancakes this made. Mine didn’t turn out as pretty as yours but they were good.
Thank you so much! The pretty is just the light. But the enjoyment of them is what matters. 😉
These were absolutely fantastic. My brunch guests loved them!
The best breakfast. I loved making this pancakes.
What a great brunch recipe. Perfect for breakfast for dinner nights too. Adding some protein powder makes them hearty for sure.
Thank you, so glad you like them. 🙂