Einkorn Sourdough Pancakes

Discard half your sourdough mother and feed. Baking sourdough bread is, by the definition of many, wasteful. All too often, little thought is given to that unwanted blob of starter. But if you’re not planning to bake with it, a batch of these Einkorn Sourdough Pancakes is about as good as it gets.

Einkorn, or Ein’korn, is one of the oldest varieties of cultivated wheat. Its name literally means ‘single grain’ – a reference to the fact each of its spikelets contains only one grain. It’s a fantastic flour, low in gluten, high in protein, and exciting to use because of its long history.

The real reason Einkorn flour works very well for this recipe is its sweet, almost nutty flavour. It’s a subtle addition, but absolutely worth it if you can seek it out. In truth, you can just as easily use white or even a blend of different flours to make these pancakes – try experimenting and seeing what works best for you.

That goes for your toppings too. We had a few generously ripe bananas hanging around the kitchen, so they got sliced in half and caramelised in a little sugar and finished with salted butter. I can only imagine how well these would pair with Nutella and whipped cream, or a drizzle of maple syrup.

Einkorn Sourdough Pancakes

Makes 6-8 large pancakes

Ingredients:

The day before (sponge)

• 240g Einkorn flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 450g whole milk
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 230g sourdough starter

The morning of (batter)

• All of the “sponge”
• 2 large eggs
• 50g butter melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, bring together the Einkorn flour, sugar, milk, lemon juice and sourdough starter. You can replace the milk and lemon juice with buttermilk.
2. Cover with a tea towel and leave overnight at room temperature. If it’s very warm you can pop it in the fridge.
3. The next morning, beat together the eggs, butter and vanilla extract. Tip into the overnight “sponge” and whisk along with the salt and baking powder. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Cook the pancakes one by one in a non-stick pan brushed with a little butter, over a medium heat. Keep the pancakes warm in your oven until ready to serve.

Cost: I suppose the one caveat with this recipe is that by not wasting your sourdough mother you end up using a whole host of other ingredients. But none are particularly expensive, unless you’re going to start topping your pancakes with calvados-infused baked apples – but that’s your own fault.

Assuming you take your brandy in the afternoon, each batch of pancakes – easily enough for two – shouldn’t set you back more than £2, including your desired topping.