Ever find yourself with too many ripe bananas? When that happens, I love blending them into a kefir smoothie or turning them into these healthy sourdough banana pancakes. The banana flavor is gentle, while the pancakes are chewy and moist. They’re delicious with a thin drizzle of honey, jam, or passion fruit butter.
This recipe combines sourdough starter and kefir. Both add flavor and beneficial cultures that can support digestion. For best results, mix the batter (without the banana) the night before so the sourdough and kefir can ferment the mixture overnight. The fermentation helps break down sugars and carbohydrates in the flour, releasing nutrients and improving digestibility. The result is a nutrient-rich, more filling pancake.
Tips for making sourdough banana pancakes
Equipment
You can make the batter entirely by hand. Use a non-stick skillet or griddle and cook over medium heat for the most even results.
Pancake batter
Prepare the base batter the night before without adding the banana. Use sourdough discard that is still active so it can ferment and aerate the batter. After resting about 12 hours at a cool temperature, the batter should be light and bubbly.
When the levain-style batter is ready, gently fold in the egg mixture and mashed banana. Folding carefully keeps the batter airy and prevents it from deflating.
Cooking the sourdough banana pancakes
This recipe uses a little butter in the batter, but you only need a thin layer of oil or butter on the skillet to start. Wipe away any excess with a paper towel and re-grease lightly as needed between batches.
Sourdough pancake batter produces many bubbles while cooking. Flip the pancakes when about half their height looks set and some surface bubbles remain open. Use a non-metal spatula and slide it gently under the pancake until it releases, then flip.
Adjust pancake size to your preference—small crumpet-sized rounds are lovely for tea, while larger pancakes make a hearty breakfast. Serve warm and enjoy.
SOURDOUGH BANANA PANCAKES
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Non-stick griddle or skillet
Ingredients
- 60 grams active starter
- 150 grams all-purpose flour
- 200 ml kefir
- 100 ml milk (to thin the batter)
- 25 grams sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 30 ml melted butter
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 very ripe mashed banana
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the starter, milk and kefir until the starter is dispersed.
- Add the flour and sugar and mix until incorporated.
- Cover and let rest at a cool temperature for about 12 hours to form a levain-style batter.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla, salt, melted butter, baking soda, baking powder and mashed banana.
- Gently fold the egg-banana mixture into the rested levain batter until just combined.
- Preheat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly oil or butter the surface and wipe away any excess.
- Pour batter onto the hot surface to form pancakes. Sourdough batter will bubble a lot as it cooks.
- Flip when about half the pancake’s height looks set and some surface bubbles remain open. Use a non-metal spatula and flip gently.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
