Fall is the perfect time for comfort food. Apple pancakes bring back childhood memories of rainy afternoons with my grandparents. They taste like sweet baked apples wrapped in a soft, fluffy coating. They are even more delicious if you add a large pinch of cinnamon to the batter.
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Why you’ll love the apple pancakes
These pancakes are the perfect autumn breakfast: cinnamon pancakes with caramelized apples. Oftentimes, pancakes have an aftertaste of baking powder or leave a strange feeling on the teeth. These pancakes contain no baking powder or yeast and only the sourdough makes them fluffy and light. In addition, the sourdough gives them a slightly sour, fruity aroma. You can prepare the batter the evening before and leave it to rest overnight in the fridge.
You’ll need these ingredients
- Sourdough starter or leftover sourdough from the fridge.
- Buttermilk makes the pancakes nice and juicy and adds a wonderful taste. If you are vegan or do not have buttermilk ready, you can also use oatmilk and add a small spoon of apple cider vinegar. This adds the necessary acidity and makes the milk slightly more runny, almost as in buttermilk.
- Wheat flour: for waffles and pancakes, it is best to use cake flour.
- The egg ensures that all ingredients hold together. If you prefer to have it purely plant-based, an egg-alternative such as linseed or chia seed also works. Just mix a tablespoon of linseeds with three tablespoons of water and let it swell. This will bind just as well!
- Butter (melted): a little fat is necessary, so that the pancakes are juicy and smooth. Melted butter gives pancakes that certain taste, but vegan butter will taste just as good.
- Salt, sugar and vanilla sugar for the taste.
- Apples cut into thin slices.
Which apple varieties are best for apple pancakes?
Apple varieties that are sweet and sour and keep their shape when fried are particularly suitable for apple pancakes. Here are some of the best varieties:
- Boskoop: A slightly tart variety that is well suited for baking and roasting, as it remains firm and does not become too soft.
- Elstar: A sweet and sour apple with firm flesh that goes well in pancakes.
- Cox orange: Aromatic and slightly tart, ideal for pancakes.
- Braeburn: Slightly sweeter, but with a pleasant acidity and firm flesh.
- Granny Smith: A very tart apple that is well suited if you want a more intense flavor.
Can you freeze pancake dough?
The sourdough pancakes are great for baking in advance and freezing. Let them cool down completely on a cooling rack beforehand. After that, you can freeze them while spread out on a baking tray so that they do not stick together. When the pancakes are frozen through, you can put them all into a freezer bag and close it. You can thaw them in the pan*, an oven, or a toaster*.
Making pancakes in a cast iron pan
I prefer to cook with cast iron pans and pots. Not only do they spread heat evenly, but they are also long lasting, and do not contain health-compromising non-stick coating. But you might need a bit of practice until you get the hang of it. For the sourdough pancakes I warmed up the cast iron pan* to medium heat and greased the pan with a teaspoon of cooking oil. After that, you can pour the dough into the pan. My pan is large enough for three to four pancakes at the same time. When the dough starts to become harder along the edges, you can carefully turn the pancakes.
Why do my pancakes stick to the pan?
The pancakes can stick to your cast iron pan* for several reasons. It could be, that you did not use enough cooking oil or that your pan hasn’t been seasoned properly. Possibly, the pan might not have been warm enough before you added the dough. Trying to turn the pancakes too soon can also result in it sticking to the pan.
The best toppings
You can let loose your creativity when it comes to choosing toppings. They go really well with all kinds of jams and additional fruit. For more sweetness you can top them with maple syrup or date syrup. If you want to serve them as dessert, the combination with a scoop of ice cream is always a winner.
Useful tools – My recommendations
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- A grain mill* for freshly ground wholemeal flour.
- A Danish whisk* – especially if you don’t use a kneading machine. This allows you to mix your ingredients without the whole dough sticking to the spoon.
- A kitchen scale*.
- A cooling rack* for bread, rolls and waffles.
- A cast iron pan*
- A stainless steel toaster* for slices of bread, toast and rolls.
You can find more product recommendations here.
More waffles and pancakes with sourdough
Best Fluffy Pancake Recipe with Sourdough Discard
Today I have a recipe for everyone who loves sourdough waffles as much as I do: fluffy sourdough pancakes. You can either use sourdough discard or freshly fed sourdough starter. The recipe works well without yeast or baking powder. The dough is easy to prepare and…
Gluten-free Sourdough Buckwheat Waffles Overnight
These gluten-free waffles are made with gluten-free sourdough starter and freshly ground buckwheat. As a result, they contain a lot of nutrients and fiber. Depending on the topping, buckwheat waffles are a healthy snack, a delicious breakfast or a sweet dessert. They…
Easy Sourdough Oatmeal Waffles
These oatmeal waffles contain no sugar, making them suitable for both savory and sweet waffle breakfasts. They contain no butter and no additional flour (apart from the sourdough starter). Plus, the waffles are made with no yeast or baking powder. If you use a…
Sourdough Discard Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Ingredients
Pre-Dough
- 200 g sourdough starter also works with sourdough discard
- 190 g buttermilk or oat milk with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 150 g wheat flour all purpose flour or type 405
Dough
- 1 egg or egg substitute
- 3 tbsp. butter melted or vegan butter
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 packet vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Other
- 2 apples cut into thin slices
Instructions
Day 1
- For the pre-dough, mix the flour, starter and buttermilk with a whisk.
- Place the pre-dough in the fridge overnight or for eight to ten hours.
Day 2
- Melt the butter in a pan and leave to cool.
- Mix the egg, melted butter, salt, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla sugar into the batter.
- Warm up a cast iron pan* to medium heat and grease slightly.
- Pour the batter into the pan* using a ladle and press the apple slices into the batter. Bake the pancakes until the batter starts to set around the edges. Carefully turn the pancakes and bake golden-brown from the other side.
- Baked pancakes should not, if possible, be stacked, but layed next to each other on a cooling rack. This keeps them crispy.
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