About This Recipe
What is a Pikelet?
A pikelet is a small, thick pancake leavened with baking powder or baking soda. In the case of sourdough, we are making them with sourdough discard and baking soda! These are comparable to a crumpet, except made without the ring. They can be enjoyed sweet or savory, as a snack or for breakfast.
What I love about this recipe:
The simplicity and ease of this recipe is what makes it a personal favorite of mine. Four ingredients come together in one bowl, the batter of which is cooked up on a skillet. Even better? If you’re needing to use up a bunch of discard – this will get rid of it for you! This one is a winner for both the sourdough baker and the people enjoying the meal.
Why this recipe works
Baking soda
The baking soda reacts with the sourdough discard to leaven the pikelets: trapping carbon dioxide gases and creating bubbles which cause the pikelets to rise and become light and fluffy.
Skillet
We want the heat set perfectly, low enough that the pikelet cooks through without burning on the outside, but high enough that it cooks quickly, nicely browns, and beautifully fluffs up. A skillet achieves this baking method perfectly.
FAQs
Does the activity of my starter matter in this recipe?
Definitely not! You can make these with active or inactive starter (discard). Depending on which you choose, you will notice a slight difference in the consistency of the batter. If it is too thin for your liking, add a little flour to the mix. If it is too thick, add a little bit of milk.
Do these taste incredibly sour?
This fully depends on your sourdough discard. Though it may seem this dish would be incredibly sour (since the batter is made almost fully from sourdough discard), I find it to have a fairly neutral flavor! This may be due to the addition of baking soda, which is said to neutralize acids in the sourdough starter. Ultimately, it will depend on your personal tasters, home environment (environment where the discard is kept), and care routine. Older and/or acidic discard is likely to taste more sour than fresh discard.
How long will it take me to make these?
It takes five minutes (or less!) to mix up the batter, and about ten to fifteen minutes to fry them up on a hot skillet (depending on how large of a batch you are making). You can have these made, start to finish, in approximately 20 minutes or less!
Why are these sometimes called "a poor man's crumpet"?
They are sometimes called this because they are made exactly like crumpets, except without the rings! Only the rich were able to afford crumpet rings, I guess.
Pikelets
Course: Breakfast, Snack, SideCuisine: British, AustralianDifficulty: Beginner5
minutes10
minutes9-12
pikeletsA pikelet is a small, thick pancake leavened with baking powder or baking soda. In the case of sourdough, we are making them with sourdough discard and baking soda! Sometimes called "a poor man's crumpet," these are comparable to a crumpet, except made without the ring. They can be enjoyed sweet or savory, as a snack or for breakfast.
Ingredients
600 g (2 2/3 cup) sourdough discard (active or inactive)
15 g (1 tbsp) sweetener (sugar or honey)
5 g (1 tsp) baking soda (I like to sift this so that there are no lumps)
3 g (1/2 tsp) salt
Directions
Heat a griddle over medium-low heat (the same temperature you would use to fry a pancake).
Mix together all ingredients until fully incorporated.
Fry in batches (of desired size) until cooked through and golden.
Enjoy!
Watch the Video
Notes
- You'll know the pikelet is ready flip when you can see clear bubbles forming, and staying, on the surface of the mixture.
- If you're struggling with sticky batter, spray your scoop with a bit of cooking oil to help the mixture fall smoothly to the griddle.
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