Once I began milling my own grain, I began playing with all different types of wheat. I have tried lots of whole grains like kamut (khorisan), soft white, hard white and red, spelt, and of course einkorn! I love einkorn in any baked goods and this freshly milled flour banana bread is no exception. It’s soft and delicate and does not even taste like it’s whole grain! This whole food snack or breakfast is perfect if you’re trying to add additional nutrition to your diet.

You’ll find that it’s a super easy one bowl banana bread that comes together quickly and tastes perfectly delectable! The whole grain gives this quick bread recipe a nutty flavor. While you can use some of the modern wheat flours in this recipe, using einkorn, which is an ancient variety of wheat that hasn’t been tampered with, is absolutely delicious.

This recipe doesn’t need a hand mixer or a kitchenaid mixer. You just need a bowl and a whisk. Super easy and very old school! You’ll love this einkorn flour banana bread!

Ingredients for freshly milled einkorn banana bread

It only takes a few ingredients to make this einkorn banana bread with freshly milled flour. Here’s what you’ll need:

Wet Ingredients

• 600g or 4-5 overripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 10g or 2t. vanilla extract
• 2/3c melted butter (or melted coconut oil) and cooled to room temperature

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Dry Ingredients

• 170g or 3/4c. brown sugar (can substitute coconut sugar)
• 360g or 3c freshly milled einkorn flour (or soft white wheat or spelt)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 8g or 2t. baking soda

Instructions for einkorn banana bread

Combine wet ingredients:

First, mash overripe bananas in a large bowl.

Next, add the large eggs one at a time and whisk together. Add the rest of the wet ingredients – vanilla extract and melted butter or coconut oil. (you could also replace the melted butter with a light tasting olive oil). Mix together well.

My very favorite way to combine the ingredients is using a danish whisk. I feel like it incorporates all the ingredients and they don’t get stuck like in a traditional whisk.

Combine Dry Ingredients:

The next step is to combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 

I often sift these directly over the wet ingredients so that I can just use one large mixing bowl instead of having extra dirty dishes. If you have a large mesh strainer like this one, you can just set it on top of the bowl and sift all the dry ingredients right on top of the wet ones.

Mill your flour:

First, mill your einkorn. Here’s what the einkorn berries look like before they are turned into einkorn flour. They contain so many nutrients and because the flour will be used before those vitamins oxidize, it makes this einkorn banana bread a healthy whole food.

Mill the einkorn or other low gluten grain like soft white wheat, kamut or spelt. I use either a dry container for my Vitamix, or my Mockmill 200. Here, I show what the einkorn flour looks like after mixing the berries in my Vitamix dry container for 1 minute. It makes a gorgeous fine flour.

If you already have a Vitamix and would like to delve into milling your own flour, this is a very affordable alternative to a mill. I used mine to grind grain for over 15 years before I took the plunge into buying a mill!

Add the rest of the dry ingredients:

Next, add in the rest of the dry ingredients – brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. You could add one teaspoon ground cinnamon to the mix if you’d like to add a little more flavor. Whisk it up! This would also be a great time to add a good dose of walnuts if you want a little crunch in your einkorn banana bread!

Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the banana bread batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  This will keep the crumb light and delicate.

Prepare 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray or parchment paper. I normally do this by cutting the parchment paper as wide as the long side of the loaf pan. This way it doesn’t cover the ends, but it does give you excellent handles to lift it out. Divide the batter in half and pour each half into a prepared loaf pan for a total of two pans.

Bake your freshly milled einkorn banana bread:

The next step is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The banana bread batter needs to sit for 15 minutes minimum in order for the freshly milled einkorn to absorb the liquid and soften the grains and that’s why I choose to preheat the oven at this stage of the baking process. Then once it’s preheated, the batter had time to sit and absorb the moisture and it’s ready to go in the oven. 

Now, bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

Finally, take einkorn banana bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Eat immediately with plenty of butter on top. Store leftovers in an airtight container – if you have any!

Banana bread freezes well – I love to wait until the banana bread cools and wrap one tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer Ziplock bag and freeze for the next time I want freshly milled flour banana bread but don’t want to bake! It’s a great quick snack!

FAQs

Do I have to use freshly milled flour in this einkorn banana bread recipe?

While it’s a good idea to use fresh milled flour in this freshly milled flour banana bread recipe, it’s not a necessity. I have made this with regular flour (all purpose flour) from the grocery store, freshly milled einkorn, and freshly milled soft white wheat berries. Any of them work perfectly and will make a delicious banana bread. You could also try traditional whole wheat flour as well.

Additionally, they do sell whole wheat einkorn flour or einkorn wheat flour which has less gluten than modern wheat varieties. While this is not as nutrient dense as milling it freshly, it does have a lower gluten content and may be a better option over all purpose flour for those with gluten sensitivities.

The most nutritious way to make this bread is with freshly milled flour because it has the highest nutritional content. But any way you make this will be better than a store bought version, so bake away! Homemade banana bread ALWAYS wins out over the preservative laden variety you buy at the grocery store.

Can I use liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup?

There are definitely health benefits to using a less processed sugar in baked goods. While you could substitute something like honey granules or coconut sugar, it is a bit harder to substitute a liquid sweetener because it messes with the amount of liquid in the recipe.

If you decide to use maple syrup or honey, I’d play with it and make a half recipe until you figure it out. Cut back on some of the wet ingredients to compensate for the additional liquid and make sure there’s not too much moisture in the batter.

Variations:

Put a healthy dose of walnuts in the banana bread batter for crunch and Omega 3s for additional health benefits!

Add dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for a sweeter treat.

Top the loaves with raw sugar before you put it in the oven to give your einkorn banana bread a bit of a crunch on the top for a great snack!

Turn these into einkorn banana bread muffins by putting into cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Fill 2/3 full and lower the baking time to 18-21 minutes.

Remove 1/4c of flour and 1/4c of butter and replace with sourdough discard or fed sourdough starter for an einkorn sourdough banana bread. It’s even better when you pop the batter in the fridge in the evening and bake it the next day for the added health benefits of fermented sourdough.

Add a streusel topping for an extra decadent freshly milled flour banana bread.

How to ripen bananas for einkorn banana bread

If your bananas don’t have brown spots and aren’t ripe enough for banana bread, they won’t be very sweet. You need to wait until they have black dots all over them – the riper the better! However, if you’re ready to make einkorn banana bread, but your bananas aren’t ready, you can ripen them in the oven!

If you want to try to ripen them in the oven, just pop them into a preheated 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. You don’t even need to peel them! Leave them whole and when the skins turn black, you’re ready to go!

Next time you have over-ripe bananas and you’re looking to have a delicious snack or an easy breakfast, this is perfect and will become one of your favorite recipes. With a light crumb, the nutty flavor of whole grains and a rich banana flavor, look no further than this einkorn banana bread with freshly milled flour! THIS is real food! Follow along for more einkorn recipes!

Einkorn Banana Bread Printable Recipe Card

Freshly Milled Flour Banana Bread

This is absolutely the best banana bread I've ever tasted! Light, fluffy, moist, and so delicious!

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 600g or 4-5 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 10g or 2t. vanilla
• 2/3c melted butter

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 170g or 3/4c. brown sugar
• 360g or 3c freshly milled einkorn flour
• 2 pinches of salt
• 8g or 2t. baking soda

Instructions

1. Mash bananas and combine wet ingredients together.

2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.

3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.

4. Prepare 2 loaf pans with nonstick spray. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The batter needs to sit for 15 minutes minimum in order for the freshly milled einkorn to absorb the liquid and soften the grains and that's why I choose to preheat the oven at this stage of the baking process. Then once it's preheated, the batter had time to sit and it's ready to go in.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

7. Take out of pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

The post Easy One Bowl Fresh Milled Einkorn Banana Bread appeared first on Little Reasons.

If you’ve been around for long, you’ll know that I LOOOVVVEEE pumpkin everything! You can find recipes on my blog for pumpkin sourdough pancakes, or chocolate chip sourdough pumpkin cookies, or spiced sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin sourdough waffles with discard. So. Many. Pumpkin. Options. And now there’s one more!

You won’t believe how easy scones are to make. Once you cut your butter into the dry ingredients, you pour in the wet ingredients, mix gently, and shape. They are super simple and before long you’ll be able to serve your friends the best scones they have ever had! I think you’ll find it to be the perfect fall treat.

Ingredients for sourdough pumpkin scones

It’s that time of year for pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin everything! Whether you need a quick breakfast, a Thanksgiving brunch, or a fast treat, this is a great way to get the pumpkin flavor in a new way! Furthermore, a big plus is that you’ll also have a new way to use up the extra sourdough discard you have sitting around!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Dry Ingredients

• 240g. all purpose flour (I use fresh milled flour made from soft white wheat)
• 60g. dark brown sugar
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2t pumpkin pie spice

Cut in the butter!!

• 1 stick of butter, cubed or grated

Wet Ingredients

• 100g sourdough starter (active sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard)
• 1 egg
• 100g pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

Instructions

Dry ingredients

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together – flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. If you use freshly milled flour, it needs to cool because it comes out of the mill a bit warm. Pop it into the freezer for a while until it cools down. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.

I usually mix all my ingredients with a whisk, or my new favorite kitchen tool – a danish whisk!!

Cut in the butter

Add cubed unsalted butter into the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry cutter until the chunks of butter are the size of peas. Make sure you have very cold butter. If you have room temperature butter, it won’t make tender scones with flaky layers. My very favorite pastry cutter has solid sides like THIS one so it’s sturdier.

As an alternative to the pastry blender, you can use grated butter that has been frozen or is very cold. Just add the grated frozen butter and you won’t need to use the pastry blender. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I’ve never done that, but I heard it works well.

Wet Ingredients

In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients – sourdough starter, egg, and fresh or canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).

Give it a good stir! Once you add it to the flour mixture, you don’t want to work it too much, so it’s good to have it all completely incorporated at this point.

After that, add wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until it just comes together. Do not overmix or it will develop the gluten and make the scones tough. You’ll end up with a shaggy dough.

Shaping the sourdough pumpkin scones

Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren’t sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. Certainly you can use a rolling pin, but it’s easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.

Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1″ thick. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. Surprisingly, when you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.

When you cut the butter in well, you end up with these flecks of butter that will give you the flakey layers. SO good!

Baking the pumpkin spice scones

Finally, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the sourdough pumpkin scones onto the parchment lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.

Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the scones with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk.

Put scones into the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees. It is especially important to preheat the oven AFTER you make the scones when you’re using freshly milled flour. When working with flour that you mill at home, you need to let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes before baking so it has time to absorb all the liquids. Even if you’re using all purpose flour, you’ll want to let them rest in the freezer to get nice and cold so they keep their shape better in the oven.

Bake the sourdough pumpkin scones on the prepared baking sheet for 18-20 minutes until they are golden brown.

Cool sourdough pumpkin scones on a wire rack.

Overall, for best results, eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

FAQs for pumpkin sourdough scones

Can you freeze sourdough pumpkin scones?

Absolutlely! These are a great make-ahead option. You can freeze the leftover scones after they are baked. I put them on a parchment lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once they are fully frozen, place the frozen scones into a zip top freezer bag or an airtight container and store in the freezer. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave.

Alternately, you can freeze shaped scones on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Once they are frozen, take the unbaked scones and store in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container in the freezer. Next time you’re ready for a fall treat, simply bake them. Follow the baking instructions and add a few extra minutes on to the bake time for the frozen scones.

Variations:

Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips into the dough before shaping.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. Bake the next day for fermented sourdough pumpkin scones.

Top with a maple glaze.

Add streusel to the top of the scones for an extra decadent treat!

Drizzle with cream cheese frosting for an extra sweet treat!

In conclusion, these sourdough discard pumpkin scones are an excellent addition to your sourdough discard recipes. If you love quick breads, you’ll love this scone recipe. It’s easy and makes the most delicious scones full of pumpkin and warm cinnamon fall flavor!

Recipe Card for Sourdough Pumpkin Scones

Sourdough Pumpkin Scones

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 240g. all purpose flour (I use fresh milled flour)
• 60g. dark brown sugar
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2t pumpkin pie spice

The rest of the ingredients!

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 stick of butter, cubed (or grated)
• 100g sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 100g pumpkin puree

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together - flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soday, salt and pumpkin pie spice. If you use freshly milled flour, it needs to cool because it comes out of the mill a bit warm. Pop it into the freezer for a while until it cools down. You want all the ingredients very cold in order to make sure the scones are nice and chilled when they go into the hot oven. This helps the butter melt more slowly and it creates a flaky texture.
2. Add cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until it is the size of peas. Alternately, you can use grated cold or frozen butter as well. Some people also use a food processor to chop the butter into small pieces. I've never done that, but I heard it works well.
3. Add wet ingredients - sourdough starter, egg, and pumpkin puree. Mix with a wooden spoon until it just comes together. Do not overmix or it will develop the gluten and make the scones tough.
4. Turn the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. I usually flip the dough over onto the floured countertop so that both sides have a bit of the flour and aren't sticky. Pat the soft dough into a rectangle. Fold it over and pat out again. You can use a rolling pin, but it's easier just to pat it out with your hands. Do this a total of 7 times, and it will give you a light airy scone with flaky layers and pockets of air.
5. Gently make the scone dough into a circle about 1" thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 pie shaped pieces. Cut the dough straight down and straight up to make clean cuts. If you saw back and forth, the edges will seal and it causes the scones to not raise as high. You can also use a round cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter, but make sure you put the cookie cutter straight down and back up without twisting it.
6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set the sourdough pumpkin scones onto the lined baking tray. Leave plenty of room between the scones on the tray to allow them room to spread while cooking.
7. Brush the top of each scone with half and half, heavy cream, or a little extra buttermilk.
8. Put scones into the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees.
9. Bake the sourdough pumpkin scones for 18-20 minutes until they are golden brown.Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.

The post The Best Easy Sourdough Pumpkin Scones with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

I love recipes I can make up in advance and have ready to go in the morning. It’s even better when making it in advance enhances the health benefits – and that’s exactly what happens in this recipe! The sourdough discard is not used as a leavening agent in this recipe. Instead, it’s used as a way to make it more healthy, by giving the wild yeast time to essentially “eat up” the gluten and sugars present in the flour during the overnight fermentation. This makes the flour more digestible and makes the pancakes easier on your gut.

You’ll find the fluffy texture of these sourdough banana pancakes will rival the best restaurant pancakes, but in a way that benefits your family’s health! So read on for the super simple instructions on how to make this delicious fall breakfast.

Ingredients for Sourdough Banana Pancakes

The ingredients for sourdough banana pancakes are super simple and are usually found in a well stocked pantry. This is a perfect way to take those pantry staples, pair them with a few overripe bananas and end up with a delightful fall breakfast! You can use up all the extra sourdough starter discard you have in your fridge from making sourdough bread. Plus, finding another great way to use up your overripe bananas can’t be a bad thing, right?

So, if you’re ready to go beyond the classic sourdough pancakes, and to have less work in the morning follow along!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Wet ingredients

• 2 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2c extra starter ( active sourdough starter or sourdough discard)
• 1 egg
• 1T melted butter, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
• 1t. vanilla extract
• 1c cultured buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/4c all purpose white flour, fresh milled flour, or whole wheat flour (do not use bread flour)
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1T raw sugar, white sugar or brown sugar
• pinch of Himalayan sea salt, or any salt you have on hand
• 1t baking powder
• ADD LATER! 1t baking soda

Instructions for Sourdough Banana Pancakes

The night before:

Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl or medium bowl. Add the active sourdough starter (or extra sourdough discard), egg, melted butter or oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and baking powder (DO NOT ADD THE BAKING SODA AT THIS TIME! IT WILL BEGIN TO REACT IMMEDIATELY)

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is just combined. Any time you are working with things like pancakes, cakes, and cookies, you’ll want to make sure to stop mixing as soon as it’s all coming together. If you overmix the pancake batter, you’ll work the gluten in the flour and it will make the pancakes tough.

Cover the large bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. If you’re like me and you have an ADHD brain, you may want to write “add 1t. baking soda!” to the top of the plastic wrap so you don’t forget in the morning!

The next morning:

After you’ve had the batter rest overnight, heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. While that is preheating, take the batter out of the fridge and add the baking soda, mixing with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk (this is my new favorite kitchen tool!!!) until it is just combined.

Turn the hot pan down to medium heat and use fresh butter, cooking spray, or a little oil on the pan to prevent sticking. Then use a 1/4 cup batter to make medium pancakes and 1/3 to 1/2 cup measure for larger pancakes.

Let the pancakes cook until you see bubble on the surface begin to pop. Flip them over and allow the second side to cook until it’s golden brown. Take the cooked pancakes off the pan and put on a serving platter. Cover them with a tea towel to keep in the heat while you finish cooking the pancakes.

Serve immediately.

FAQs

How do I store banana sourdough pancakes?

I store these either in my refrigerator or the freezer. To store in the fridge, put them in an airtight container or zip top bag. You’ll want to use them over the next 3-5 days.

I often make a double batch and put the extras in the freezer for longer storage and for quick meals in the future. When I do that, I freeze them on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. Put them in a single layer and freeze until completely frozen. Put the frozen pancakes into a Ziplock freezer bag or an airtight container.

By freezing them individually, it keeps them from freezing together and allows you to pull out one at a time. Then you can pull out fluffy sourdough banana pancakes any time your heart desires without having to make them fresh!

How do I reheat sourdough banana pancakes?

I find the best way to reheat these is in the toaster oven. It makes them a bit crispy on the exterior, but if you want them super soft, you can just wrap them in aluminum foil first. Alternately you can heat them up in the microwave!

What kinds of toppings do you recommend for sourdough banana pancakes with discard?

Here are some of our favorite things we use as toppings, plus some ideas I want to try here at home:

*pure maple syrup and butter

*brown sugar and pecans

*butter and cinnamon sugar

*chocolate chips and whipped cream would be amazing!!!

*cinnamon chips would be sooooo good

*I think my warm caramel buttermilk syrup would be divine on these!

*My recipe for cream cheese whipped cream would take these to the next level!

*Maybe a bit of natural peanut butter with more fresh bananas on top

*Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter for a little fluffer nutter pancake?

I’d love to hear your favorite toppings or what other ideas you come up with!

Do I have to make them the night before?

No you can absolutely make these right before cooking them! Leaving them in the refrigerator overnight is just to give the wild yeast time to have a long fermentation and give the health benefits of sourdough. Additionally, it gives the slight tang of the sourdough to add to the flavor. However, these are just as yummy if you mix them up and cook them right away!

Can I use something instead of cultured buttermilk?

Yes absolutely! I love using cultured buttermilk because it makes such fluffy pancakes! However, in a pinch, you can put a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of the measuring cup before you pour in the milk. Then after you pour the milk in, give it a stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes for it to begin to curdle.

That acidity from the lemon juice or vinegar will react with the baking soda to create the chemical reaction that allows the pancakes to rise.

So, if you’re looking for an easy recipe and different ways to use up overripe bananas outside of the typical sourdough banana bread before you add them to your food waste, this is the recipe for you!

Printable sourdough banana pancake recipe card below:

Sourdough Banana Pancakes

5.0 Stars (1 Review)

Print

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2c sourdough starter
• 1 egg
• 1T melted butter
• 1t. vanilla
• 1c cultured buttermilk

Dry Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 1/4c all purpose flour (or fresh milled flour)
• 1t cinnamon
• 1T raw sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1t baking powder
• ADD LATER! 1t baking soda

Instructions

1. Combine wet ingredients together. 2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. (DO NOT ADD BAKING SODA YET! This reacts with the buttermilk to help it rise, so I always add it after it has a chance to ferment.) 3. Put the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until just mixed. If you overmix the batter, it develops the gluten and makes it tough. So make sure to stop whisking as soon as it comes together.  4. Sourdough recipes are best if they have a chance to ferment, so I usually make this the night before and cover with saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I add the baking soda and continue on. 5. Preheat a cast iron skillet, then turn down to low.

6. Put butter on the skillet and then drop batter by spoonful (or using a 1/4c measuring cup).

7. Flip after the pancakes have bubbles that begin to pop.

8. Let cook on second side until they are golden brown.

9. Serve with whipped cream, syrup and pecans or walnuts, or just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

The post The Best Sourdough Banana Pancakes with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

Cozy fall mornings are one of my very favorite things! It’s pumpkin season, and I I love ALL the autumn recipes and warm spices and pumpkin flavor! If you haven’t seen a pattern in my blog yet, you can look back to my pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or pumpkin waffles… So many fall favorites! And here’s a new one to add!

Why Use Sourdough in Pumpkin Pancakes?

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Sourdough is for more than just sourdough bread! I love to add sourdough to all my baked goods! Sourdough starter is full of gut healthy bacteria that break down the sugar and gluten in the pancakes.

While you can make the pumpkin sourdough pancake batter and use it right away, it’s best to make this the night before and pop it in the fridge to let the batter ferment. Overnight, the yeast and bacteria goes to work breaking down the phytic acid, gluten and sugar in the batter. It’s the best way to make these even healthier.

When you pull it out the next morning, not only are these fluffy sourdough pancakes a super delicious fall breakfast, but it has had a long fermentation that makes them a healthy breakfast full of fall flavors.

Sourdough Pumpkin Pancake Recipe:

Wet Ingredients:

• 3T. melted butter or coconut oil
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin purée
• 2 eggs
• 2c. cultured buttermilk
• 1/2c. active sourdough starter (or leftover sourdough discard)
• 1 1/2t. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8t. salt
• 2t. baking soda
• 2t. baking powder
• 2T. raw sugar or brown sugar
• 2 1/2c. all purpose flour, whole wheat flour or my favorite – freshly milled soft white wheat

Instructions:

These fluffy sourdough pancakes with pumpkin have minimal ingredients, so they are super simple to throw together before you go to bed at night. Then the next day they are waiting for you to make!

Combine dry ingredients:

The night before you want to make pancakes, combine dry ingredients into a large bowl (except for baking soda – the baking soda makes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk to help rise the pumpkin sourdough pancakes, so we will keep this out until we are ready to make them)

So mix the raw sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and flour. I use freshly milled soft white wheat flour (see the above photo – I have ground my flour for years in my Vitamix dry container).

I find that it gives the best taste, and it’s full of fiber and vitamins. If you don’t mill your own flour, you can use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour. I’ve used many kinds of flour to make these and they all work well.

Combine wet ingredients:

Combine wet ingredients into a separate bowl or glass measuring cup – melted butter, fresh pumpkin puree, eggs, buttermilk, active starter or sourdough starter discard, and vanilla extract. (Because you’re not using the sourdough as a leavening agent, it doesn’t matter if you use discard or active starter. Either is fine.)

In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients. Mix until they are just combined. You don’t want to overmix pancakes because it will make them tough as the gluten in the flour is developed. So as soon as you see it come together, stop.

Let the batter rest:

Cover the pancake mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the next morning. I always write “add 2t. baking soda” to the tight plastic wrap so I don’t forget to do that in the morning.

The next day when you pull the large mixing bowl out of the fridge, add 2t. of baking soda and begin making pancakes. Heat cast iron skillet on medium high heat for a few minutes. Apply butter liberally just before you add the batter to the hot pan.

(You could also use a non-stick pan. I just don’t have one! You can also use non-stick spray instead of butter.)

I almost always use a cast-iron skillet to make my pancakes. In these photos, I’m using a piece of steel my brother in law gave me that he used to use in his sourdough bakery. He passed it along to me to use as a pizza steel, but I often use it like this for pancakes, French toast, quesadillas, grilled cheese, and more.

You can get a similar pizza steel HERE.

Bake:

Measure about one quarter cup of batter onto the hot pan. Turn heat down to medium heat – the cast iron skillet holds onto that heat and can burn the pancakes fast.

As you’re cooking the first side, keep a close watch. Once you see little bubbles forming and popping on the pancakes, use a metal spatula to flip them over. This usually takes a few minutes. When the second side is golden brown and they have crispy edges, take them off the pan. This side cooks much faster!

Continue until you use up the rest of the batter. Make them all because they save really well!

Serve immediately or store in the fridge or freezer for quick and healthy fall breakfasts.

Variations on pumpkin sourdough pancakes:

Variations:

• Pumpkin Spice Latte Pancakes – Add 1-2 tablespoons of espresso powder to the batter. Make whipped cream with a dash of expresso powder, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice for topping!
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes – Fold in dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate lover! Top with homemade whipped cream.
• Nutty Pumpkin Pancakes – Add chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nuts for a crunch.
• Cranberry Pumpkin Pancakes – Fold in fresh or dried cranberries for a tart twist.
• Maple Glazed Pumpkin Pancakes – Cook down your real maple syrup to make a maple glaze, then drizzle with the maple glaze instead of syrup.
• Thanksgiving Pancakes – Top with candied pecans and a dollop of whipped cream.
• Mini Pancake Stacks – Perfect for brunch boards or a special breakfast for kids.
• Peanut butter Pumpkin – My family loves to top any kind of pancake with natural peanut butter and real maple syrup.
• Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pancakes – Swap regular milk for oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk and butter for coconut oil. Just make sure to add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in with your alternate milk in order to react with the baking soda correctly.
• Egg-Free Pumpkin Pancakes – Use 2T. of ground flax and 6T. of water to replace the eggs. Whisk together mixture and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Alternately, you can use applesauce as a binder in place of the eggs (about 1/4c per egg).

Syrup & Favorite Toppings:

• Pure Maple Syrup – This is my preference! We use maple syrup from our maple trees. SO delicious! If you want to learn how to make real maple syrup at home, check out THIS blog post.
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle – Like a pumpkin roll in pancake form. Combine cream cheese, a little brown sugar and cinnamon, and milk or half and half to thin it out. Use a hand mixer to mix until it’s the perfect drizzle consistency.
• Salted Caramel Drizzle – Use your favorite Carmel sauce and top with flaked salt. Sweet and Salty!
• Apple Compote Topping – Cook apples down with cinnamon, sugar, and a little butter and spoon it over the sourdough pumpkin pancakes.
• Whipped cream and fresh fruit – A classic!
• Buttermilk syrup – This homemade buttermilk syrup would taste AMAZING on them!
• Pumpkin Roll Topping – My very favorite way to make these pancakes taste like a pumpkin roll!!! Just take a look at how delicious these look with this topping!!! (photo below) Get the recipe HERE!

Freezing Fluffy Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes

I freeze these pancakes on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the sourdough pancakes in a single layer and freeze for a few hours. Then put into an airtight container or zip top bag in the freezer. I find that freezing them this way makes them easier to pull out of the freezer instead of having them freeze together.

FAQs

Do I have to make the batter for sourdough pumpkin spice pancakes in advance?

While you can make these pancakes immediately, you get the most health benefit by letting them sit about 8 hours or overnight. However, I have made them right away after mixing the batter lots of times! Sometimes, best isn’t always possible, so I do what I can! Feel free to make these right away or make the batter the night before. Either works fine.

If you choose to make them right away and not let the batter rest overnight, that’s just fine. But if you are using freshly milled wheat flour, the batter does need to sit for at least 15 minutes in order to allow the flour to absorb all the liquid. This definitely helps the texture of the pancake to be really fluffy pancakes that are light.

Do I have to use buttermilk for sourdough pancakes?

No. While I love using cultured buttermilk for the best flavor and texture, you absolutely don’t have to use it! You can simply use whole milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to make sure it’s acidic enough for the baking soda to react with.

I don’t have any sourdough starter. Can I leave it out?

Yes, if you don’t have any active starter or sourdough starter discard on hand, you can leave it out and cook the pumpkin pancakes right away. However, if you’d like to get started with sourdough recipes, you can learn to make your very own sourdough starter HERE.

I hope this one makes it into your favorite sourdough recipes for the fall. It’s really a great way to use simple ingredients in order to eat healthy, and enjoy all the warm spices and pumpkin goodness that autumn offers! So for your next Saturday morning big breakfast, grab a hot cup of coffee and this recipe and you’ll be in fall heaven!

Printable recipe card for Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes:

Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes

If you're looking for a light and fluffy pancake that's full of gut healthy sourdough and tastes like fall, you've found it!

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 3T. melted butter
• 1 (15oz) can of pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2c. cultured buttermilk
• 1/2c. active sourdough starter or sourdough discard
• 1 1/2t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8t. salt
• 2t. baking soda
• 2t. baking powder
• 2T. raw sugar
• 2 1/2c. flour

Instructions

1. The night before you want to make pancakes, combine wet ingredients into a bowl - melted butter, pumpkin, eggs, buttermilk, sourdough starter, and vanilla.
2. Combine dry ingredients into a separate bowl (except for baking soda - the baking soda makes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk to help rise the pancakes, so we will keep this out until we are ready to make them)
3. Gently mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together until they are just combined. You don't want to overmix pancakes because it will make them tough as the gluten in the flour is developed. So as soon as you see it come together, stop.
4. Cover the pancake mixture with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until the next morning. I always write "add 2t. baking soda" to the tight plastic wrap so I don't forget to do that in the morning.
5. When you pull the mixture out of the fridge, add 2t. of baking soda and begin making pancakes.
6. Heat cast iron pan and apply butter liberally.
7. Using a 1/4c measure, put pancakes onto the pan.
8. Once you see bubbles forming and popping on the pancakes, use a spatula to flip them over.
9. When the second side is browned, take them off the pan.
10. Serve with maple syrup (learn how to make it from your maple trees here!), whipped cream, or this amazing cream cheese whipped cream!

Notes

While you can make these pancakes immediately, you get the most health benefit by letting them sit about 8 hours or overnight.

The post How to Make Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes With Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

There’s nothing quite like the cozy flavors of pumpkin wrapped up in a soft, gooey cinnamon roll. These sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls have the tangy depth of sourdough bread. But they also have the rich, spiced sweetness of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice for the ultimate fall indulgence.

If you love homemade cinnamon rolls, this recipe will take your baking to the next level. You’ll love the slight sourdough tang and a melt in your mouth soft texture of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Developing the pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe

I absolutely love a good homemade cinnamon roll. While I’ve used my cinnamon swirl bread to make them, I do find that they aren’t as soft and fluffy as I’d like. They also don’t last as long and they get a bit dry over time.

That’s when I realized that an enriched dough is what would make homemade cinnamon rolls perfection. An enriched dough is one that goes beyond flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter. It adds eggs or butter or milk that enrich the dough and make it softer. Not only is it softer when you first make it, but it stays that way for days!

I made my first round of homemade cinnamon rolls with my enriched challah bread recipe and there was no going back! So it was a natural that when I developed a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe, I would start with my sourdough challah bread recipe and adapt it from there.

I added a little pumpkin puree, some pumpkin pie spice, and a rich tangy brown sugar cream cheese icing gave me everything I needed for a perfect pumpkin treat!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Ingredients you’ll need for sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

To get the best results, gather all your dough ingredients ahead of time. Using a kitchen scale is important for consistent results.

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll dough ingredients:

170g. active sourdough starter

175g. pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. Make sure it’s pumpkin puree)

1t. pumpkin pie spice

90g. honey

75g. avocado oil (or melted butter)

10g. salt

2 eggs at room temperature

500g. bread flour or all purpose flour

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll filling ingredients:

1/4c. softened butter

1/2c. brown sugar

2t. cinnamon

Brown sugar cream cheese icing ingredients:

1 – 8oz package softened cream cheese

3/4c brown sugar, packed

1/2 stick butter, softened

1t. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

pinch of salt

Steps for sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

Feed your sourdough starter:

The day before you want to make your pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, you’ll need to feed your sourdough starter. Pull out 100g. of sourdough starter and feed it with 100g of unbleached flour and 100g of filtered water. Cover it and let it rise until it’s doubled in size.

I normally do this midday and make the dough two hours before I go to bed. That way I can do the stretch and folds before bed and let it rise all night. The next day, I shape them in the morning and I’m ready to go!

Prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine active starter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, honey, avocado oil, salt, eggs and bread flour in a bowl. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until it’s too hard to mix and then use your hands to combine the rest.

This is a stiffer dough and you’ll need to work it in with your hands to get all the dry ingredients combined. If you’re using a KitchenAid, once the dough comes together, use the dough hook attachment for 2 minutes and then let it rest. I leave the dough hook in it and place a wet towel over the bowl.

Stretch and folds:

Over the next 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch and folds about every half hour. To do this, you pull the dough and then fold it over. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do it again until you’ve done it 4-8 times.

Because this is a stiffer dough, I find it hard to do stretch and folds. I ended up pulling the dough ball out of the bowl, stretching it with my hands, then folding it over on itself a few times. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel until the next set.

If you use a KitchenAid, you can just turn on the dough hook on low for 30 seconds for each set of stretch and folds and then just put the wet towel back on it to rest.

Bulk rise:

After your stretch and folds, let the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls rise for 8-12 hours in a warm spot, until doubled in size. I normally make the dough 2 hours before bed so I can let it rise all night and then shape them in the morning.

Alternately, you can make the dough in the morning and let it rise all day. Then shape the cinnamon rolls in the evening.

Roll and fill the homemade cinnamon rolls:

This is the fun part! Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a very lightly floured work surface. I use a plastic bench scraper to help get it all out of the bowl. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a large rectangle. I usually use my rolling pin to measure and make the rectangle as long as my rolling pin.

Spread the softened butter over the surface, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. You can either mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl, or just sprinkle it on evenly.

Roll the dough tightly from the long side into a tight log. Use unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 even rolls.

Place into a greased 9×13 baking sheet or pan. I also love putting them into (2) 8×8 pans with 6 in each pan (3 per half. Then there’s none in the middle and they all cook evenly). It also gives you the opportunity to cook one pan now and put one in the freezer for later!

You can also line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for a bit of easier clean up!

Second rise:

At this point, cover and allow the cinnamon roll dough to rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours before baking. You’ll want them to be puffy and touching each other.

Bake the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sourdough pumpkin rolls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Some people take the internal temperature and make sure it’s 190 degrees.

Make the brown sugar cream cheese icing:

While the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the brown sugar cream cheese icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt.

Using a paddle attachment or whisk attachment, start at a low speed and slowly raise the speed until you get to high. Let it whip for about 5 min., stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides a few times.

It should be super light and fluffy. Spread over the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Storage tips:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in a microwave, or wrap in aluminum foil and heat in a toaster oven or regular oven.

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the perfect treat for pumpkin season! So if you want a soft and gooey treat, these are for you!

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll dough ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 170g. active sourdough starter
• 175g. pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. Make sure it's pumpkin puree)
• 1t. pumpkin pie spice
• 90g. honey
• 75g. avocado oil (or melted butter)
• 10g. salt
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 500g. bread flour or all purpose flour

Sourdough pumpkin cinnamon roll filling ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1/4c. softened butter
• 1/2c. brown sugar
• 2t. cinnamon

Brown sugar cream cheese icing ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 - 8oz package softened cream cheese
• 3/4c brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1t. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Feed your sourdough starter:
The day before you want to make your pumpkin sourdough cinnamon rolls, you'll need to feed your sourdough starter. Pull out 100g. of sourdough starter and feed it with 100g of unbleached flour and 100g of filtered water. Cover it and let it rise until it's doubled in size.

I normally do this midday and make the dough two hours before I go to bed. That way I can do the stretch and folds before bed and let it rise all night. The next day, I shape them in the morning and I'm ready to go!

2. Prepare the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, combine active starter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, honey, avocado oil, salt, eggs and bread flour in a bowl. Mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until it's too hard to mix and then use your hands to combine the rest.

This is a stiffer dough and you'll need to work it in with your hands to get all the dry ingredients combined. If you're using a KitchenAid, once the dough comes together, use the dough hook attachment for 2 minutes and then let it rest. I leave the dough hook in it and place a wet towel over the bowl.

3. Stretch and folds:
Over the next 2 hours, do 4 sets of stretch and folds about every half hour. To do this, you pull the dough and then fold it over. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do it again until you've done it 4-8 times.

Because this is a stiffer dough, I find it hard to do stretch and folds. I ended up pulling the dough ball out of the bowl, stretching it with my hands, then folding it over on itself a few times. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel until the next set.

If you use a KitchenAid, you can just turn on the dough hook on low for 30 seconds for each set of stretch and folds and then just put the wet towel back on it to rest.

4. Bulk rise:
After your stretch and folds, let the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls rise for 8-12 hours in a warm spot, until doubled in size. I normally make the dough 2 hours before bed so I can let it rise all night and then shape them in the morning.

Alternately, you can make the dough in the morning and let it rise all day. Then shape the cinnamon rolls in the evening.

5. Roll and fill the homemade cinnamon rolls:
This is the fun part! Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a very lightly floured work surface. I use a plastic bench scraper to help get it all out of the bowl. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a large rectangle.

Spread the softened butter over the surface, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. You can either mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl, or just sprinkle it on evenly.

Roll the dough tightly from the long side into a tight log. Use unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 even rolls.

Place into a greased 9x13 baking sheet or pan. I also love putting them into (2) 8x8 pans with 3 per half. This way they are able to cook more evenly. It also gives you the opportunity to cook one pan now and put one in the freezer for later!

You can also line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for a bit of easier clean up!

6. Second rise:
At this point, cover and allow the cinnamon roll dough to rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours before baking. You'll want them to be puffy and touching each other.

7. Bake the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sourdough pumpkin rolls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Some people take the internal temperature and make sure it's 190 degrees.

8. Make the brown sugar cream cheese icing:
While the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the brown sugar cream cheese icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and salt.

Using a paddle attachment or whisk attachment, start at a low speed and slowly raise the speed until you get to high. Let it whip for about 5 min., stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides a few times.

It should be super light and fluffy. Spread over the sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Notes

Storage tips:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in a microwave, or wrap in aluminum foil and heat in a toaster oven or regular oven.

If you love pumpkin recipes, this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe will become your new fall favorite! Save this recipe card and enjoy making these warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy weekend treat.

Pin for later:

The post How to Make Spiced Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls appeared first on Little Reasons.

Two things in my home that I’m always trying to use up are overripe bananas, and in the spring, the abundance of rhubarb in my garden! I developed an easy recipe for the most delicious banana bread muffins, so I thought that maybe I could add in tart rhubarb to offset the sweetness of the banana. I was right. It was delicious. The sweet banana and the tart rhubarb pair perfectly!

Banana rhubarb muffins are super fast and use 1 bowl!

One of the best things about these rhubarb banana muffins is that you don’t need to use an electric mixer or a ton of fancy gadgets. You don’t need a separate bowl – one bowl is all you need to create the most delicious, super fast tasty muffin. For some reason, when I don’t have to find beaters for my hand mixer, or drag out my Kitchenaid, I feel so free. Plus it all seems to go so much faster!

Once you get good at whipping these up, you can have them made and out of the oven in 30 minutes flat! When I was developing the recipe, I realized I had a friend coming over and I didn’t have anything to serve her. Within 30 minutes, she was walking in my door and I was pulling these out of the oven. It was amazing. Such a quick bread!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

How do I make banana rhubarb muffins?

Harvest your rhubarb – or buy it!

When is rhubarb season?

I live in Northeast Ohio, so our rhubarb season is in full swing once the end of April hits, and goes through early summer – about June. It’s a sweet season to make all the old fashioned favorites. While you can get rhubarb at other times of the year, I always believe that eating in season tastes best!

If you don’t grow rhubarb, it’s so easy to find at the store or farmer’s market. Many people have friends who are bursting at the seams with fresh rhubarb. As soon as it is picked, the rhubarb plant regrows to pick it all over again a week later! It’s sort of like the zucchini of spring, so people who grow it often have an abundance of rhubarb!

I split my 3 rhubarb plants last year and ended up with a bumper crop from the 3 old plants + the 3 new plants.

How to harvest rhubarb

When harvesting rhubarb, grab the stalk near the ground and gently pull. I was shocked when I realized I didn’t need to cut my rhubarb stalks with a knife! It literally just pulls right out of the ground. It’s amazing. It also seems to help the plant to do it that way. When I used to harvest with a knife, the part I left in the ground ended up rotting. This way, the plant knows the stalk is gone and goes to work producing more.

Once you pull the stalk, cut off the leaves (they are poisonous for humans and animals too) and cut the bottom off. Wash the tart rhubarb and chop it. I used 3 kind of skinny stalks for this recipe and it was perfect amount of chopped rhubarb.

Brown and cool the butter

Browned butter is a secret ingredient in so many baked goods. Basically, you are toasting the milk solids that are in the butter. That gives it a nutty, richer flavor that adds complexity to your baked goods.

I go over how to brown butter in detail in my post on overnight sourdough chocolate chip cookies. So hop on over there to read the detailed description on how to do that. It also has a ton of pictures to show you all the stages of the butter browning.

After the butter is browned, just let it cool a little so it doesn’t cook the eggs when you pour it into the wet ingredients.

I usually use salted butter, but if you use unsalted butter, just make sure you add a pinch of salt into the recipe.

*I think as a dairy alternative, you could swap the melted butter out for coconut oil. It would change the flavor, but would probably do the same job to make these healthy banana rhubarb muffins.

Mash the ripe sweet bananas

I absolutely love recipes where I can use 5 ripe bananas. How many times do you have a ton on hand, but don’t want to make multiple batches of a recipe that only calls for 2 bananas!? This recipe is a great way to use them up when you have a lot on hand!

The bananas I used for these muffins weren’t super overripe, with just a sprinkling of brown spots. I often let my bananas go until they are almost black because the darker they are, the sweetness of the banana is heightened. But these ones worked perfectly well and really offset the tartness of the rhubarb!

When I have ripe bananas and I know I want to use them within a couple days, but don’t want them to attract fruit flies, I normally throw them in the fridge. If I know I want to keep them longer, I will peel them and freeze them in a zip top freezer bag. The best way to do it is to add the amount of bananas you’ll need for a specific recipe all into one bag. It makes it so easy to pull out that bag from the freezer and use it right away!

Just mash them up with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl. This one was passed down from my grandma to my mom, and from my mom to me. I love it!!

Whisk wet ingredients + white sugar

Add the white sugar, vanilla extract, room temperature large eggs, applesauce, and melted butter and whisk really well. (You can see that I take my browned butter pretty far. I was actually worried that this one was burned but it tasted amazing. Whew!). This is your chance to make sure it’s all super incorporated so mix, mix, mix.

You could also use brown sugar for this recipe. I think that would even add more complexity to the flavor! I think even coconut sugar might be a great alternative to refined sugar if you’re looking to swap that out.

Add dry ingredients

I was making these in a huge hurry because we had company coming over, so I completely forgot to sift! Normally, I’d put my metal strainer over the bowl and add my dry ingredients to that and use the whisk to push it all through. That way you make sure all the lumps are out of the dry ingredients.

If you live in a high humidity area like we do in Northeast Ohio, that’s especially important because the flour and baking soda and salt can begin to clump up if they have any humidity in the bag or container.

After you add the flour mixture into the large bowl, you’ll want to whisk it as little as you can to get it all evenly mixed up. Flour contains gluten and when you make bread, you knead it because you want to develop the gluten.

However with cookies or muffins or pancakes, you don’t want that gluten developed because it leads to a tough product. So if you want tender muffins, mix until all the flour is incorporated but then stop as soon as you reach that point.

*As a side note, I often make these with 2c. all purpose flour and 1c. whole wheat flour or whole grain spelt flour and they don’t really taste wheaty at all!

Fold in rhubarb

After I took this photo, I grabbed my rubber spatula and folded in the rhubarb. Again, you want to do this until the rhubarb is throughout the batter, but gently fold it so that it doesn’t overmix the batter.

Put banana rhubarb muffin batter into muffin cups

I use a 24 hole muffin tray like this one and I absolutely love it!! I used to bake in every hole, so I could do 24 muffins or cupcakes all at once. You can totally do that. Or you can do what I did here and alternate the holes to get the higher dome on your muffins. They are so much fluffier and airier that way.

I also think these would be great as mini muffins, but you’ll need to make sure you chop the tart rhubarb really tiny so you don’t get a huge bite in a tiny muffin!

I tend to buy my muffin cups in bulk because we use them a lot around here. These are the cupcake liners I use. I like them in both white and Kraft color. They come in a pack of 500 so I don’t have to think about buying them very often!

My daughter owns a wedding cake and cupcake company, so she tends to use the Kraft color a lot. Isn’t that color of liner absolutely beautiful?

Line the muffin tins and spoon batter in the lined cups until they are about 2/3 full. I use a muffin scoop and it helps me to get them more evenly sized but you can also use a regular spoon. So, just spoon batter into the lined cups. This recipe makes about 22 muffins.

Sprinkle with raw sugar

I love turbinado sugar, or raw sugar sprinkled on top of cupcakes and muffins. It gives it that crunchy top that makes the muffins extra special. I don’t think it adds a ton of sweetness, but you can absolutely back down the sugar in the muffin batter if you’d like to offset the sugar on top.

Bake

I bake these muffins in a 350 degree oven for 19 minutes. Every oven is slightly different and may be a little off, so it gives a different baking time. You might want to keep an oven thermometer in the oven to make sure it’s an accurate temperature.

If you’re not alternating holes in between the muffins, you may have to bake them for a different amount of time. I’d say it will take 16-22 minutes so check them early and then let them go if they aren’t done yet. They are done when you insert a toothpick into them and it comes out clean.

Cool and serve your banana rhubarb muffins

Cool the rhubarb banana muffins on a wire rack. Can you eat these hot? Yes. They’re super yummy that way. However, they tend to stick to the liners a TON when you eat them hot or warm. I find that when I cool them down, they come off the liners really easily.

These rhubarb banana muffins are a perfect balance of sweet and tart. They’re a sweet treat and are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack the whole family will love.

Store these rhubarb banana muffins in an airtight container. They should keep in the sealed container for about a 3-4 days, but they always do better in the fridge. Alternately, you can freeze them and pull them out for a quick breakfast.

Can I make the banana rhubarb muffins in a loaf pan?

Absolutely! Can I tell you a secret? This was originally my go-to recipe for banana bread. I adapted it for muffins. Then I added the rhubarb. So you can certainly make it in a bread pan since that was the original recipe!

You can grease 2 loaf pans and divide the batter between the two. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Banana rhubarb bread!

What are some variations I can make?

Like I mentioned above, this original recipe is my banana bread recipe. So you can absolutely leave out the rhubarb and make it into banana bread or banana muffins. They are delicious.

You can also replace the rhubarb with 1c of mini chocolate chips. I can’t say that they are as healthy as the rhubarb version, but they taste spectacular! Like really, really good.

You could also replace the rhubarb with any berries you had on hand. Blueberries, raspberries, diced strawberries… That would make a fruity muffin that would be so yummy.

How do I store banana rhubarb muffins?

I wait until the banana rhubarb muffins cool completely and then I store them in either a gallon zip top bag, or an airtight container for about 3-4 days. Since this recipe makes 22 muffins, if I’m not making them for company, I’ll take half of them and immediately freeze them in a sealed container for another breakfast or afternoon snack down the road. They store really well in the freezer and taste super fresh and delicious as long as they are airtight.

Can I use frozen rhubarb in these muffins?

I don’t see why not! If you do, I’d put the rhubarb in totally frozen because as it begins to thaw, it gets really watery. So put the rhubarb in frozen and then scoop out the batter and cook them right away. If you feel like the frozen rhubarb made them too moist, you can always omit the applesauce in the recipe the next time you make them. That probably would help to offset it.

Can I cut this recipe in half?

That would work just fine! I’d use 3 small bananas or 2 large bananas if I were to cut this recipe in half. Everything else is pretty easily divided.

That’s it! I hope you absolutely love these muffins as much as we do. I’d love to hear how you like them, and especially any variations you make to them!

Simple One Bowl Banana Rhubarb Muffins

Banana rhubarb muffins are perfection. Soft, moist, a crunchy top, a little sweet, a little tart. You couldn't ask for more!

5.0 Stars (147 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• 5 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 stick of butter, browned
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 cups unbleached white flour (or 2 cups white, 1 cup wheat flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 stalks tart rhubarb, finely diced
• sprinkle of raw sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Brown Butter
Add a stick of butter to a pot that is at least 4x larger than the butter needs (it expands!). Heat the butter and allow it to begin to brown. Brown it for as long as you'd like, but take care that it doesn't burn.

If you'd like to skip this step, just melt the butter like normal and use it that way! The browned butter just imparts a deeper, nuttier flavor.

Allow the butter to cool a little while you begin the next steps.


3. Mash
In a mixing bowl, mash the 5 very ripe bananas with a fork, or a potato masher.


4. Add & Whisk together
Add sugar, browned butter, eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Whisk together until combined. Whisk quickly so the warm browned butter doesn't begin to cook the eggs.


5. Add to wet ingredients
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Whisk until the flour is just combined. You don't want to overmix it because it will work the gluten in the flour and make your muffins tough.


6. Gently fold in
With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the diced rhubarb until combined.


7. Scoop batter
Put cupcake liners in every other hole of the muffin tin. This allows the heat to surround the cup and give the muffins a more domed top. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter. You should be able to make 21-24 muffins.


8. Top
Sprinkle the muffins with raw sugar. This gives the muffins a delicious crunch after they are baked.


9. Bake
Bake at 350 degrees for 19 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out of the center clean.


10. Cool
Cool muffins and enjoy. If you eat the muffins hot (like I often do!), you'll find that the muffin sticks to the bottom of the cupcake liner. Magically, when they cool down, you can peel the wrapper right off!

Pin for Later!

The post Simple Recipe for One Bowl Banana Rhubarb Muffins appeared first on Little Reasons.

Sourdough discard pancakes hit the spot for me! I’m always on the hunt for quick and easy breakfast food that’s healthy and homemade. I love pancakes and waffles so much!!! Just look back at my zucchini chocolate chip pancakes, or my pumpkin waffles or the copycat cinnastack pancakes! I think I have a breakfast obsession.

The crazy thing is that nothing has fueled this obsession more than sourdough! Recently, I am hard pressed to think of what we have for breakfast if it isn’t sourdough toast with an egg, sourdough pancakes, sourdough waffles, sourdough French toast made with old bread. It’s all delicious!

What is sourdough discard?

If you make sourdough bread, you know that the more you feed your starter, the more amazing it becomes! But who needs a fresh loaf of bread everyday? You need to get rid of that sourdough starter somehow, and I’m definitely not going to throw it away! That’s how I developed so many of my sourdough recipes, using the amount other people would simply discard.

Is sourdough good for you?

Sourdough is lower on the glycemic index than it’s typical commercial counterparts. I’m linking to an article here that goes way more into depth than I will. The sourdough starter also seems to break down the phytic acid that binds up nutrients in most breads. Additionally, sourdough might be an option for people who have a gluten sensitivity. My husband, for instance, looks pregnant after he eats gluten. But we eat sourdough products every day and he never ever has an issue with it! It’s amazing! You can read some actual research about that here.

So I’d say that yes, sourdough is good for you. It has a lower glycemic index, it breaks down phytic acid so those nutrients are available to you, and it may even be a great option for people with a gluten sensitivity!

What if I don’t have any sourdough starter?

If you don’t have any sourdough starter, you can make these amazing pancakes that I have loved for years!! However, if you’d like to get started on sourdough, here’s a great checklist that will teach you how to begin your own sourdough starter. It takes a couple weeks to get it going strong, but once you have it, you’ll never have to do that part again!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

The night before

The night before you want to make pancakes, you’ll need to feed your sourdough. I usually use about 100g of starter or less. Then I add 100g of unbleached white flour, and 100g of filtered water. Mix it up and cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and leave on the counter overnight. By the time you wake up it should be all bubbly and beautiful like this!

In the morning

In the morning, gather all your ingredients. This is a really good whole wheat flour that I love. I also love to use my dry container for my Vitamix and grind wheat berries as I need them to make whole wheat flour. I just put 2/3c of wheat berries for every cup of flour I need and then grind on high for 1 minute. It’s super easy!

Combine your starter with the rest of the wet ingredients. Then combine all your dry ingredients.After they are mixed up, you can whisk them together gently until there are no more lumps. Don’t go crazy on this part. A lot of recipes will say mix until “just combined”. Flour has gluten in it which is developed when it is worked. So with pancakes, we like to work the gluten as little as possible.

As soon as it looks like this one below, it’s good to go! You’ll see that immediately the buttermilk will react with the baking soda and start to cause bubbles. That’s what makes these so fluffy and amazing!

Once they are all mixed up, drop about 1/4c. onto a greased skillet for each pancake – this is the one I’m using today and I love it! When starts to dry a little around the edges and you see bubbles that are beginning to pop, check underneath and see if they are brown. If they are, go ahead and flip them. The second side cooks faster, so when it’s golden, and the sides look dry, they are done! These can get pretty fluffy sometimes so I always check the sides to make sure they are done all the way through. That’s it! Your sourdough discard pancakes are done!

Do these taste sour/wheaty from the sourdough and whole wheat flour?

Surprisingly, no! I usually don’t like sourdough that is sour, so I strive to make my sourdough breads and things really neutral tasting. Sourdough definitely adds complexity to the flavor, but it’s not sour at all.

It also does not taste wheaty. One of the ingredients I always have on hand is cultured buttermilk. I know people bake with substitutions like milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice in it, but it doesn’t hold a candle to cultured buttermilk!

You can make your own buttermilk?!?!

I make my own really easily. You mix a 1:3 ratio of milk to buttermilk and leave it on the counter for a full day. I find that once I started making it myself, I always had some on hand. Whenever I get down to the last cup or so, I just make it really quickly and know it will be ready the next day.

As a side note, it does not need to be precise measurements. I put in about 1/4 of a jar of buttermilk and 3/4 of a jar of milk, but I’ve never measured and it always works perfectly fine. It’s kind of funny that you need to have buttermilk to make buttermilk, but it’s basically just like yogurt or kombucha. In order to make it, you need to have a little bit on hand first.

How to make cultured buttermilk:

1. In a quart mason jar, combine 1 cup of cultured buttermilk with 3 cups of whole milk.
2. Put lid on jar and shake well.
3. Set on the counter and set timer for 24 hours.
4. After 24 hours, shake again and store in refrigerator.

What do I top the sourdough discard pancakes with?

I love maple syrup SO much! If you haven’t seen my posts on it, then you don’t know that we tap our own trees for maple syrup. It’s a labor of love and we enjoy the fruit of our labor all year long!

If you don’t have maple syrup on hand, but do have some maple flavoring and sugar, you could make this delicious pancake and waffle syrup rendition that our family has made forever! You could also make this amazing warm caramel buttermilk syrup. It’s SO good!

Another way I like to eat these is put peanut butter or jam on them. It’s an especially great option when you are running out the door in the morning and don’t have time for something messy.

So that’s sourdough discard pancakes! I hope you love them! Have you had any beneficial things come about after eating sourdough? I’d love to hear about it!

Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes

I love how fluffy and light and airy these sourdough pancakes are!

5.0 Stars (148 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• Dry Ingredients
• 1 cup whole wheat or white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon raw sugar
• pinch salt
• Wet Ingredients
• 3/4 cup sourdough starter discard ((fed and bubbly))
• 3/4 cup cultured buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon melted butter or oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients and whisk with a fork.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined. If you overmix it, you can develop the gluten and make tough pancakes.
Butter a cast iron pan or electric skillet.
Pour about 1/4c. batter onto greased pan to form each pancake.
When top is full of bubbles and golden on the bottom, flip pancakes.
Cook 2nd side until it's golden brown.

Pin for Later!

The post How to Make Fluffy Sourdough Discard Pancakes appeared first on Little Reasons.

Waffle toppings – #1:

Warm Caramel Buttermilk Syrup

This warm caramel buttermilk syrup is a welcome addition to your morning breakfast. It mixes up quickly and is impressive as one of your waffle toppings instead of the usual syrup. A deep, rich taste comes from the browned butter and caramely brown sugar flavor. I think you’ll love it!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Browning the butter for your waffle toppings

I honestly think that the super fancy “browned butter” everyone uses came by way of accident. Actually, I’ve turned recipes into a browned butter recipe by forgetting the butter on the burner and realizing it got a bit caramely by accident. The crazy thing is that it imparts a deeper flavor to your baked goods. It’s delicious!

To begin, start with a pot that seems bigger than what you need. The last steps makes it foam up and it can easily pour over the sides of the pot. Start by putting butter in your pot and heating over medium low heat until it starts to turn a light brown and the milk solids begin to drop to the bottom of the pan. That’s it! Simple, huh?

Add the next 4 ingredients

Add all the rest of the ingredients, except the baking soda and vanilla. You’ll put those in at the very end. After adding the brown sugar, corn syrup, buttermilk, and salt to your browned butter, bring it to a boil, whisking constantly.

Be careful on this step!

Remove it from the heat and this is where it gets interesting! Add the baking soda and whisk it the entire time. It will foam up really big, but then it will calm down. After the foam begins to dissipate, you can add the vanilla and you’re done!

Ways to use Caramel Buttermilk Syrup

This waffle topping could be used on so many things! Obviously, the banana nut sourdough waffles shown here are amazing with the Caramel Buttermilk Syrup.

I also think it would be spectacular on my buttermilk whole wheat pancake recipe that is a basic go to for us. This morning, I used left over sourdough to make French toast and topped it with the buttermilk syrup. It was so good! You could also drizzle it over a warm apple pie, or top that fantastic custardy vanilla Costco ice cream with it. The possibilities are endless! Let me know how you use this syrup!

Warm Caramel Buttermilk Syrup

• 1/4 cup browned butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp corn syrup
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Start by choosing a pot that seems to be larger than what you need. The last step will cause the syrup to foam and you'll need the extra room!

2. Brown the butter by adding it to the pot and cooking on medium low heat until the butter is light brown and milk solids begin to fall to the bottom of the pot.

3. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, buttermilk and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and remove from heat.

4. Add the baking soda and whisk as it foams up. The bubbles will begin to dissipate. At this point, you can add the vanilla

Pin for later!

Waffle Toppings – #2

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

Another topping that is simply amazing on both waffles and pancakes is this cream cheese whipped cream. Cream cheese frosting is amazing – but I thought that would be too sweet for breakfast. Homemade whipping cream is also spectacular, but I really wanted the cream cheese flavor that pairs so perfectly with pumpkin. I decided maybe I could combine them with a deeper brown sugar flavor to bring it all together. It really was the perfect combination!

Mixing cream cheese and sugar for your waffle toppings

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure it’s all incorporated. It should be a light tan and whipped beautifully.

Adding heavy whipping cream

Now it’s time to make it soft and fluffy by adding the heavy whipping cream. Beware! If you pour it in all at once, you’ll have lumps and it will also fling the whipping cream all over you! In order to avoid this, I add the whipping cream a little at a time. I start by adding a few tablespoons and turning the mixer on low. Then I add a little more and do the same thing. At about the halfway point, the whipping cream can be added in larger amounts.

Caution: make sure you’re scraping the bowl on the sides and bottom during this process so you don’t have a bunch of cream cheese at the bottom of the bowl. It should look like this after it’s all incorporated. (Notice that I forgot to scrape the bowl *gasp* That may be how I know you’ll get big chunks of cream cheese if you don’t!)

Whipping it

Once it gets to this point, all that is left is to whip it up! I turned my stand mixer on high and it really only took about one minute to finish whipping it to the point of stiff peaks. And that’s all there is to it!

Ways to use Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

The pumpkin sourdough waffles or pancakes are unbelievable with the cream cheese whipped cream! Really, it tastes just like a pumpkin roll! I can’t wait for you to try them!

While I love it as a waffle topping, I think it would also be out of this world on the cinnamon roll pancakes found on my blog in place of the cream cheese drizzle that can sometimes be too sweet. It would pair perfectly with the chocolate chips in my whole wheat zucchini chocolate chip pancakes. I also can’t wait to try it on my mom’s pumpkin bars that remind me of my childhood. Last week I had friend over and we ate it on pieces of pumpkin pie and it may be my new favorite way to top my pie! I can’t wait to hear how you think to use it!

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

• 1 8oz block of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese, vanilla, and brown sugar. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and whip again to ensure it's all incorporated.

2. Add a few tablespoons of whipping cream at a time, mixing on low between additions. Make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as you go.

3. Once you're about halfway through the whipping cream, it will be a consistency that will be easier to add larger amounts at a time.

4. After all the whipping cream is mixed in, raise the level to high and whip for about a minute until it looks like stiff peaks.

Frequently Asked Questions about waffle toppings:

How can I make waffles and also get a chance to sit down to eat too?

I totally get this! I have 3 kiddos and a hubby, so over the years, it’s been very frustrating to make waffles. A few years ago, I invested in a double waffle iron and it has been life changing! I know that sounds dramatic, but I really love waffles! This is one that is similar to the one I have and it’s amazing! Being able to make 2 at a time is really helpful to allow the family to eat together. As a side note, any of these waffle toppings would taste just as good on pancakes.

Do I just have to use these waffle toppings on waffles?

Absolutely not! So many breakfast items would be improved with these toppings! They would be amazing on French toast, pancakes, and especially pie and ice cream!

Pin for later!

The post Unique Waffle Toppings That Will Impress Your Guests appeared first on Little Reasons.

I love to bake sourdough bread and I tend to have extra starter on hand. I don’t like to discard it, so I have spent time figuring out how to use sourdough starter discard. I’ve created sourdough recipes to add the discard to pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, crepes, and now pumpkin sourdough waffles! It’s an excellent way to add a fermentation process that helps to break down the gluten and sugars in the recipe.

Most people feed their sourdough starter before bed, making breakfast a perfect way to use up the sourdough discard the next morning. I tested so many recipes and often the waffles tasted too dense or too bread-like. Once I figured out how to create a fluffy, soft sourdough waffle that was easy to adapt, I was hooked. I actually now prefer sourdough discard waffles over the basic variety!

Now that the temperature has dipped and we are met with crisp mornings, this is the perfect breakfast! The warm fall spices will take your fall mornings to a new level!

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

How to make Pumpkin Sourdough Waffles:

These crispy waffles have a hint of pumpkin pie spice, rich pumpkin flavor, and I think they will quickly be your new fall go to sourdough pumpkin waffle recipe!

The typical way to make waffles is to separate the eggs, whip the egg whites and fold the whipped egg whites in to the completed batter. Unfortunately, those extra steps make it feel like it’s something I can only do on a lazy Saturday morning.

If waffles were as easy as pancakes, I’d make them all the time! I decided to keep these ones basic and see if there was any noticeable difference in the fluffiness. Would you believe that there wasn’t? I am completely convinced that it’s not an essential step, and that you can make the best waffles with just a large mixing bowl and a whisk.

These pumpkin sourdough waffles are full of whole foods – large eggs, whole milk, pumpkin puree, all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour), melted butter, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg…no preservatives and no artificial junk! Just real food for the most important meal of the day!

Wet Ingredients

Begin by mixing the wet ingredients in a large bowl – egg, buttermilk, melted butter, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree. You could also use active sourdough starter if you have some that is fed and bubbly. With this recipe, we are adding the sourdough for additional flavor, not to act as leavening agents. Because of that, you can really use any type of starter you have on hand, whether it’s bubbly active starter or sourdough discard. I just love to make easy sourdough discard recipes so it doesn’t go to waste!

Dry Ingredients

The easiest way to make sure you don’t get clumps of dry ingredients in your waffles is to put them through a sifter into a small bowl and then add them to the wet ingredients. I don’t usually use a sifter, so after I mix my wet ingredients in the large bowl, I set a large mesh strainer over the bowl and whisk my dry ingredients through that strainer directly into the bowl. I find that to be super simple and you won’t have to use a separate bowl.

Whichever way you decide to do it, sift and combine your dry ingredients – brown sugar, salt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin spice. Whisk in with your wet ingredients.

Mixing the pumpkin sourdough waffles

One big tip for making pancakes and waffles light and tender is to not overmix them. All purpose flour has gluten in it that is developed when you work the flour. The reason you knead bread dough is to develop the gluten and help it to rise. With something light and soft like waffles, stirring too much makes them tough. This is the reason you’ll never see me using a mixer to make pancakes or waffles. It is SO easy to overmix by doing that. A side benefit is that you’ll have less to clean up without using a mixer. Win – Win!

Cooking the sourdough pumpkin waffles

Preheat your waffle maker – I use a Belgian waffle maker but you can use any kind! I’ve even heard there is a cast iron waffle maker that is amazing! That would be fun to try!

Once the waffle iron is preheated, spray with nonstick spray or brush with coconut oil. Cook until golden brown. It usually takes me one or two to get the perfect setting on my hot waffle iron. Once they are cooked, you can put them on a baking sheet or cooling rack and place them in a warm oven until they are all done. They are so good warm, but I have to say I’ve eaten many of these room temperature and they’re still delicious!

Toppings

Topping the pumpkin sourdough waffles

These waffles could have a myriad of toppings. You could use the homemade pancake syrup from my blog. Warm maple syrup is always a delicious breakfast option! See how to make your own real maple syrup here! In the posts, I show how we harvest maple syrup from our own trees!

You could also top it with whipped cream, homemade cream cheese topping, or even vanilla greek yogurt. I used a spectacular cream cheese whipping cream and that is for sure one of my favorite toppings. You’ve got to try it – that is what really takes these sourdough pumpkin waffles over the top! A handful of pecans or candied walnuts would definitely not be a bad idea either!

I even think fresh berries or another kind of fresh fruit with whipped cream would be great. They are not really sweet waffles, so you can really experiment with different ways to use your favorite toppings.

Questions about sourdough pumpkin waffles:

Can I make sourdough pumpkin waffle batter in advance?

This is actually the best thing to do when you make these waffles! Because you have baking powder and baking soda as the leavening agents, you don’t need the sourdough to cause the rise, so you can whip up the waffle batter right when you need it. However, sourdough is more beneficial when it has time for the batter ferment. Sourdough discard will start feeding on the flour in the waffle batter and the sourdough begins to eat the sugar and gluten in the batter. The lactic acid bacteria essentially pre-digests the phytic acid in flour, which makes sourdough baked goods easier to digest!

My favorite way to do this is to whip up the sourdough pumpkin waffle batter the night before. I put it in a large mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and give the batter rest time in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, I preheat the waffle iron, spray it with nonstick spray or brush it with coconut oil. Then pour just under a cup of batter on our Belgian waffle iron and a few minutes later we are eating!

The best thing about this method is that breakfast happens as quickly as you can heat the belgian waffle maker!

Can I use something other than pumpkin?

Absolutely! You can replace it with butternut squash puree, sweet potato puree or really any type of winter squash. Those flavors are so similar that you can interchange them without a problem.

I don’t have a waffle iron. Can I use this recipe to make sourdough pumpkin pancakes?

Yes! I tried this as pumpkin sourdough pancakes as I was making them today and they turned out spectacular! I used a cast iron skillet and cooked them in melted butter. They were SO good! I have found that having a double waffle iron on hand allows me to make enough waffles for the whole family really quickly. But you definitely can use this pumpkin waffles recipe as pancakes!

Can I still make these pumpkin spice waffles if I don’t have buttermilk?

I often run out of buttermilk! In waffles, you can use straight milk, but you’ll have to substitute 2t of baking powder for the 1t baking powder + 1t baking soda that is called for in the recipe. The baking soda causes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk, so without it in there, you’ll need to bump up the baking powder portion. Alternately, you can use regular milk, but add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to give it the acidity it needs to cause the reaction.

Can I use whole wheat flour for this?

Not a problem! I often make my pancakes and waffles with whole wheat flour and also with freshly milled wheat or spelt berries. I find that when you use whole wheat with cultured buttermilk (like in my original pancake recipe), it makes it taste less wheaty.

Can I freeze these pumpkin sourdough waffles?

Yes! My favorite way to freeze pancakes and waffles is to put them in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. A few hours later when they are frozen, store them in a zip top bag or airtight container in the freezer. This is the perfect way to freeze them because they don’t stick together! When you’re ready for a delicious breakfast without the work, just pull one of the frozen waffles out and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven. There’s nothing like a quick breakfast that’s also homemade!

So that’s it! I hope you love this pumpkin version of my favorite sourdough waffle recipe. If you’re just starting your sourdough journey, make sure to grab my free quick start sourdough guide for tips. Follow along on my blog for lots of easy sourdough discard recipe ideas. These sourdough pumpkin waffles are truly one of the best results you’ll get from your sourdough discard recipes – soft, spiced, and perfect for this time of year.

Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles

These sourdough waffles taste just like a pumpkin roll!!

No Ratings

Print

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup Sourdough Starter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree ((1/2 of a can))
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

1. Whisk together wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Sprinkle over wet ingredients and whisk until just mixed, taking care not to over mix.
3. Cook in waffle iron, according to manufacturer's instructions.

Notes

Questions about sourdough pumpkin waffles:

Can I make sourdough pumpkin waffle batter in advance?

This is actually the best way to make these waffles! Because you have baking powder and baking soda as the leavening agents, you don’t need the sourdough to cause the rise, so you can whip up the waffle batter right when you need it. However, sourdough is more beneficial when it has time for the batter ferment. Sourdough discard will start feeding on the flour in the waffle batter and the sourdough begins to eat the sugar and gluten in the batter. The lactic acid bacteria essentially pre-digests the phytic acid in flour, which makes sourdough baked goods easier to digest!

My favorite way to do this is to whip up the sourdough pumpkin waffle batter the night before. I put it in a large mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and give the batter rest time in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, I preheat the waffle iron, spray it with nonstick spray or brush it with coconut oil. Then pour just under a cup of batter on our Belgian waffle iron and a few minutes later we are eating!

The best thing about this method is that breakfast happens as quickly as you can heat the belgian waffle maker!

Can I use something other than pumpkin?

Absolutely! You can replace it with butternut squash puree, sweet potato puree or really any type of winter squash. Those flavors are so similar that you can interchange them without a problem.

I don’t have a waffle iron. Can I use this recipe to make sourdough pumpkin pancakes?

Yes! I tried this as pumpkin sourdough pancakes as I was making them today and they turned out spectacular! I used a cast iron skillet and cooked them in melted butter. They were SO good! I have found that having a double waffle iron on hand allows me to make enough waffles for the whole family really quickly. But you definitely can use this pumpkin waffles recipe as pancakes!

Can I still make these pumpkin spice waffles if I don’t have buttermilk?

I often run out of buttermilk! In waffles, you can use straight milk, but you’ll have to substitute 2t of baking powder for the 1t baking powder + 1t baking soda that is called for in the recipe. The baking soda causes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk, so without it in there, you’ll need to bump up the baking powder portion. Alternately, you can use regular milk, but add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to give it the acidity it needs to cause the reaction.

Can I use whole wheat flour for this?

Not a problem! I often make my pancakes and waffles with whole wheat flour and also with freshly milled wheat or spelt berries. I find that when you use whole wheat with cultured buttermilk (like in my original pancake recipe), it makes it taste less wheaty.

Can I freeze these?

Yes! My favorite way to freeze pancakes and waffles is to put them in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. A few hours later when they are frozen, store them in a zip top bag or airtight container in the freezer. This is the perfect way to freeze them because they don’t stick together! When you’re ready for a delicious breakfast without the work, just pull one of the frozen waffles out and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven. There’s nothing like a quick breakfast that’s also homemade!

Pin for Later!

The post The Best Easy Pumpkin Sourdough Waffles with Discard appeared first on Little Reasons.

Bring to a boil.

Boil 3 minutes (this is what mine looked like toward the end of the three minutes).  Remove from heat and add the maple flavoring.  Done!  Can you even believe how easy that was?  My daughter whipped up the pancakes while I was making this and breakfast was on the table in about 15 minutes flat.  From scratch.  Bisquick and Log Cabin don’t stand a chance when you can make your own so quickly and actually know what’s in your food!

*As a side note, the first picture is the amount leftover after 3 little people and I ate one batch of pancakes.  It’s pretty thin when it’s hot, but thickens up as it cools.  I will store mine in the pantry since it’s all shelf stabilized ingredients.  (I don’t have a microwave and cold syrup isn’t appealing to me.)  But I would recommend that you keep yours in the fridge for safety purposes – and because I don’t carry blog liability insurance!  Also, after making pancake syrup, I see first hand why this is a special treat and not a daily thing.  2 cups of sugar?!  Whoa…

[ultimate-recipe id=”2877″]

The post Pancake Syrup appeared first on Little Reasons.