One of the greatest things about maintaining a sourdough starter is baking a fresh loaf of sourdough bread every week. But it also means that you will have excess discard sourdough starter that you may be thinking of throwing out. Instead, use it to make crispy, light and fluffy, savoury chive pancakes. It's a super easy, one bowl, one pan type of recipe.
Ingredients in Savoury Chive Pancakes
These garlicky pancakes are a very popular Chinese street food that are served for breakfast or as a snack. To make them, here is what you will need:
- discard sourdough starter - 300 grams (approximately 1.5 cups)
- water
- egg
- olive oil
- all-purpose flour
- chives - can substitute with green onions or scallions.
- salt
- vegetable oil - or cooking spray oil
How to Make Savoury Chive Pancakes with Sourdough Starter
- Combine ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine discard sourdough starter with water. Add egg and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add flour and combine. The dough should feel quite wet and soft. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Then, add chives and salt into the batter and stir to combine.
- Cook the pancakes. Lightly grease a small non-stick frying pan with vegetable oil, or spray with a little cooking spray oil. Heat over medium heat for 1 minute, then pour ½ cup (110 grams) of the batter to the hot pan. Swirl the pan to spread the batter so that it covers the surface. Cook the pancake cook until golden brown, about one minute, and then flip to cook for other side for one more minute. Repeat this step with remaining batter.
- Serve. Cut pancakes into small triangle pieces using a pizza cutter or knife. Serve on its own or with a side of peanut butter dipping sauce or hot sauce.
Tips for Making the Best Chive Pancakes
- What is the texture like? The texture of these pancakes are soft, light and fluffy. For a denser pancake that is more crepe-like, use ¼ cup of water in the recipe instead.
- Make them crispier. You can make these pancakes crispier by cooking each side for an extra minute. Just make sure to keep a close eye on them so that they don't burn. There is a very fine line between super crispy and burned, and you don't want to cross it.
- How to serve chive pancakes. Chive pancakes are a popular Chinese street food that are normally served for breakfast or as a snack. They are best served immediately after cooking. Once they cool down, they loose some of their crispiness.
- How to freeze chive pancakes. To freeze, tightly wrap the pancakes individually in aluminum foil, place them into a large ziploc bag or sealable container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply pop into the toaster, air fryer, or 350 F oven for a few minutes.
More Sourdough Recipes
- Small Batch Sourdough Bread
- How to Make a Sourdough Starter
- Artisan Green Olive Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Twist Bread
- Seeded Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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Savoury Chive Pancakes with Sourdough Starter
- Total Time: 41 minutes
- Yield: 3 medium-sized pancakes
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Don't let your sourdough starter go to waste, use your discard to make this easy one bowl recipe for crispy, light and fluffy, savoury chive pancakes.
Ingredients
- 300 grams discard sourdough starter (approximately 1.5 cups)
- ½ cup water
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil or cooking spray oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine discard sourdough starter with water. Add egg and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add flour and stir well to combine. The dough should feel quite wet and soft. Let it rest for 30 minutes. A blend of flour and water provides fuel to feed your hungry starter, which makes the pancakes fluffy.
- Add chives and salt into the batter and stir to combine.
- Lightly grease a small non-stick frying pan with vegetable oil, or spray with a little cooking spray oil. Heat over medium heat for 1 minute, then pour ½ cup (110 grams) of the batter to the hot pan. Swirl the pan to spread the batter so that it covers the surface. This method gives the pancakes a thin, crusty texture.
- Cook the pancake until golden brown, about one minute, and then flip to cook for other side for one more minute. Repeat with the remaining batter to make more pancakes.
- Cut pancakes into small triangle pieces using a pizza cutter or knife. Serve on its own or with a side of peanut butter dipping sauce, chilli dipping sauce, or hot sauce.
Notes
The texture. The texture of these pancakes are soft, light and fluffy. For a denser pancake that is more crepe-like, use ¼ cup of water in the recipe instead.
Crispiness. You can make these pancakes crispier by cooking each side for an extra minute. Just make sure to keep a close eye on them so that they don't burn. There is a very fine line between super crispy and burned, and you don't want to cross it.
How to serve. Chive pancakes are best served immediately after cooking. Once they cool down, they loose some of their crispiness. You can reheat by popping into the toaster oven or air fryer.
How to freeze. To freeze, tightly wrap each pancake individually in aluminum foil, place them into a ziploc bag or sealable container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply pop into the toaster, air fryer, or 350 F oven for a few minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes (+30 minutes wait time)
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Dim Sum
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Keywords: chive pancakes, sourdough starter, sourdough discard, scallion pancakes, chinese pancakes
TAM LEE says
This sounds great. Do you have an idea for what could be used in place of the egg?
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Hi Tam, I have never tried using an egg substitute in this, but a common thing to use is flax seeds. Simply mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water. Let it rest in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to thicken up. Since I have not tried it, I cannot comment on exactly how it will turn out. Let me know if you try it.
wendz says
i made them today for lunch! SOOOO GOOD!!! Thank you!
Will try making them with kimchi soon 😀
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
So glad you like the recipe! Oooh this would be so good with kimchi! I will have to try it too.
Marisa F. Stewart says
I'm truly grateful for this recipe. I have two sourdough starters in the fridge and I HATE the thought of throwing any of it away. This will really use up some of it. I can't wait to taste the pancakes. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Oh that makes me so happy 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Cory Varga says
I've been looking for ways to use my sourdough when not making bread. This is great, thank you!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Happy to help! Let me know if you make it 🙂
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Yum! I hope it's breakfast already! This savoury chive pancakes with sourdough starter looks really tasty and satisfying! My wife will love this.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
It's SO good! Let me know if you make it for her!
Leslie says
Sign me up for these savory pancakes! They look amazing!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you!