Carrot Cake Sourdough Pancakes
My latest entry in the 'dessert pancakes for breakfast' is a slightly more unusual one--carrot cake. A co-worker shared her Carrot Cake inspired smoothie with me, knowing it would get my cogs turning. It did! This is my same basic sourdough/buckwheat pancake recipe with some additional ingredients including shredded carrot and raisins so you can have the flavor of Carrot Cake with all the nutrition and none of the junk of an actual dessert.
I achieved something truly remarkable this past weekend. In spite of the haters telling me it was impossible, I managed to clog the washing machine by losing an entire pillow case in it. Per online research it would appear that the most common item to clog a washing machine is an errant sock. Too simplistic for me. It's been done too many times. I had to come up with something original. So, while I was making these pancakes, someone else was taking the washing machine apart, and got repaid for their efforts with a delicious breakfast.
If you've never cooked while repeatedly saying "I'm so sorry, I have no idea how that happened" I really recommend you try it. Also, if you ever need to take apart a top loading washing machine, I know someone who just learned how to do it. So really everyone came out a winner. I'm fielding suggestions of what I should try to break next, so if you have any inventive ideas feel free to share them. I can also vouch that these pancakes are tasty enough to help someone momentarily forget that you are the reason they spent their morning fixing something that they did not break. Read on to learn how to make these for yourself!
What You Need:
1 Cup Sourdough Starter, Fed
1/2 Cup Buckwheat Flour
Up to 3/4 cup water (This depends on the state of your starter. If it's liquidy, you'll need less, but if it's more dense you will need the whole thing.)
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cup grated carrot + more for garnish
1/2 cup raisins + more for garnish
1/2 cup walnuts + more for garnish
Honey/Agave for pouring on top
Directions:
Step One: Put a pan over medium heat on your stove top. I use my cast iron skillet, which works well. Because it is cast iron I do keep it seasoned with oil, which I recommend because like all pancakes, these will stick to the pan surface.
Step Two: Mix all of your ingredients into a batter, including the carrot, raisins & walnuts. With the water, just add a little at a time until you have a thick batter. You don't want it to be chunky, but you also don't want it to be too thin. It should stick to the spoon as you stir. If you feel like you went overboard and it is too thin, just add a tablespoon more of buckwheat flour. Leave the mixture to sit for about five minutes to combine. It will start to bubble as the sourdough starts activating.
Step Three: Ladle batter onto the heated pan into circles with about a four inches circumference. They will spread a little. Let them get bubbly and look a little crispy on the edges.
Step Four: Once your edges look crispy, flip! Wait another few minutes and pull this batch off the pan and start with another set.
Step Five: I garnished these with more carrot, raisins and walnuts. We also just used honey on top instead of anything more substantial as there is a lot going on with the flavors already
I keep my pancakes warm by putting a plate in the microwave for two minutes. Once the first batch of pancakes is done I put them on the plate in the microwave so they stay warm until we are ready to eat!
This recipe makes about 9-10 pancakes, which is enough for two hungry people. Increase or decrease accordingly.
