What better way to start off the weekend than with Amish Friendship Bread sourdough pancakes, fresh off the griddle? This recipe is light, fluffy, and a fast favorite.
A lot of people in the Friendship Bread Kitchen have made these, all with great results. It’s one of the best ways to use up excess starter in a pinch. The recipe makes a lot, but you’ll want to keep an eye on it since they will brown quickly.
Jason Wallace used his to make pancake breakfast sandwiches, made with scrambled eggs, sausage links, and cheese, then generously topped with maple syrup.
Amish Friendship Bread Pancakes
What better way to start off the weekend than with Amish Friendship Bread sourdough pancakes, fresh off the griddle? This recipe is light, fluffy, and a fast favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Amish Friendship Bread Starter
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine starter, oil, milk and egg.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the starter mixture in the center. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium until incorporated.
- Spoon batter onto a skillet or a greased griddle over medium heat. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until gently browned on the other side.
- ENJOY!
Notes
Add 1 cup fresh or thawed blueberries, strawberries, or bananas. Add before flipping pancakes over.
From K Brown: “Add cinnamon chips before flipping the pancakes. These turn out light and fluffy.”
From Shari:”For a whole-grain variety, use whole wheat flour, rolled oats, and wheat germ with added vanilla and cinnamon.”
Have you made this?Mention @friendshipbreadkitchen or tag #friendshipbreadkitchen!
>> Have you tried this? Share your best pic with us or leave a comment below and let us know how it worked for you!
I mixed just a little sugar and cinnamon into mine. They were by far the best pancakes I have ever had. Light fluffy milt in your mouth sweetness that still had a bite to the outside. My daughter said umm the entire meal then came and gave me a thank you and hug after she was done. Its to bad they use so much starter, but they are worth it.
Hi can I mix it the night before and make the pancakes in the morning? I’m a mom of 9 trying to get breakfast faster ready😉
I’m very new to this – what day of the 10 day cycle can I use the starter? Does it need to be fed within a certain period of time before making this?
Hi i always use it, almost every day, just leave it after feeding to the next day to get active
I love buckwheat pancakes but haven’t found one without using part all purpose flour and some kind of yeast starter. I have been keeping my amish friendship bread starter in a glass jar to use when I need a loaf of friendship bread to give to a friend or when my husband is craving a loaf. I found your pancake recipe and decided to try it with buckwheat flour instead of all purpose flour. They turned out amazing. Not dry at all, infact the first pancake I dressed with butter and syrup like I would a regular pancake. By the second pancake, I only needed butter. The pancake was so flavorful and moist no syrup was required, infact I will just use fruit the next time I make them. I will be trying more of your recipes as I am sure many will become regulars in our kitchen.
Hi Suzee! Thanks for sharing your experience. That sounds delicious! We’re glad you were able to adjust the recipe to work for you. ❤️
How well do these freeze after being made?
We haven’t tried freezing these pancakes before, Mary, but they should freeze fine! Here’s a tutorial on freezing different AFB recipes that may help you decide how you want to freeze them: https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/tutorial-freezing-amish-friendship-bread-cookies-cakes/
Made these for breakfast- for- dinner earlier this week. They turned out great! These are quite different from our usual SOUTHERN buttermilk pancakes, but they are tender and tasty, and a great way to get rid of that excess starter sitting on the kitchen counter. Thanks for all of the great recipes!
We just loved these pancakes. I used to make sourdough pancakes and these are better; a little sweeter. 9yo grandson commented that there was a smell of whiskey (lol) but he liked them also.
LOL, thanks for sharing, Janet! Glad that the whole family enjoyed them!
I love how easy and simple this recipe is and its a great way to use up extra starter. I’ve used this recipe a few times now but I’ve never managed to get 24 pancakes out of the batch. I used a 1/2 cup scoop and made ~12 fluffy pancakes that were 3-4″ in diameter. It does work out well for my family of two.
That sounds delicious, Soley! And yes, we love those recipes where you can use up extra starter! Thanks for sharing!
These pancakes are so sweet… the flavor is amazing. They do brown quickly so keep an eye on when to flip. Will definitely make these again.
So glad you enjoyed them, Julie! Thanks for the tip, too!
Delicious! I added a tsp of vanilla and cinnamon and they are so good!
Yay! So glad it worked out, Courtney! Feel free to share photos the next time you make this on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amishfriendshipbread/
Is it normal that these taste like pretzels?
These are so yummy! Doughnie Louisa was getting out of control and I really needed to use her up. This recipe, using 2 cups, was a great choice. My family really loved them too. Next time, I’m going to add bananas or blueberries. If you like pancakes and need to use up some of your starter, you gotta try this recipe. It’s a very quick and simple recipe with great results.
I want to make the pancakes for vacation next week. I have 1 cup day 2 starter on my counter and 3 cups frozen. Can I use what’s on my counter and feed on day 6 then make the pancakes or should I freeze it to and pull out next week and treat as day 10
Either will work, Teryl!
They do taste really good, but mine always come out flat. They are never fluffy/thick looking like some of the pictures. Any suggestions? Last time I made sure all my ingredients were fresh and it still didn’t make a difference.
Hi Karly! If your baking soda and baking powder are fresh and you’re using the correct ratios, then there are several other factors that could be causing this. Be sure not to over-mix your pancake batter. Over-mixing is one of the primary reasons baked good can be tough and thick. You could also try letting the batter rest before it goes on the griddle (15-30 minutes) or whipping your eggs separately from the rest of the batter. Hope this helps!
Very yummy and quick to whip up! They made the whole house smell delightful too. We’ve made these four or five times. Sometimes I add chocolate chips or flavor extracts. They certainly have a strong tang but it complements the sweetness of the pancakes really well.
My question is–if I freeze a cup of starter when I thaw may I use that in recipes or do I need to use it and begin again the 10 day starter? Just started this. I made the Friendship Cinnamon muffins after my first 10 day starter was finished and we loved them. But as retired couple we don’t eat much (or need to) and I can only freeze so much. I guess I can give food away. Thanks for any tips or help. Brenda
Hi Brenda! When you thaw a cup of frozen starter, you have a couple of options:
1. Treat it like it’s Day 1: Run through the 10 days as if you had received your starter from another person.
2. Treat it like it’s Day 6: Add one cup sugar, one cup milk and one cup flour. Squish for the next four days and then follow the directions for Day 10.
3. Treat it like it’s Day 10: Bake once the starter is thawed, about three to six hours.
4. Treat it like it’s Day 10: Bake once the starter is thawed, about three to six hours, add 1 ½ cup each sugar, milk and flour. Mix well then divide into 1 cup bags to give away (or re-freeze). Continue following the instructions for baking.
Basically, you can just bake with it, or you can feed it and continue on the ten day cycle. To learn more about freezing/thawing starter, you can read our “Reviving Frozen Amish Friendship Bread Starter” tutorial here. So glad that you enjoyed the Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Muffins. Happy baking!
Thanks for sharing this. These were the best pancakes I ever made so yummy.
These would be great to make over Christmas while my daughter is home. Hopefully an old friend will be able to join us too.
I plan to use my Friendship Bread starter to make these pancakes for my son-in-law Max and for my hubby Bill. I know that the starter will contribute a delicious kick to the usually bland pancakes.
My family loves pancakes and this will be a nice variation on what we do now.
I am going to do this right now with my First batch of starter for the season and i am looking forward the yummyness 🙂
Can 1/2 c buttermilk substitute for the 1/2 c milk?
We all know how yummy buttermilk pancakes are but maybe it’ll cause “too much activity”?
Hi Bob, thanks for your question. Yes, you can swap this 1:1 and it’ll be just fine. The extra lactic acid will boost the sourdough flavor. Snap a picture if you make it — we’d love to see how it turns out!
These are my favorite pancakes! I add a little vanilla & coconut flavoring. They’re so good I don’t even need syrup. I also love them with thinly sliced banana.
I they also freeze well & do great in the toaster for the re-heat.
You should definitely try them.
This will likely be the first recipe I make with the starter. My mom used to have a starter recipe, back when I was a kid, that was very similar, if not the same. It was called “Herman.” Herman made the absolute best pancakes and I have missed them. They were my favorite!
Loved these pancakes! Topped with blueberries and crumbled bacon…yum!
Made these this morning with a little cinnamon and vanilla. Very tasty without any toppings but great with homemade chokecherry syrup.
this looks like the sourdough pancakes I used to love making and eating
Just made a big batch of these to use up my extra starter and I plan to freeze them for quick breakfasts! Snuck a few tastes and they are great! I used fresh-ground whole wheat flour and they have a lovely texture and taste.
Ha, I have Herman hiding right here in my fezeerr. I wrote half a post about Saving Herman about six months ago and never finished it. Have to say, he was in very poor health when he came to visit me and the medication that was advised was baking powder. Baking powder? So I tried to get him to be a healthy friendship cake and turning him into a real leaven starter. Only thing is I forgot about him until now oops!
Can this be made on any day of the cycle? Should I do the Day 10 feed before getting the 2 cups of starter or after?
Hi Christina! This should help with knowing when to bake with your starter: https://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/faq-how-soon-can-i-bake-use-my-amish-friendship-bread-sourdough-starter/
Burnt my first batch and used starter from day 8 and they still turned out amazing! I added almond extract! Yummy!
My family loved these pancakes. They were light and fluffy. The only thing I changed was adding cinnamon chips to the pancakes before I flipped them.
tried some different things pancakes are good . I have the book read it shared it and may read it again soon. can’t wait till the next book comes out and the web site is wonderful lots of good ideals.
These look yummy
Wow . . . pancakes; hadn’t thought of pancakes with the starter. Thanks