Quick and Easy Sourdough Discard Crepes Recipe

These Sourdough discard crepes are sure to please the whole family. An easy to follow recipe for delicious and tender crepes with crispy edges, and toppings to suit any palette.

These have become a family favorite and weekly tradition in our home. With seven mouths to feed(including a teenager!) I always double the recipe. I love that they are made with simple ingredients and are fully fermented. My kids love that they can add their own choice of fillings.

What is sourdough starter discard?

Sourdough starter is a mixture of flour and water that hosts wild yeast and good bacteria. It is used to naturally leaven bread, giving it a wonderful texture and flavor. In order to maintain the starter it is fed with fresh flour and water. Depending on the bakers preferred way of maintaining this starter, they can end up with excess discard. Check out this post if you need to start a sourdough starter.

Since I bake sourdough bread a few times a week, I keep my sourdough starter on the counter and feed it daily. I like to create a separate jar for my leaven(a starter that is prepared to be used in bread). That way I don’t accidently use the whole starter in bread and have to restart my starter. This means I accumulate a lot of discard. Depending on how you use your starter and your feeding method you may not accumulate discard like I do. This recipe works with both sourdough starter discard and active starter.

Fermentation Process

People come to sourdough for a variety of reasons. Some for the amazing taste and texture and others for the health benefits, such as being easier to digest and lower on the glycemic index. In order to reap these benefits the flour needs to have gone through the fermentation process.

Many discard recipes use the addition of discard to add a unique flavor and moisture but still contain added flour that has not had the time needed to ferment. With this crepe recipe you are using already fully fermented starter, unless you add additional flour. More on that further down.

What is a crepe?

French crepes are a thin pancake. The batter is made from flour, eggs, milk, salt and butter. If desired, sugar can be added for a sweet crepe. Since there is no leavening agent they are not fluffy like regular American pancakes, but instead rather thin and delicate. This French-style pancake is then usually served with either sweet or savory toppings and rolled up or folded over to make a triangle.

Toppings ideas

I love to offer a large assortment of topping to use. Here is a short list of what our family has enjoyed, but truly the list is endless.

Sweet fillings

• Chopped bananas
• Chopped strawberries (or really any fruit)
• Thawed frozen berries of your choice
• Grated chocolate or mini chocolate chips (to me the smaller the better so they will melt)
• Nut butter 
• Nutella (or a Homemade chocolate hazelnut spread)
• Icing sugar
• Maple syrup
• Cinnamon and sugar
• Whipped cream, see below for simple directions.

Savory fillings

• Sauteed mushrooms
• Sautéed spinach(or other greens)
• Sauteed greens
• Bacon
• Ham
• Eggs and salsa
• Cheese

Simple homemade whipped cream.

• 1 cup Heavy cream or whipping cream
• 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup(or preferred sweetener)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract(if desired, optional)

Place cream in a medium bowl. Beat using a handheld mixer until cream starts to thicken. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract if using. Continue to beat until soft to medium peaks have formed. Careful to not over beat.

Preparing the batter

To start, gather all your ingredients and cooking utensils. I like to use the Danish dough whisk for most of my baking. For cooking the crepes you will either need a cast-iron skillet, crepe pan or something similar. I like to cook mine on an electric lefse grill I have and it does a great job.

Ingredients(see full recipe below)

• 1 cup sourdough starter or discard
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 2 tbsp melted butter, can be substituted with your choice of neutral oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup(optional, for a sweet crepe)
• Pinch of salt
• all-purpose flour(or your flour of choice), as needed
• Milk, as needed
• Oil for brushing skillet

Preparing active starter if you don’t have discard

If I plan to make the crepes for breakfast I would prepare the starter the evening before.

• 100 grams(approximately 1/2 cup) water
• 100 grams(approximately 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• 20 grams (approximately 2 tbsp) sourdough starter

Stir all ingredients together well, and loosely cover with a lid. I like to use weck jars with the rubber ring removed, and the lid sitting loosely on top. Allow to sit in a warm place (70-80 degrees F/21-26 degrees C) overnight or for 8-12 hours depending on the temperature of the room. It will at least double in size. It’s ok if the starter has risen and fallen.

Mixing the batter

Add your sourdough starter, eggs, maple syrup and salt to a large bowl. If you are making savory crepes you may wish to skip the maple syrup. Whisk ingredients together. While stirring, pour in melted butter. If your starter or eggs were cold from the fridge the butter may begin to solidify, forming small lumps of butter, they will melt during cooking. Stir together thoroughly.

Batter consistency

You want a fairly thin batter. Depending on your preference and on how thick your starter is you may need to add a little bit milk to thin out the batter or flour to thicken it. However adding flour now would result in a crepe that isn’t fully fermented.

Thinning the batter

To thin the batter it’s as simple as slowly adding milk(or water), and stirring until you are happy with the consistency. How much milk is needed will depend on what is happening with your starter, which will be different each time you use it.

Thickening the batter

I always find this batter thick enough that I don’t need to add flour. That may not be the case for everyone though. Adding flour at this point will result in a crepe that is not fully fermented. If that is okay with you, slowly add 1/2-1 tablespoon of flour at a time until you are happy. If you want to keep it fully fermented you will want to focus on creating a thicker starter.

Creating a thick starter

If you are finding your sourdough starter really thin but you’re not wanting to add additional flour there are a couple things you can try. 

To start, make sure your starter is thick to begin with. When you mix your starter you want it to be a thick pancake batter consistency or slightly thicker. This is so once you add your eggs, butter, and maple syrup no additional flour is needed. Using a 100% hydration sourdough starter as described above in this post is a good place to start. When you are stirring up your sourdough starter, if you think it feels on the thin side add some extra flour. This will ensure no extra flour is needed later and so your crepes will remain fully fermented. 

As your starter ferments it will thin out. How much it thins out and how quickly depends on a lot of factors. Everything from the temperature of your water, the temperature of the room, and the type of flour you are using. As it rises it will be thick, airy, and active with lots of bubbles. Once it has eaten through the available sugars it will start to fall back down and thin out. If you catch your starter before it has fallen completely it should result in a thicker sourdough starter discard.

Cooking the crepes

Heat up a cast iron skillet or crepe pan to medium heat. I also like to cook mine on an electric lefse griddle. I usually get a couple cast iron pans and the lefse grill going to make the cooking go faster. Pouring the batter into a cold skillet will cause it to stick, so allow the pan to heat up.

Using a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of oil to the bottom of the pan. Using a small ladle(about a 1/4 cup of batter) pour your first crepe in the center of the pan. Immediately after pouring, pick up the skillet and slowly swirl it around in a circle, allowing the batter to spread out. Alternatively using the back of the ladle in a circular motion to help spread the batter out. Occasionally your first crepe may not turn out perfectly but will still be tasty.

Once you see bubbles on top, the crepe is mostly cooked through, and the first side is light golden brown, flip the crepe. Continue cooking an additional minute or two, until golden brown on the second side. If the crepes are burning, turn the heat down to medium-low heat. Place the crepe on a baking sheet in the oven set to the lowest possible temperature to stay warm.

Repeat steps 3 & 4 until the batter is used up. 

Add your choice of fillings, roll up and enjoy.

Tell me in the comments below, what are your favorite toppings for crepes?

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