These sourdough discard pancakes are thin, tender and built to be rolled — the Norwegian way, not the stacked American way. They use up a whole cup of unfed starter in a batter that comes together in five minutes, with a little whole wheat flour for flavor. And because there’s no sugar in the batter, the same stack works with jam and powdered sugar at breakfast or cheese and ham at lunch.

Thin sourdough discard pancakes stacked on a plate, folded and dusted with powdered sugar

Sourdough Discard Pancakes (Thin Norwegian Pannekaker)

Thin sourdough discard pancakes in the Norwegian style — lacy, tender and made to roll around jam, not stack under syrup.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Resting 30

Total Time 1 5

Servings: 14 pancakes

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Norwegian, Scandinavian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Batter

4 large eggs
500 ml whole milk 2 cups + 2 tbsp
200 g sourdough discard ¾ cup + 1 tbsp
80 g all-purpose flour ⅔ cup
75 g fine whole wheat flour ⅔ cup, sifted whole wheat; see Notes for substitutes
30 g salted butter 2 tbsp

To serve — sweet (as pictured)

strawberry or raspberry jam
powdered sugar for dusting
fresh berries optional

Equipment

Digital kitchen scale Thin batter is all about ratios — We weigh everything, and it's the one tool we'd buy first.
Balloon whisk Whisk the liquids before the flour goes in and you'll never need a blender for this batter.
10-inch nonstick crêpe pan Low sides let you swirl the batter thin and slide the pancake straight out.
Ladle (¼ cup / 60 ml) One level ladle per pancake keeps them the same thickness — the whole stack cooks evenly.
Thin turner / offset spatula Thin pancakes tear if you dig at them. A thin edge slides under cleanly.

Method

Make the batter

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in the milk and the sourdough discard. Getting the liquids fully combined first is what keeps the batter lump-free later.
Add both flours. Whisk just until smooth — a few seconds is enough. The batter should be thin, like heavy cream.
Whisk in the melted butter.
Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Don't skip this (see Notes).

Cook the pancakes

Heat a 10-inch nonstick or carbon steel pan over medium heat and add a small knob of butter. The pan is ready when the butter foams but doesn't brown immediately.
Stir the batter once — it separates a little as it rests. Pour in about ¼ cup (60 ml), lift the pan off the heat and swirl so the batter runs out to the edges in a thin, even layer.
Cook for 1 to 1½ minutes, until the edges lift and lace slightly and the underside is golden. Flip and cook 30 to 45 seconds more.
Slide onto a plate and stack them as you go — the steam keeps them soft and pliable. Wipe a little more butter into the pan between pancakes.

Serve

Fold each pancake into quarters, or spread with jam and roll it up. Dust with powdered sugar and add berries if you have them. Serve warm.

Notes

Chef’s tip — the 30-minute rest is the whole recipe. It gives the flour time to hydrate fully and lets the gluten relax, which is the difference between pancakes that roll and pancakes that tear. It also lets the whole wheat soften, so you get the flavor without any grittiness.

Discard browns faster. The acidity in sourdough discard speeds up browning, so keep the heat a touch lower than you would for a regular pancake batter — medium, not medium-high.

Flour swap. Fine whole wheat flour (sammalt hvete, fin) is what we use. Regular whole wheat works; sift it and expect a slightly heartier pancake. You can also use all all-purpose flour for the palest, most delicate version.

Discard hydration. This assumes a 100% hydration starter (equal flour and water by weight). A stiffer discard will make a thicker batter — thin it with a splash more milk until it coats the back of a spoon and runs off easily.

Make ahead. The batter keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days and actually improves — it gets a little tangier. Whisk and thin with milk before using. Cooked pancakes keep 3 days in the fridge, stacked and wrapped, or freeze with parchment between them.

No sugar, no added salt. There’s no sugar in this batter and no salt beyond what’s in the salted butter, which is deliberate. The discard already brings the flavor, the sweetness belongs in what you put on top, and it means one batter serves both a sweet breakfast and a savory lunch without any adjustment. If you only have unsalted butter, add a pinch of fine salt — about ⅛ teaspoon.

Savory fillings. The batter needs no changes — there’s no sugar in it. Grated cheese and ham folded in while the pancake is still hot in the pan; smoked salmon, sour cream and dill; sautéed mushrooms and thyme; spinach and feta. One batch of batter covers a sweet breakfast and a savory lunch.

Thin, not fluffy — what makes these different

Norwegian pannekaker are closer to a crêpe than to a diner pancake. There’s no baking powder and no leavening at all, which is exactly the point: the batter is loose, you swirl it thin across the pan, and you get something soft enough to fold or roll around a spoonful of jam.

That also makes them the ideal home for sourdough discard. Discard brings acidity and depth but no lift, which is a problem in fluffy pancakes and a gift here. You get real sourdough flavor with none of the compromise.

There’s also no sugar in the batter, and no salt beyond what’s in the butter. That’s on purpose. The tang of the discard is the flavor you want to taste, and the sweetness belongs on top — jam, powdered sugar, berries. It also means one batter covers both breakfast and a savory lunch.

Getting the batter right

The batter should be noticeably thinner than you expect — around the consistency of heavy cream. If it coats the back of a spoon and runs off cleanly, you’re there. Too thick and you’ll get a thin American pancake instead of a proper pannekake.

Whisk the eggs, milk and discard together before any flour goes in. Do it in that order and the batter comes out smooth with a hand whisk in about ten seconds. Add the flour to a wet mix that isn’t fully combined and you’ll be chasing lumps.

Then let it rest for 30 minutes. This is the one step worth being strict about: the flour hydrates, the gluten relaxes, and the whole wheat softens. Skip it and the pancakes tear when you try to fold them.

Cooking them without tearing

Three things matter in the pan:

Medium heat, not high. Sourdough discard browns faster than a plain batter. If the first pancake goes dark before the edges set, drop the heat.
Swirl off the heat. Pour the batter in, lift the pan, and tilt it in a circle so the batter runs to the edges before it starts to set. Back on the heat once it’s even.
Wait for the edges. When the rim lifts away from the pan on its own, it’s ready to flip. Go early and it will stick and tear.

Stack them on a plate as they come off the pan. The trapped steam keeps them soft and easy to roll.

How to serve them

Because the batter is unsweetened, one recipe covers two entirely different meals. Cook the whole batch and let people go either direction.

Sweet

The classic Norwegian way is jam and sugar: spread strawberry or raspberry jam across the pancake, roll it into a cigar, and dust it with powdered sugar. Fresh berries if you have them.

Beyond that: brown sugar and lemon, sour cream and jam, apple compote in autumn, or a Nordic favorite — a thin slice of brunost, the caramelized Norwegian brown cheese, melted into a warm pancake.

Savory

Nothing needs to change in the batter. Fold in grated cheese and ham while the pancake is still hot in the pan, or fill them with smoked salmon, sour cream and dill. Sautéed mushrooms and thyme make a good autumn lunch. Spinach and feta works too.

This is the part most sourdough discard pancake recipes can’t do — a sweetened batter fights every savory filling you put in it.

Sourdough Discard Pancakes (Thin Norwegian Pannekaker)