Campground Sourdough Pancakes

Campground sourdough pancakes are the classic camping breakfast, the kind any backpacker or river runner who carries a sourdough starter into the backcountry comes home talking about. Two cups of active, bubbly starter brings the leavening and flavor, with all-purpose flour, eggs, and a teaspoon of baking soda finishing the lift right before the pancakes hit the griddle.

Cooking these in bacon drippings on a hot cast-iron griddle is the move that anchors them firmly in camp-cookbook territory. The smoky pork fat against tangy sourdough, plus fresh-picked berries and maple syrup, is the kind of breakfast that ruins you for IHOP forever.

A hot griddle is essential for the lacy crispy edges sourdough pancakes are known for. Test it by flicking water across the surface. Drops should dance and evaporate quickly, not sit and steam.

Pro Tips

• Feed the starter the night before with equal parts flour and water. A sluggish, hungry starter makes flat, dense pancakes regardless of the baking soda.
• Add the baking soda last and gently. The soda reacts with the starter’s natural acid the moment they meet, building the bubbles you want preserved on the griddle.
• Don’t flip too soon. Wait for bubbles to rise to the surface and stay open, plus the edges to look set. Sourdough pancakes are more delicate than buttermilk and tear if rushed.
• For backcountry packing, dehydrate the starter in advance and rehydrate at camp the night before pancake day.

Variations

• Stir in a handful of fresh blueberries or sliced wild berries before pouring batter onto the griddle.
• Use whole wheat flour in place of half the all-purpose for a heartier, nuttier pancake.
• Swap butter for the bacon drippings if you want vegetarian, but you’ll lose the smoky char.

Follow with strong camp coffee and the kind of mountain view that makes you forget your back hurts.