Sourdough Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian Shredded Pancake)
Kaiserschmarrn is one of the most famous dishes from Austrian cuisine. The sourdough version is even better, and here’s how to make it!
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Ingredients
- 60 grams sourdough starter 3 tablespoons
- 15 grams sugar 1 tablespoon
- 4 eggs
- 300 mL milk 1 ¼ cups
- 270 grams all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 handful raisins
- 80 mL rum ⅓ cup
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the starter, eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and salt. If you have vanilla extract and cinnamon on hand, add them to the mixture as well. Mix well to get a uniform batter. The batter should be funny, not as thick as the batter for American pancakes.If you are making a quick version of sourdough Kaiserschmarrn, skip the fermentation (step 2) and start to cook the pancake as described in step 3.
- Cover with plastic wrap or any airtight wrap. We do not want the film to develop on the surface while the batter ferments. Let it ferment for 4 – 8 hours, or even overnight if your house is very cold. After the fermentation, we are going to start the cooking process. At the end of fermentation, you should be able to spot tiny bubbles on the surface of the batter.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet (I recommend using a 10-inch/24 cm diameter for this amount of batter) and wait for It to sizzle on medium heat. Then pour the batter into a hot pan. Cover with a lid. Now that you got the pancake going, you’ll prepare the raisins.
- Put a handful of raisins in a small cup. Heat 80 milliliters of rum and pour it over the raisins. Hot rum will soften the raisins quickly so we don’t have to soak them for a long time. You have about 8 minutes to do this while that pancake cooks on one side.
- The pancake should start to become golden brown on the bottom. Since the top is still runny, sprinkle rum raisins over the pancake, so they will sink into the batter.
- After about 8 minutes (the time you needed to prepare and add the raisins), it’s time to flip the pancake. Don’t try to flip the whole pancake! After flipping, divide it into four parts and flip each part individually. That way, the batter won’t splatter over your whole kitchen. Then cover the pancake with a lit and let it cook for another 8 minutes or so. The bottom of the pancake should have a nice brownish color, but should not be too brown.
- After the pancake is just cooked through, shred it. The traditional way of doing this is with a wooden spoon, but I find it way easier just using a regular fork and spoon. But be careful not to scrape the pan if you are using Teflon though! You can make the pieces as little as you want. I prefer mine to be bite-sized (so I don’t need to cut further it for the kids). After shredding, cook the pancake pieces for another 5 minutes to give them some crispy edges.
- Serve warm with a side of jam, fresh fruit, or compote. Do not forget to dust a bit of powdered sugar over top!
Notes
- If you have a cast iron skillet, use it for Kaiserschmarrn! Cast iron’s heat-retaining properties lift this dish to another level.
- Use a right-sized skillet; you want the batter to be about 1 centimeter thick (⅓ of an inch), no thicker.
- Don’t skip the butter before pouring the batter into the skillet. Even if you are using a non-stick pan (other than cast iron), the butter is essential to get the right taste and richness.
- If you happen to have leftover pancakes to use up, you can tear them apart and fry them in a little butter and sugar. It will be very similar to Kaiserschmarrn!
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Nutrition
Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 311mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 363IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 4mg
