Yeast Raised Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

Different Types of Pancakes

A pancake is a type of flatbread typically cooked on a griddle on the stove top. While I think of them generally as sweet, that’s mostly because of the syrup we pour on them.

Pancakes can be sweet or savory and be topped with syrup or jam. Or not.

Almost every culture has a kind of pancake, whether they’re Mexican tortillas, Ethiopian Injera, Russian blini, French crepes, etc.

From an American perspective, I think there are 3 basic types of pancakes:

• pancakes raised with a chemical leavener, such as my pancakes for one, mentioned above, or these Vegan Vanilla Chai pancakes
• pancakes raised with steam, like a Dutch Baby/German Pancakes
• pancakes raised with either wild yeast (sourdough pancakes) or commercial yeast like these chocolate pancakes

Why Make Chocolate Pancakes with Yeast?

The smart alecky part of me wants to respond to this with “why not?” But aside from just doing it because you can, there are some other perks to making yeast pancakes:

• using yeast in pancakes is common to Russian blini, English crumpets, and some Welsh pancakes. So, yeah, there is precedent.
• it’s kind of cool to use yeast to raise pancakes because it’s not something everyone is doing. So get in on the ground floor and let’s bring yeast pancakes back
• Using yeast forces you to slow down a little so the yeast can work their magic. Make these for a fun breakfast for dinner or for an indulgent brunch on a lazy weekend
• you will feel a little like a prospector. Those guys used to make pancakes and bread with their sourdough starters. You won’t have to worry about feeding a starter though. These chocolate chocolate chip beauties are made with commercial yeast and don’t have that sour tang.

And besides:

Yeast raised chocolate chocolate chip pancakes are delightful! Seriously. We enjoyed these so much.

What’s the Best Way to Get the Chocolate Chips Evenly Distributed in the Pancakes?

After some trial and error–it took me a good 4-5 pancakes to get the heat regulated and to get my chip-adding process down–here’s how I finally made it work.

• Ladle 1/4 cup pancake batter onto your griddle or hot pan
• Allow to cook for about 30 seconds.
• Evenly distribute 8-10 chocolate chips across the surface of the pancake, staying at least 1/2″ from the edges all the way around. (If you plop one too close to the edge, it will mess with the pretty round shape of your pancakes by making a rivulet of the batter run out onto the pan.)
• Grab a bit more batter in a tablespoon and drip just enough batter on each chip to cover it. (The chips need a little insulation so they don’t burn when you flip the pancakes.)
• Cook until the pancakes are set all along the edges and about 1/4″ in from the edge all the way around, about 2-3 minutes.
• Carefully flip once and cook for another 1-1 1/2 minutes.

Why Not Just Mix the Chips into the Batter?

• The chips would all sink, making it nearly impossible to get the same amount of chips in each pancake.
• The chips sort of clump together, so it’s hard to get an even distribution for chocolate chip goodness in every bite.
• The batter doesn’t pour out into perfectly round pancakes when the chips are in it.

So, while it sounds a bit fussy to do it my way, it results in really pretty, beautifully shaped pancakes with a nice even distribution of chips.

Do Yeast Pancakes Taste Good?

You’ll want to make these, seriously.

They’re not too sweet, plenty chocolate-y with a pleasant, slightly chewy texture that sort of reminded The Beloved and me of injera.

And with the coffee maple syrup I made, they’re pretty much perfect.

You can guild the lily with whipped cream, sprinkles, more chocolate chips on top–even a scoop of ice cream, but I ask that you don’t, at least for a couple of bites. You’ll love the flavor.

Are These Harder to Make Than “Regular” Pancakes?

Not at all. The mixing method–The Muffin Method–is exactly the same:

• whisk dry ingredients together
• whisk wet ingredients together’
• stir wet into dry just until moistened
• cook

The only difference is that you will need to let the batter rest in a warm place for about an hour before making the pancakes. This will give the yeast time to activate and start bubbling enough to raise the pancakes when you cook them.

Plenty of time to whip up some beaten coffee and read the paper or catch an episode of your favorite Netflix guilty pleasure.

If you have any questions about this or any other recipe or post on the site, there are a few ways to get in touch.

You can leave a comment on the post, and I’ll be back in touch within 24 hours.

If your question is more pressing, don’t hesitate to email me, and I should be back in touch within 4 hours (unless I’m asleep) or often much more quickly than that.

A Note About Measurements

This is the kitchen scale that I recommend for home cooks and bakers. Using a scale will help you be more accurate and consistent in your measurements.

It is lightweight, easy to store, accurate, and very easy to use.

I really hope you love these chocolate pancakes, you guys! If you make some, please share a photo with me, either in the PCO Facebook Group or on instagram by tagging @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe. Thanks, and enjoy!

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Enjoy the pancakes, and have a lovely day.