Name: Sourdough Berry Clafoutis
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1485 min
Ingredients: 4 Eggs; 200 g Milk ((whole milk)); 20 g Honey; 3 g Sea Salt; 200 g Sourdough Starter ((or sourdough starter discard)); 25 g Butter ((softened at room temp)); 50 g Sugar ((fine granulated sugar)); 400 g Fresh Berries ((raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries) if you want to use frozen, adjust to 250g.); 30 g Powdered Sugar ((for dusting once baked))

You are going to love this sourdough berry clafoutis. It's a delicious summer style dessert you can eat at any time of the year! A golden brown, fruit filled French dessert that uses 200g of sourdough starter and is made using a custard-like batter. I usually describe it like a Dutch Baby pancake and a creme brulee had a baby.

If you love this sourdough berry clafoutis, you might also enjoy these sourdough recipes that use lots of eggs like this sourdough Dutch Baby pancake or these sourdough brioche blueberry tarts and overnight sourodough blueberry muffins.

Sourdough berry clafoutis topped with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Why You'll Love This Recipe?

Uses Lots of Eggs - This simple sourdough discard recipe uses 4 eggs (and can use up to 8 if you double it). Along with a Dutch Baby pancake it's one of the best sourdough recipes that use lots of eggs. It's also a clever sourdough recipe that requires no added flour.

Simple Sourdough Dessert - If you love baking sourdough desserts, then you'll love the simplicity of this sourdough berry clafoutis. Make it even simpler by using frozen berries as opposed to fresh fruit. Serve it with whipped cream or even ice cream for a stunning end to any meal.

Can Be Prepared the Day Before - Elegant in it's simplicity, this sourdough dessert can be prepared the day before and baked just before you want to serve it, making it perfect for an elegant dinner party dessert. I love it because I love being organised and being able to pull something out of the fridge quickly.

A sourdough clafoutis topped with colorful berries. It is about to be baked in the oven.

What is a Clafoutis and Where Does it Come From?

The clafoutis, a quintessentially French dessert, traces its origins to the Limousin region of central France. Originally hailing from the 19th century, this rustic yet elegant dessert was traditionally made with black cherries, arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick batter similar to pancake batter.

The dish was then baked until puffed and golden, resulting in a delightful combination of custardy interior and caramelized fruit. The word "clafoutis" itself is believed to derive from the Occitan dialect word "clafotís," meaning "to fill."

Over time, variations of clafoutis have emerged, featuring different fruits such as berries, plums, or even apples, while still retaining the fundamental essence of simplicity and indulgence that characterizes this beloved French dessert.

A sourdough mixed berry clafoutis that is topped with whipped cream and berries. A slice has been taken out and the spoon and slice are still sitting in the cream colored pie dish.

Why Use Sourdough Starter in Your Clafoutis?

A traditional clafoutis doesn't use sourdough starter at all to create the custard-like batter. I've chosen to create the recipe for this sourdough clafoutis as another way to use up sourdough starter in my kitchen.

I love adding sourdough starter or sourdough discard to pretty much anything I can (I even add it to my white pizza sauce and mac and cheese). And most of all, I love sharing my sourdough experiments with all of you so you can share them with your family too! Just like adding discard to other recipes, you are replacing the all purpose flour with sourdough starter.

Adding sourdough starter or sourdough discard to your clafoutis gives it a new depth of flavor and slight tang, which works so well with the sweet berries and baked custard of this recipe. Give it a try, I promise you won't regret it.

A bowl of sourdough starter sitting with a bowl of frozen berries and fresh eggs ready to be made into a sourdough clafoutis.

How To Make Sourdough Berry Clafoutis

It's really up to you what you bake this sourdough clafoutis in. I've used the same pie dish that I bake all my sourdough pies in. It is 1.47Q or 1.4L and measures 25cm (9.8") across and 5cm (1.95") deep.

You can also successfully bake it in a cast iron skillet (like these sourdough recipes baked in a cast iron skillet). Just take note of the size of your chosen baking dish to ensure your clafoutis won't be too thick or too thin. You can easily adjust the recipe to suit the size of your baking dish.

The Day Before

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, honey, salt and sourdough starter until it forms a thin batter. Pop the batter into the fridge for up to 24 hours to chill and ferment. I cover my bowl with a plastic food cover.

When You're Ready to Bake

Preheat oven to 190C (375F).

Grab your pie dish and grease it with butter and sprinkle with the sugar. Pop into the freezer to chill until cold.

Once the pie dish is cold, gently pour in the batter you prepared yesterday and then add the berries on top. Some of them will sink and some of them will peak through the batter.

Bake in the oven at 190C (375F) for around 35 minutes or until the edges are golden and the middle is firm to the touch. If you've used frozen berries (like I have) you might need to add an extra 10 minutes baking time.

I've baked my sourdough berry clafoutis on the bottom shelf of my fan forced oven at 190C (375F).

Remove from the oven and serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

A mixed berry sourdough clafoutis baked in a pie dish and topped with whipped cream and raspberries.

Recipe Variations for Sourdough Berry Clafoutis

Like many sourdough desserts, this sourdough clafoutis is super versatile and allows you to use the fruit you have on hand. Here are some ideas to create a truly memorable sourdough clafoutis using what you have on hand:

Lemon & Cream - if you don't have any fresh or frozen berries on hand, simply add the lemon zest of one or two lemons to the custard-like batter and bake. Once it's done, top with sweetened vanilla whipped cream and a dollop of lemon curd on the side. YUM!!
Stone Fruit - Fresh stone fruits like plums, peaches and fresh cherries work amazingly well in this recipe. I use 400g of fresh stone fruit for this version.|
Blueberry Clafoutis - add up to 400g of fresh blueberries or 250g of frozen blueberries to your sourdough clafoutis. Once baked, top with sweetened whipped cream, lemon zest and more fresh blueberries.

Is It Ok To Use Frozen Berries in this Sourdough Dessert?

It's perfectly fine to use frozen berries to make this sourdough clafoutis. I have used a selection of frozen summer berries. With the cost of living going up every day, using frozen berries is one way to ensure that we can still enjoy our favorite fruits without blowing the budget.

I add the berries frozen, I don't let them defrost. This ensures that the juices of the berries doesn't water down the custard mixture before it has a chance to bake through. I generally add 250g of frozen berries as a replacement for 400g of fresh berries.

How To Store + Freeze

This sourdough berry clafoutis is best eaten straight out of the oven. It's good to let it cool slightly if you're going to top it with whipped cream and fresh berries. It isn't really suitable to be stored, although you can put leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.

If you do want to be organised and "make ahead" for an event, you're best to mix the batter the day before and bake it up fresh for serving.

This is not suitable for freezing at all.