Hello Readers;
I've had a couple of requests for my sourdough pancake and waffle recipe
and a request in this weeks B.B. list for information on the care and
feeding of sourdough. I'll r4espond to the latter request first.
Bear in mind, my method of taking care of sourdough comes from 30 or so
years experience and not from a technical standpoint.
I ruined my long standing culture a few years ago and bought a Yukon
culture from "Sourdoughs International". I've been very happy with the
culture. However, neither the information that comes with the culture or Ed
Wood's book gives any information on how to take care of it.
Here are my recommendations;
1) Store the culture in a glass, ceramic or pottery container (make sure
the pottery container has no lead in it)
2) The culture should be stored in a refrigerator with a slightly loose top
to allow the fermentation process to continue as it will slowly, even in a
refrigerator
3) Never allow metal spoons or containers to come in contact with the
starter. It may take on a distinctive metallic taste.
4) Every 2-3 weeks (of non-usage), take the starter out of the
refrigerator. Stir it well to allow the brown liquid on the surface to be
mixed in well. Allow it to come to room temperature, throw out half of it
and add flour and water at a ratio of 1cup water to 1 ½ cups of flour.
Don't try to stir out any lumps as they will be dissolved as the starter
works. Allow the mixture to sit for a day or so until it is good and
bubbly. If the container is too full, throw out some again. Add about half
of the flour and water that you did at first and stir it in good. Return to
the refrigerator for another storage period.
5) Never add any other ingredients to the starter. They only serve to
contaminate it and may ruin the native starter.
6) When you want to use the starter, take it out of the refrigerator and
allow it to come to room temperature. Stir it well and add some flour and
water in the ratio I explained above. Be sure it comes to a nice bubbly
texture before you remove some to start your project.
7) Before returning to the refrigerator, add flour and water as I explained
before to give it some food during the next stay in the refrigerator.
Sourdough starter is living organism and needs food periodically. As it
works, the are a lot of dead cells and throwing out half the starter and
adding new flour gets the organisms going again. As I mentioned last week,
if your starter has been idle for several weeks, it may take several
feedings to really rejuvenate it.
Here is my recipe for sourdough pancakes and waffles. I've developed the
recipe over 30 years or so. You certainly can modify things to suit your
own tastes. For example, the sugar I use is intended primarily to give the
pancakes and nice brown color as they cook. The sugar caramelizes on the
surface. You can omit the sugar, if you wish. The eggs are another example.
You can use just the egg whites and throw the yolks away. The egg whites
make the pancakes and waffles a little more fluffy. I usually start making
the batter 2 days before I plan on using it. Any left overs can be put in
the refrigerator for another day. Merely add more soda the second time to
give the batter a chance to rise in the bowl, thereby making lighter and
fluffier pancakes or waffles.
Here is my recipe.
RECIPE FOR SOURDOUGH PANCAKES AND WAFFLES
Bill Proctor
SOURDOUGH STARTER
2 - cups warm water
3 - cups of flour
PANCAKE/WAFFLE
4 - Cups Starter
1/4 - cup powered milk (optional)
2 - tablespoons oil
2 - eggs or egg whites (optional)
2 - tsp salt
2 - tablespoons sugar
1 - tsp baking soda
SOURDOUGH STARTER - Empty the starter into a large bowl and add the warm
water. Stir to thoroughly mix. Add the flour. Stir to combine but it is
not necessary to remove the lumps. Cover the bowl lightly and place in a
warm place for 12-36 hours (depending on hour sour you want the pancakes to
be). Within a few hours, the mixture should have a surface of bubbles and
a pungent, sour odor. I leave the mixture on the kitchen counter overnight
since my starter works fine in a cooler environment.
When you are ready to make the pancakes, remove 4 cups of the starter
mixture and place in a mixing bowl. Add about 3/4 of a cup of flour (not
included in the above recipe) to the remaining starter and 1/2 cup of water.
Mix well but ignore any lumps. Return this mixture to the starter storage
container. Allow to sit on counter for 1 hour before returning to
refrigerator.
PANCAKE/WAFFLE - To the 4 cups of starter, add the oil, eggs (you may use
only the egg whites if you wish to reduce the cholesterol or omit them
altogether. They add to the richness), salt and sugar (you may reduce the
sugar, however, it does help in browning the pancakes or waffles as some of
the sugar caramelizes during cooking) . At this point, it may be necessary
to adjust the mixture thickness. This may be done by adding flour or milk.
Powdered milk or powdered buttermilk may be added as well to make a
slightly richer pancake. Use 1/4 cup.
Dissolve the soda in a couple of tablespoons of water and when the griddle
is hot, fold the dissolved soda into the pancake mixture. This will cause
a leavening action and the mixture will double in volume. This will make
the pancakes much lighter and fluffier. The amount of soda may be cut in
half, if you wish a more sour tasting pancake.
Bake the pancakes on a hot (400F) griddle turning them once. Sourdough
pancakes require a higher cooking temperature than typical for pancakes.
The same mix may be used to make waffles without any necessary adjustments
to the recipe. However, for an even fluffier, lighter texture, you can
fold in the whites from the eggs used in the recipe. They should be beaten
until they are stiff and folded into the mixture before baking.
To reduce the amount of effort at the time you wish to make the pancakes or
waffles, I often allow the original starter and the added flour and water
to "work" for about 12 hours and the proceed to take 4 cups of the working
starter, mix the rest of the ingredients in it and let the mixture continue
to "work" another 24 hours or so until I'm ready to make the final pancakes
or waffles.
The addition of soda as a leavening agent will reduce the sourness of the
batter somewhat. If the batter has doubled in size from the original
mixture, you can use it this way instead of adding the soda and water. If
you do, be sure not to stir it down as the added air inside the mixture
will make the pancakes more fluffy.
Good luck and enjoy.
Bill