As we progress through this
cooking odyssey together, one thing you will need is a sourdough starter. Making a good sourdough starter is actually
pretty easy. I use sourdough for breads,
doughnuts and pancakes all the time so this is an important step.
First, get yourself
something to store it in. I like a
sealable crock. One of those with the
wire clamp to hold the lid on. Here's
the thing, though. I remove the rubber
seal! So, there is some air circulation
but it's still well covered. Just a canning
jar will do, but it would have to be a pretty big one...quart sized or
more. I like the crock because I got one
big enough to hold five or six cups of starter, it stays closed without
strangling my starter and the mouth is big enough to get a measuring cup in to
scoop out what I need.
Now, put in 2 cups of all
purpose flour, 1 tsp of yeast and two cups of "no sugar added" fruit juice. I make my own apple juice and always have
some of that on hand so that's what I used the last time I had to make starter;
about a year ago.
Another way is to boil some peeled
potatoes; maybe making mashed or something, and use the left over water instead
of juice. I’ve done both. When your starter is a few years old you won’t
be able to tell which liquid you used.
Mix the flour and the juice
well and leave it lightly covered for two or three days, stirring once in a
while each day. Once you have a good
bubbling action going on...called a "sponge", and you can smell that
sour, yeasty smell, then you have starter.
Over time, the stored
starter will develop a brownish colored liquid on top. This is called “hootch” and is just part of
the sourdough. I mix it back into the
starter once in a while. Some people
pour it off. Whatever “floats yer stick”
here.
http://breadtopia.com/sourdough-starter-management/
is a great page about maintaining sourdough starters. I keep mine in the crock in the
refrigerator. I try to remember to
"feed" it once in a while but usually it is replenished, or
"fed", often enough because I am using it.
Starter can last for a long time…years even…if
you store it correctly, use it once in a while and, even if not using it, feed
it occasionally. The old chuckwagon
cooks kept their starter for years, sometimes sleeping with it in their bedroll
so it wouldn’t freeze.
Now that you have your
starter working; it’s bubbling a little and smells “yeasty” , it’s time to put
it to use.
Sourdough Pancakes
The night before, mix well (to incorporate some air) 1
cup of your starter with 1 ½ cups of all
purpose flour and ¾ cup of warm water. Cover and leave at warm room temperature:
70-85 degrees, overnight.
The next morning, return one cup of the starter mixture
to your crock.
Then, mix the remaining 1 ½ cups of starter with:
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon of sugar…more if you want. I like a little more.
¾ tablespoon of salt
½ teaspoon (generous) of baking soda
2 tablespoons of milk
Try to
have your ingredients at room temperature.
This will help to make more tender pancakes.
Your pancakes will be a little heavier and not as fluffy
as you are used to. In my opinion, the
sourdough flavor blends with a fruity syrup better than regular maple syrup. I also like these with butter and my home
made raspberry jam.
Now that you have made sourdough pancakes from scratch,
here’s a cheat.
Depending on how many you are making, put ½ to 1 cup of
starter in your mixing bowl and then add your favorite boxed pancake mix and
just make your regular mix, using your sourdough starter as part of the
liquid. This gives you the sourdough
flavor, they’ll be a little fluffier than scratch and it’s a little easier because
you can do this spontaneously without having to plan from the night before.
