Sourdough Pancakes III

On my long weekends of yoga school there is no breakfast quite as filling and delicious as Sourdough Pancakes.  I have been using (and tweeking) the same day recipe that I made last April.

I am not going to re-type the recipe here (just follow the link) but here are some more specifics I have learned from making these pancakes many times:

• Consistency of starter: The starter can be fed just before making these pancakes with the appropriate amount of water-to-flour ratio so that the batch looks like thick pancake batter.  I wish I had a more scientific measurement technique for you at this point.  If you are familiar with pancakes, this should be simple.  Just go with your gut instinct.
• Yield: Depending on the hydration of your starter you'll get between 9-12 pancakes 3 inch in diameter pancakes.  I'd guesstimate that I use 1/8 of a cup of batter for each pancake.  Again, nothing too technical. 
• Buttermilk: One morning, because I am more of a mad scientist than a baker, I threw in a tablespoon of SACO Cultured Buttermilk.  It's basically powdered buttermilk.  It made the whole batter bubble and bubble and the pancakes were so airy they were practically transparent!  Since then I have been using 1/2 a tablespoon in the recipe and it gives the pancakes a light, fluffiness while maintaining their opacity.

Happy Mother's Day,

Sarah

Sourdough Pancakes II

A while ago I made my first batch of Sourdough Pancakes.  They were awesome and I have craved them several times since.  Unfortunately, my craving usually strikes early in the morning.. and then I am all deflated when I realize the batter needs to sit overnight.  
So, after several disappointing pancake-less mornings, I realized I should just look up a recipe for same-day Sourdough Pancakes.  This Joe Pastry recipe caught my eye because it doesn't call for any additional flour or water -- it's all stater!  

I adapted the recipe a little bit because 2 cups of starter would make a huge tower of pancakes for two people.  Even halved, this recipe could potentially serve 3-4 people especially if you make a hefty portion of scrambled eggs and strawberry syrup.  

Same-day Sourdough Pancakes topped with Strawberry Syrup and served with Scrambled Eggs
(Printable Recipe)

Use:

1 cup ripe sourdough starter

1/2 egg (+other half and extras for scrambled eggs on the side)

1 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon baking soda combined with 1/2 tablespoon water

1. Measure starter into a bowl. 

2. Combine baking soda and water and let sit while you mix together all other ingredients in a separate bowl.  Reserve the other half of the egg separately for some scrambled (or your favorite style) eggs.

3. Fold the sugar, salt, oil, and 1/2 egg mixture into the starter.  Then, stir in the baking soda water.  

4. The mixture should bubble/foam.

5. Fry and serve!

Don't forget to scramble up your eggs while the pan is still hot!

Simple Strawberry Syrup
(Printable Recipe)

Use:

Strawberries

Pinch of sugar (optional)

1. Cut up as many strawberries as you can eat and pop them into a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add a pinch of sugar if you feel so inclined.

3. Stir occasionally about 5 minutes.  You'll know when it's done.  HINT: do not use strawberries in photo above to determine done-ness.  Use your other senses.

Top with whipped cream if you are feeling feisty.

Happy Sunday!
- Sarah

Banana Sourdough Pancakes

Alternate Post Titles:

"When turning a ruined loaf into breadcrumbs isn't enough: How to make up for your over-salting of the would-have-been awesome multigrain bread to your best-friend/roommate"

OR

"Another suggestion of what to do with your sourdough starter instead of throwing it out: The sequel to Sourdough Pizza"

Banana Sourdough Pancakes seems more succinct.

Before I get into the pancakes, here are some things I have learned about caring for your sourdough starter in the refrigerator...

• Stir daily.
• Feed once weekly -- 8 oz warm water and 8 oz unbleached all-purpose flour if you have a kitchen scale. By volume, about 1 cup water to 2 cups flour.
• Allow your starter to work for at least 2 hours after each weekly feeding before popping it back into the fridge.
• Be patient. Every week this starter smells increasingly "winey" and produces a more "sour" dough.

Here's the little lactobacillus after it's weekly feeding...

...but before mixing and resting out of the fridge.

Now for the Banana Sourdough pancakes. For the whole recipe you need: flour (whole wheat and all-purpose), starter, water, sugar, baking soda, salt, buttermilk (or milk+vinegar), and banana. It takes about 15 minutes in the morning but you need to start the sponge the night before.

Start by making this sponge the night before:

1/2 cup starter straight from the fridge

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk (I used milk with a 1/2 tsp of white vinegar because we didn't have buttermilk around)

1 tablespoon sugar

The batter should be thick

Let it sleep overnight in the fridge while you dream about Sourdough Pancakes.

In the morning, add:

1 large egg

2 tablespoons applesauce**

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

**You can use butter or vegetable oil in place of the applesauce. If you use applesauce, make sure to butter (unsalted) or spray your griddle with a nonstick spray.

Mix all the ingredients together. Then, chop up a banana right into the batter. Fold it in gently.

Mind blowing fact (don't think about this while you are chopping because you might cut off a finger): BANANAS ARE THE WORLDS LARGEST HERB. This has to do with the fact that the banana "tree" is technically regarded as an herbaceous plant, not a tree, since the stem isn't wood. The yellow thing you love, peel, and eat is undoubtedly a fruit containing seeds (i.e. tomato) but commercially grown banana plants are sterile so the seeds are reduced to little black specks.

That being said, adding banana is totally optional. I used one banana for this batch but could have gone much heavier on it. My ideal pancake is 51% fruit. I exercised restraint only because I wanted to taste the sourdough pancake on it's own. In my opinion, adding fruit (or herbs, in this case) to pancakes exponentially increases their deliciousness. If I was feeling really sweet I would have added some chocolate chips too.

When adding fruit to pancakes you have to ask yourself the age old question: To stir into the batter or to drop onto the half cooked griddlecake? Personally, I go back and forth. I waffle, if you will. Sometimes I stir the fruit into my batter and other times I drop it on top. Depends on my mood and whether or not everybody in my pancake eating party wants fruit. Sometimes (especially if I am dropping bananas or larger sliced strawberries on top) I put small drops of batter on top of each banana slice exposed -- by doing that I have found that post-flip the fruity-sugars don't burn onto the pan before the cake is cooked.

Unspoken Perfect Pancake Rule: ONLY FLIP ONCE. Cook your pancakes on a low-medium heat until they are full of those bubbles. Having your griddle at the right temperature is crucial. I check if the griddle is hot by letting a drop of water fall onto the pan. If it sizzles I know my surface is warm enough. I like them to be lightly golden around the edges before I go in for the big flip.

Serve with a cup of Hot Cinnamon Spice Harney Tea

If you are too financially unstable for real Vermont Maple Syrup (no shame) these were awesome with cinnamon-sugar.

This recipe yields four, fluffy Sourdough Pancakes that were about 6 inches in diameter (bigger than my face). Lily and I had to take a break between pancakes in order to finish them. It was a royal way to start a Tuesday.

I adapted this recipe from several that I had read but mostly this King Arthur Flour Waffle recipe. You could definitely use this Pancake recipe in your waffle iron. Try it! And let us know how it goes.

Happy Tuesday!

-Sar

P.S. As for the bread mishap that turned into a bread crumb project-- look for a post from Lil on that in the near future.