Sourdough Pancakes

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Perry is right that we can do several posts just on sourdough recipes and sourdough starter. The starter that I use was given to me by our Uncle Gene years ago; we estimate that it is at least 50 years old! It has survived in my refrigerator despite some serious neglect a few times. A few years ago, we had house guests and I took the starter out of the fridge to begin the process for pancakes and discovered that there was mold on the top of the starter. This was a first and it was such a shock that I looked at it going "Oh, no, oh, no" and then Marty came to see what the problem was and had the same reaction. Our guests, who are not sourdough starter people, could not understand our concern.

But I saved it: I scraped off the mold and found about 1 teaspoon of good starter at the bottom of the jar. Over the course of a few days time, I mixed it with equal parts of flour and water and let it bubble until I had a cup of starter again!

Sourdough pancakes are not like buttermilk pancakes. They are flat and slightly sour and completely delicious. The starter needs to be fed the night before it is used. To 1 cup of starter, I add 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of water and a bit of sugar. I only use wood stirring implements with sourdough as metal or plastic impacts the reaction of the starter. Then I cover the starter and let it sit on the counter overnight. The next morning, I remove 1 cup of the starter and put it back in the refrigerator for the next time.

When our Serbian daughter, Milica, lived with us during high school, sourdough pancakes were a weekend tradition. So much so that when we visited her and her family in Serbia, she asked us to bring starter. Since we were traveling only with carryons, there was no way to carry a liquid with us.

So thanks to my friend sujo who is also a sourdough fan (and has been the recipient of this starter a couple of times), I learned how to dry the starter. I spread a thin layer of the starter on a Silpat baking sheet and let it dry at room temperature for several days. Then I put all of the dried flakes of starter in the food processor and ground it until a fine powder. Voila! A transportable starter.

In Serbia, I fed the starter with flour and water for a day or so until it bubbled. For the pancakes, baking soda is required at the end of the mixing process to help the pancakes rise. My dilemma was trying to explain to a Serbian grocery store clerk that I needed baking soda. I was unsuccessful. Milica came to the rescue and went to the store with me.

We had sourdough pancakes this morning. This is the recipe that I use:

2 cups of sourdough starter (started the night before with 1 cup reserved for later use)
4 T vegetable oil
1 egg
2 T sugar (this helps in browning the pancakes)
1/2 t salt

Just before putting on the griddle, stir in 1/2-1 t of baking soda. The larger amount, 1 t, is used is the starter is very sour or if it has been awhile since last used. As you blend in the soda, the batter will nearly double in volume.

Ok, Perry: your turn to talk about sourdough!