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Sourdough Pancakes

"Werner Gansz" <wwgansz@madriver.com>
Sat, 16 Sep 2006 08:01:02 -0400
v106.n038.1
Here is a recipe adapted from Joe Ortiz's Miners' Sourdough Pancakes 
in "The Village Baker".

Assuming that you have a water-based starter, convert it into a milk starter:

1/4 cup refreshed, active starter
3/4 cup room temp milk
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat or percentages of both)

Mix and let stand for 8 to 12 hours.  It should be a thick 
batter.  Do this the morning before the pancake breakfast.

Ortiz has a procedure for making a pure milk starter on page 33 but I 
have found that the above conversion process works well enough.

That evening refresh the milk starter:

all of the milk starter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour

Mix and let stand (room temp) overnight

The next morning mix the batter:

all the above sponge
3 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda (not baking powder)

Mix everything except the baking soda.  Adjust to the desired 
thickness with milk or flour.

The fermentation from the sourdough process should have produced 
enough acid to work with the baking soda so you don't need baking 
powder.  However, the reaction is short-lived.  I stir in the baking 
soda just before pouring the batter onto the griddle.  It usually 
causes a big, bubbly reaction in the batter within 30 seconds.  If 
you think the batter is very vigorous without the soda, you could try 
leaving it out.

Fermented sourdough pancakes have great flavor but a different 
texture than ordinary pancakes, less cake-like and more bread-like, 
like a soft english muffin.