Basic Sourdough Pancakes
Submitted by queenie
Basic sourdough pancakes start with an overnight sponge of sourdough starter, flour, and water for tangy, light flapjacks. Old prospector breakfast for fluffy, deeply flavored pancakes.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
10 minREADY
8 hrsBasic sourdough pancakes are the prospector breakfast that beat boxed pancake mix to the punch by a couple centuries. The night before, sourdough starter, flour, and water get stirred together and left to ferment into a bubbly sponge. By morning, the wild yeast has done its work and the batter is ready for a hot griddle.
That overnight ferment is the secret. It develops the tang you can’t fake with buttermilk and creates the bubbly air pockets that make these pancakes light and fluffy without a single egg whipped.
A splash of baking soda dissolved in water gets folded in at the very end. The soda reacts with the sourdough’s acid to give an extra lift and neutralize a bit of the tartness.
Pro Tips
- Use glass, ceramic, or plastic bowls, never metal. Sourdough acid reacts with metal and can pick up off flavors.
- Pull a cup of sponge out before adding the other ingredients to feed your next batch’s starter. Skip this step and you’ll be starting over.
- The griddle must be properly hot, 380 to 400°F (193 to 204°C). A drop of water should dance across the surface.
- Flip only when the surface bubbles pop and stay open. Patience here means tall, fluffy stacks.
Variations
- Stir in ½ cup blueberries or sliced banana to the batter before cooking.
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a tablespoon of brown sugar for spiced sourdough pancakes.
- Use whole wheat or rye flour in place of half the white flour for a more rustic, hearty flapjack.
Ingredients
Directions
NOTE 1: Sourdough starter mix can be located in certain speciality shops. Follow the directions on the package to make your first starter.
NOTE 2: Do not use metalic bowls or implements for any of this process!
The evening before, stir together well, water, flour and starter.
Set aside in a relative warm place to create the sponge.
Temperature should not fall below 65 degrees F.
In the morning remove 1 cup of the sponge for the starter of your next batch and refrigerate.
To the remaining sponge, stir in the pancake mix, oil and sugar.
Mix well. Stir the baking soda into a small amount of water and add this to the mix, folding.
Do not mix too much. Cook on a very hot griddle, 380 to 400 degrees F.
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