Easy sourdough pancakes

blueberries, breakfast, pancakes-1867398.jpg

Why make sourdough pancakes?

1. They have more flavour than regular pancakes - a nice kind of sour flavour that goes well with syrup or jam. 2. You don't really have to worry if the dough is refreshed "enough" because you are going to add baking powder and fry them and that will make them rise in the pan. 3. With a greater percentage of the batter being well-fermented after sitting on your countertop for 8 hours or more, these pancakes are easier to digest than regular pancakes made with wheat or spelt flour.

At first, I had far too much "sour" - refreshed dough to new flour - and the result was a kind of rubbery, really sour and rather stiff pancake. Not fluffy enough. So, I adjusted the ratio of "sour" to "flour" and added some baking powder - the result is a fluffier, yummier pancake.

Servings: Pancakes 10cm diameter

Author:Jane Mason

Equipment

bowls, spoons, scale, frying pan

Ingredients

To refresh sourdough

85 g Wheat sourdough starter
85 g White wheat or spelt flour Use wholemeal if you want to be healthy)
85 g Water

For the batter

140 white wheat or spelt flour
120 g Milk You can use water or a milk substitute if you don't want to use milk.
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder
50 g Sugar
2 tbsp Melted butter or lard, dripping, or vegetable oil
2 Eggs
Butter or oil to grease the pan

Toppings

fresh fruit, maple syrup, jam, lemon and sugar

Instructions

Day One

The night before you want your pancakes, stir together 85 grams of wheat sourdough starter, 85 g of the flour of your choice and 85 g of water.
Cover the bowl with plastic and let it sit on the counter over night. If your kitchen is freezing, pop the bowl in the oven and turn the oven light on. That makes a cozy environment for your starter.

Day Two

Melt the butter (or whatever) and let it cool down. Clearly if you are using oil you don't need to melt it.
Beat the eggs with the milk (or milk substitute)
Sieve the flour of your choice and the baking powder into a big bowl. Add the sugar and the salt and give it a stir.
Uncover the bowl of refreshed starter and stir in the egg and milk (or whatever) mixture and the melted butter (or whatever).
Add this to the dry ingredients and whisk well to get rid of any lumps.
Let the batter sit for 30 minutes or so. Have a shower! Have a cup of coffee and read the paper! If you are desperate, don't bother letting it sit (but make sure there are no lumps).
Heat the frying pan to medium-high and add a little blob of butter or splash of oil. Let it sizzle up and then wipe it out with a cloth.
Give the batter a little, last whisk and then use a jug or a ladle to pour the batter in the pan to make pancakes the size you like them.
If using, scatter the fruit of your choice on top of the pancakes and wait until bubbles for on the top and the edges begin to brown. Then flip them over and continue to cook them for a good 2-3 minutes to cook the other side and the centre.
Keep the pancakes warm in the oven, as you cook all of them.
Serve with the toppings of your choice

Notes

Top Tip

To make blueberry (or any berry) or banana pancakes, make a plain batter and ladle it into the frying pan. Scatter the fruit on top of the pancakes as soon as they hit the pan and then cook them and flip them. That way you get even distribution of fruit and not some fruit-ladened pancakes and some naked ones. Also, that way you can have different flavoured pancakes and are not committed to one type for all.

I keep my starters in the fridge and when I want to use them I pull them out and refresh them according to recipes. In this case, I may want to refresh my white wheat starter with spelt or wholemeal so what I do is take out however much I need and I refresh it according to the instructions. Then, so I don't run out of starter, I weigh some or all of the remaining starter depending on how much I have. I add the same amount of flour and the same amount of water and give it a good stir. I cover it and let it refresh alongside the starter I will be using. The next day, I put it back into the fridge (in the vat with the rest of it, if I only refreshed a portion) for another day.