Sourdough is an ancient way of causing a rising or growing action in dough or batters through fermentation. Before commercial yeast was available this is how most bread was made. Many pioneer families depended on sourdough as did the Yukon gold miners who were even called "sourdoughs." Since sourdough is a culture that is "fed" flour and water, it can be sustained for many years. Claims are made of sourdough maintained for a hundred years or more.
Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes make a lovely weekend breakfast. |
Mine is a thick white liquid with a distinct tangy scent. It is the secret to zesty pancakes, waffles and both quick and yeast breads that taste wonderful and may even be good for you. Today I am sharing my Sourdough Blueberry Pancake recipe.
Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes begin the night before or eight hours before you're going to eat them. This means planning ahead, but each step takes only a few minutes.
Sourdough has a definite tangy scent. |
Mix
1/2 cup sourdough starter
2 cups of flour
2 cups of milk.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight or for around 8 hours.
When the sourdough is mixed in, it immediately begins to bubble. |
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (more or less)
Dry on a paper towel.
After 8 hours the mixture is slightly risen, a little dry and bubbly. |
Now turn your attention to your batter.
Add:
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs (2 is okay)
Love those bright yellow egg yolks from our backyard chickens! |
Mix well.
I used a measuring cup to ladle the pancakes. |
Preheat a griddle. An electric griddle should be set at 375 degrees and one on the stove top should sizzle a drop of water. Spray with Cooking Spray or grease with vegetable oil. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle.
A Note About Sourdough
I try to refresh or feed the sourdough a few hours before using by stirring in an equal amount of flour and water. If you are making pancakes, it is fine to refresh it after using. It immediately begins to bubble and rise. After using I often allow it to set out overnight before returning it to the refrigerator. Ideally you will bring it back to room temperature before using again. I'm told that the more often it is used, the better it gets and that it should be "fed" at least once a week. My sourdough was made using yeast or possibly, by taking the Amish Friendship Bread starter and adding only flour and water to it (I did that once, but don't know if that's the one I still have.) Sourdough can go bad if neglected so do watch out for mold or a strange, pinkish coloring.
I've noticed that sourdough bread has a lower number on the glycemic index than even whole wheat bread. That seems like a good thing. The fermentation of the flour evidently changes carbohydrates and makes that wheat flour into something that is better used by our bodies. Here is a web site that gives more information about health benefits of sourdough:
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/03/05/food-for-thought-health-benefits-of-sourdough/ I'm not sure if adding sourdough to quick breads would have any benefit since they are baked soon after the addition of the sourdough. Most of my sourdough recipes include some leavening such as yeast, baking soda or baking powder in addition to the sourdough.
Bev,
ReplyDeleteThese look just like my Grandmother Reed's pancakes.
Are you taking the photos for your blog? They are nice. So glad you are doing this. Vicky
Yes, I did have some help with the photos from Jess. She set up the breakfast photo and took some others as well.But I am finding it is possible to cook with one and hand and take pictures with the other!
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting! I just had a few experiments with sourdough, one not so good! In fact, I used the starter recipe from the "Fannie Farmer" book where you try to capture the yeast from the air, and apparently I couldn't capture any, so my bread didn't rise. :) But I tried again with a starter that included commercial yeast and had better luck. I want to try your pancake recipe.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a recipe to start amish friendship bread?