Sourdough Flapjacks

[Pheidippides]

Back in 2002, my granddad died. He was an amazing fellow who had never finished 8th grade but had fought in WWII, survived a concentration camp for six months, buckarooed out in the wild Idaho wilderness, and generally been a hard worker his entire life.

Whenever we visited him, every Saturday he'd make bacon, eggs and sourdough flapjacks. The sourdough start (which my grandmother still has) was going on 50 years old at that point.

My wife and I host a 4th of July breakfast at our place every year, and in his honor I make stacks of sourdough flapjacks. I have my own start, made from scratch (it's very easy to do).

My recipe (so far - I made a trial batch this morning and I'm always tweaking it) goes like this:

The night before, take 1.5 cups of the start. Proof it by adding 2.5 cups flour, 2.5 cups water. Let sit overnight. It should be bubbly in the morning. Take back enough to rebuild the start (.5 cup, to which I add another .5 flour and .5 water and stick back in the jar).

Next morning, add the following:

2T honey
4T melted butter
2 eggs
1t salt
1t baking soda
.5 t baking powder
1/2 cup Half and Half, heavy cream, milk, whatever.

Add more flour/dairy as needed. It should be a thinner batter.

Let it sit for another 30 minutes after it is mixed.

Griddle away. Small pancakes, somewhere between crepes and thick pancakes, are the result.

Top with Grandma's chokecherry syrup. Maple if you must, I suppose.

Anyway, my point in writing all of this is to see if any of you do much with sourdough, and, if so, if you have any good flapjack or bread recipes. Or have any thoughts on the above - it's a recipe that I've more or less made up myself.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I found this one a few weeks ago and everyone in the family loves it.

Grain and Nut Whole Wheat Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal <-- Use seven grain oats if you have them
  
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional) <-- Use 1/4 Cup

DIRECTIONS

• Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine. In a large bowl, combine ground oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In another bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, oil, egg, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix wet ingredients into dry with a few swift strokes. Stir in nuts, if desired.
• Lightly oil a skillet or griddle, and preheat it to medium heat. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot skillet; cook the pancakes for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown.

[kccougar]

I'm not a big fan of the sourdough in my flapjacks, but we do have a great buttermilk recipe. Unfortunately, mrskccougar has taken this fitday thing a little too far and keeps cutting the white flour for whole wheat flour and screwing up the whole thing.

[TripletDaddy]

what is a sourdough start? I have never baked bread.

[Pheidippides]

what is a sourdough start? I have never baked bread.

Here's how you make it:

Mix a cup of flour and a cup of lukewarm water in a dish (not metal). Leave it out on the counter.

Next day, throw half of it away, and mix half a cup of flour and half a cup of lukewarm water in.

Next day, do it again.

Repeat.

When it starts to smell sour and beery and gets bubbly, it is a start. Also, mine usually develops a liquid on top. It is called hooch, mostly because that is what it is. I just stir it back in.

After that, you can keep it in the fridge and feed only once a week.

It is a symbiotic culture of natural yeast and bacteria, IIRC, and it is how many things were leavened back in the day.

[SteelBlue]

Here's how you make it:

Mix a cup of flour and a cup of lukewarm water in a dish (not metal). Leave it out on the counter.

Next day, throw half of it away, and mix half a cup of flour and half a cup of lukewarm water in.

Next day, do it again.

Repeat.

When it starts to smell sour and beery and gets bubbly, it is a start. Also, mine usually develops a liquid on top. It is called hooch, mostly because that is what it is. I just stir it back in.

After that, you can keep it in the fridge and feed only once a week.

It is a symbiotic culture of natural yeast and bacteria, IIRC, and it is how many things were leavened back in the day.

I'm glad DDD asked, I've never heard of a start either. So how old is your start?

[Indy Coug]

Here's how you make it:

Mix a cup of flour and a cup of lukewarm water in a dish (not metal). Leave it out on the counter.

Next day, throw half of it away, and mix half a cup of flour and half a cup of lukewarm water in.

Next day, do it again.

Repeat.

When it starts to smell sour and beery and gets bubbly, it is a start. Also, mine usually develops a liquid on top. It is called hooch, mostly because that is what it is. I just stir it back in.

After that, you can keep it in the fridge and feed only once a week.

It is a symbiotic culture of natural yeast and bacteria, IIRC, and it is how many things were leavened back in the day.

At what point does a mutated strain come along and make Swine Flu look like an aphrodisiac?

[cowboy]

At what point does a mutated strain come along and make Swine Flu look like an aphrodisiac?

Probably many points, but it all dies when it is baked.

Correct me if I'm wrong, nikuman, but I don't believe that a starter even has to be refrigerated, no?

[Pheidippides]

Probably many points, but it all dies when it is baked.

Correct me if I'm wrong, nikuman, but I don't believe that a starter even has to be refrigerated, no?

That's right. Refrigeration just makes the bacteria work slower and thus require fewer feedings.

My start is two weeks old. My old one was used and not replenished at one point.

Interestingly, starts from different areas have slightly different flavors. My Houston start is less sour than my granddad's, for example.

[TripletDaddy]

So to clarify, you perpetually have an open dish of smelly yeast in your fridge? Sounds like I may just continue to buy my sourdough from the store.

at what point can you seal it up and put it in a jar?

[The Wankster]

I have my 10 year old *start* in a gallon ziploc bag in the cupboard, it honestly hasn't been used in prolly 6 months.

Stuff looks nast as hell but man is it tasty when you take and cut some fresh flour, sugar, etc.... in it and bake some bread or pannicakes. Delish.......

[Pheidippides]

So to clarify, you perpetually have an open dish of smelly yeast in your fridge? Sounds like I may just continue to buy my sourdough from the store.

at what point can you seal it up and put it in a jar?

No, you close it up when you put it in the fridge. It only needs to be open for the first week or so.

[landpoke]

That's right. Refrigeration just makes the bacteria work slower and thus require fewer feedings.

My start is two weeks old. My old one was used and not replenished at one point.

Interestingly, starts from different areas have slightly different flavors. My Houston start is less sour than my granddad's, for example.

Something to do with the wild yeasts native to a particular area possibly?

I've never made a soudough starter, but I've heard of some heirloom ones being 100+ years old.

[TripletDaddy]

No, you close it up when you put it in the fridge. It only needs to be open for the first week or so.

much better. maybe I will try. thanks.

[TripletDaddy]

Here's how you make it:

Mix a cup of flour and a cup of lukewarm water in a dish (not metal). Leave it out on the counter.

Next day, throw half of it away, and mix half a cup of flour and half a cup of lukewarm water in.

Next day, do it again.

Repeat.

When it starts to smell sour and beery and gets bubbly, it is a start. Also, mine usually develops a liquid on top. It is called hooch, mostly because that is what it is. I just stir it back in.

After that, you can keep it in the fridge and feed only once a week.

It is a symbiotic culture of natural yeast and bacteria, IIRC, and it is how many things were leavened back in the day.

nik, this whole idea reminds me of the time I made prison pruno in my office (for real). In other words...fermented fun.

But before I get started, I have a few questions.

1. It seems that the most I will ever have on hand is somewhere between 1 and 2 cups (given that the base ingredients are a cup of flour and a cup of water). Is this correct? When I throw out half and add half back, I am right back to where I started, no? or....
2. Does the fermentation freakery increase the volume as the yeast is formed?
3. How long pre-fridge before the beer smell? Is that a week of decomposition? Longer?
4. Once ready for the fridge, I put the whole thing in a jar or bag, I assume? let it sit there airtight?
5. When you say feed it once a week, that means simply discarding the original half and adding half back each time?
6. When you add the new stuff and put it back in the fridge, isn't gas released, thereby puffing up the ziplock bag? I know that when I made my pruno, the bag got very puffy. I had to be careful so that it would not pop in my office.
7. At what point can you use it for the pancakes? I guess after the first time it starts smelling and it goes in the fridge? Is this something where you may want to wait a few weeks first and get a good flavor going?

It seems that the notion of a 100 year old start is actually a misnomer. If you are constantly replacing half of it and adding new, fresh ingredients, then at any given moment, your start is actually relatively new. Compare with wine where you don't open up the barrel and keep adding new grapes every week. Is this correct or am I misunderstanding?

Thanks.

I am starting tonight. Excited!