Cooking Notes - Sourdough Pancakes

I've heard about these for years but never really believed they would work. I don't know, something about the milky starter had me skeptical and I was never much of a pancake enthusiast to begin with. But still, with my experience and love of baking/eating sourdough bread, I knew I'd have to give sourdough pancakes a try sooner or later.

So here we are.

Recently I came across a recipe that seemed simple enough: starter, flour, milk, egg, pinch of salt. And a warm place to let it sit over night. This is all assuming one has a healthy starter ready to use. If not, here is my from-scratch starter recipe that I use for baking bread, which can also be used to start a pancake starter, the only difference being the milk. The idea is to transfer your bubble-making wild yeast colony to a new milky environment by adding a spoonful of bubbly bread starter to a 50/50 milk and flour mixture ( a 1/4 cup of each) to adjust it to pancakes instead of bread. Once this milk starter is bubbling, keep it in the fridge until the night before you want to make pancakes. You now have a separate pancake starter to use anytime.

Ok, so it's Friday evening and you want to have a Saturday morning pancake breakfast. Take your starter out of the fridge and let it come to room temp for maybe an hour or so. Once the chill is off the starter, mix together 1 cup of milk (I use goat milk, but regular milk works too, I just haven't yet tried almond milk etc) and a 1 1/2 cups flour of any mixture you like (I use 1 cup spelt and 1/2 cup teff) in a medium bowl (I use a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup) and add 1/4 cup starter (this amount doesn't have to be exact as long as you leave some in the bottom of the jar) mixing all together until you form a smooth batter. Cover this with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight. Add 50/50 milk and flour back into your starter jar to replace that which you just used. What's left in the bottom of the jar will feed your new starter for use next time. Let this sit overnight also and then put the jart into the fridge in the morning.

The next morning your batter should look like this:

See the spongy bubbly texture? Just wait 'til you stir in the egg and see how foamy the batter is under the surface. But first, before anything else, make coffee.

Ok so once you've got your hot morning beverage of choice, go ahead and stir the egg into your batter and add a pinch of salt (more or less to taste). You can also add any other flavours now if you want like sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, etc. I like to keep them as plain and simple as possible because I like to dress the finished pancake with fruit, yogurt and maple syrup on my plate. See below. Hubs likes savoury toppings on his, so it's win/win.

Frying: Once you've incorporated the egg and salt into the batter you're ready to fry them up. I like to use a cast iron frying pan that's been well seasoned with olive oil, but any other frying pan will do.

See how the bubbles pop through the surface? That's the natural leaven from the starter. I didn't add anything extra like baking soda, so the texture of my finished pancake is something between a crepe and an old school pancake. If you want more a more spongy rise, go ahead and add some baking soda, otherwise I think they are best without. I keep a casserole dish with a lid nearby to keep the finished pancakes warm.

With this batch, I'm also making blinis, those little Russian pancakes traditionally topped with sour cream and smoked fish or caviar. I'll be getting more creative with these, perhaps using shredded turkey and hot sauce or cheese and pickles and having them as appetizers with a glass of wine later today.

But first, breakfast . . .

These sourdough pancakes taste decidedly tangy on their own and hold up nicely with any combination of toppings from butter and maple syrup to fruit and yogurt to ham and cheese to fish and coleslaw (think fish tacos!) It's a versatile meal revelation.

Reading Notes, Baking Notes

After a major downsizing move to a new city, I'm finally getting to unpack my book boxes. There is nothing more soothing for an addled and stressed mind than that. All is right in my world once again. I'm presently reading The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison which I am enjoying more every day. I had my doubts at first as it seemed a little too familiar-first-person-chatty which is -ehn- is not my favourite writing style for books(blogs, yes - books, no), but engaging enough in this instance for me to keep going. It's taking me forever, but I keep reaching for it when I have a chance. I'm also doing a lot of middle of the night reading on my phone as my insomnia is in full roaring swing lately. I have a digital version of Tolstoy's Boyhood an autobiographical story which has me totally captivated. I put the screen on 'night' mode and read away until dawn.

As for bread, I had to give my two sourdough starters (one wheat, one spelt) to my aged mother to put in her fridge and babysit while I was away. She was happy to help but there was nothing much to do but wait and see and hope it would recover when I finally had access to my baking pans and an oven. I've read that starters can lie dormant for months in the back of the fridge but I don't want to push my luck. And I'm a mom so I worry about keeping things alive. So, earlier this week I put the jar of spelt starter out on the counter to warm up, stirred in the dark watery 'liquor' that collects on top, and waited. After an hour or so I poured out about 1/3 of the starter (down the drain - I know! Horrors!) and added 1/3 cup fresh spelt flour and enough water to bring it back to a thick batter consistency. It sat on the counter again for 24 hours with only just a little bubbling so I did the same procedure over again and waited another 24 hrs, this time with a little more bubbling - it's alive! So just to be sure I did it one more time and then made a sponge to use for a loaf, putting the rest of the stater back in the fridge as per usual. The dough mixed and rose like a champ and I pulled a hearty, well crusted loaf out of the oven later that day. The wheat starter got the same treatment but without the baking this time around. It responded similarly with the fresh flour and bubbles so I imagine it will bake up okay when I make a loaf later this week. And so it appears we are back in business. 

Apropos of baking, here is a granola recipe I would like to try. Perhaps even without the brown sugar? I think there is probably enough sugar in the bananas to give it the flavor, crunch, and chew I require in my morning cereal. 

Onward. 

Basic Crunchy Granola

This recipe is so simple and crunchy that I can't believe it's taken me so long to figure out how to make it. I'm quite particular about my breakfast cereal - it has to be a crunchy mixture of granola, raisins, chopped fruit, yogurt, and some kind of milk. My current favourite is flax milk but I also like almond milk and rice milk.

Moving on...

Here I have 4 cups of rolled oats (a mixture of quick cooking and large-flake)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

In the measuring cup is 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir to mix all the dry ingredients first, then pour in the liquid and mix it all up until everything is coated.

Then evenly spread all that oatmealy cinnamony goodness onto a parchment lined baking sheet and pop into a 300 degree oven.
Set the timer for 7 minutes...

...pull it out and turn over the granola with a spatula to mix it up so that it toasts nice and evenly and doesn't burn around the edges.

Put it back in the oven and set the timer for another 7 min. and repeat.

Put it back in the oven and set the timer for another 7 minutes and repeat again.

Then pull it out and mix one last time, turn the oven off and put the granola back in the oven for 5 more minutes.

When it's done it should be well toasted and oh-so fragrant. Let it cool like this completely to achieve maximum crunch.

Once cooled, I store it in an old glass cookie jar (above) but it also stores well in a ziplock bag or plastic container.








This is a base recipe and can be halved or doubled with many substitutions.

I've used...

-Rolled spelt and rolled barley along with the rolled oats. Probably other rolled grains work just as well, but I haven't yet tried.

-Honey in place of maple syrup is also very delicious. Ive used molasses too but find it makes the granola too dark and strong tasting. It's not bad, just...strong.

-Pecans and almonds, chopped.

-Pumpkin seeds, flax seed and sunflower seeds, although I rarely use seeds because it makes the granola chewy instead of crunchy, and for me it's all about the crunch.

Semolina Bread

...is what I'm baking this week. It's a light golden, spongy bread that is great for dipping into seasoned olive oil or soaking up saucy dinners. It also slices well for making sandwiches and toast.

I make mine with sourdough starter so it needs to rise at least 12 - 18 hours overnight. I began this loaf at 4pm on Tuesday and baked it at 8am on Wednesday.

In my mixing bowl I put...
2 cups white bread flour
2 cups semolina flour
2 teaspn salt
2 Tblespn olive oil
1/2 cup sourdough starter
and enough water to make it all stick together into a nice springy ball of dough ready for kneading. I hesitate to put a number onto the amount of water since it really depends on the humidity in the air and the quality of the flour. Good springy bread dough is a matter of feel rather than an exact amount.

When it is well mixed but before kneading, it should come away from the sides of the bowl and look a little shaggy like this. Semolina dough is usually so smooth that it can be kneaded on a dry clean surface without extra flour. Although, if it is too sticky or dry you can always mix in a bit of flour or water a little at a time as needed.

Once it's been well kneaded, about 5 minutes, it should be tight, shiny and elastic and ready for rising overnight in an oiled airtight container. I use an old Rubbermaid Cake Saver turned upside down so that the base is now a lid that snaps closed.

Next morning it looks like this, all puffy and loose. Gather it together and let all that gassy air out, folding it in on itself gently two or three times to shape it into the kind of loaf you want. It works well round or long.

Since I have an old cast iron fish-poacher that happens to be perfectly loaf shaped, I'll use it to bake my semolina bread. But first the dough has to proof for an hour in a parchment and flour lined linen towel. I make a little nest like this...

...and wrap it up in a basket.

Since I'm using all sourdough with no additional yeast, and it's a cold February, this dough will take about an hour to proof until it is ready to bake. Once again, it should be puffy but still hold its shape, like this. The parchment is for lifting the dough straight into the preheated loaf pan without disturbing the dough itself. The dough in the pan and the lid on, it all goes straight into a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then lid off for another 15-20 minutes and then...

....out of the oven like this. Lift the loaf out of the pan to cool on a wire rack.

Notice that the crust doesn't split. I think this is because there is oil in the dough which makes for a softer, more pliable crust. When using just water in a basic recipe, the crust is thick and brittle and needs help expanding with slashes across the top. Not so with semolina.

Bread and Books

Just as I believe books to be the best and most satisfying food for one's mind, so I believe bread to be the best and most satisfying food for one's body.

Check out what's been going on in my kitchen lately.

From basic sourdough...

...to olive bread and multigrain bread

...to ciabatta 

...to granola

Actually, the ciabatta and basic sourdough are about the same thing except the ciabatta dough is wetter and thus less formed at baking time. Still chewy and crusty, though.

I've been baking bread for about twenty years, but my foray into sourdough only just started a few years ago. In 2013 I discovered the ease of using a cast iron pot for baking a perfectly formed old-fashioned loaf and posted about it in Crusty Sourdough 101 alongside a how-to for making the dough. 

The granola is something I've been working on for the last six months or so. The basic oatmeal and honey version here is simple to put together and has a nice crunch, but that's for another post.

My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

I marvel at how far cookbooks have come. Gone are the days of the dense, featureless tomes of my childhood kitchen. Now, instead, we have lively, colorful, engaging albums of recipes, food, stories and photographs with helpful tips and how-tos, with shopping advice and substitutions, food pairings, meal suggestions and wine tips. And because the world has become so accessible, we're able to explore and sample regional and international foods like never before. Cooking is fun again, interesting, and delicious. My current obsession is all things Paris, so of course My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz is a must for my foodie bookshelf. May I just say we've been eating very well at my house lately? Hubs and I have been diving into these recipes with gusto.

To wit...

Artichoke Tapenade with Rosemary Oil, pg 53. This is delicious even without the Rosemary oil, and who knew it would be so easy to make? We had it on crackers or as a spread on sandwiches.

Celery Root Salad, pg 105. This is crunchy and tangy and creamy like coleslaw but without being too cabbage-y. We had it with roast chicken and it was delicious.

 Celery Root Soup , pg106. A good springtime soup! This also has leeks and is deliciously light and mild. The crumbled ham chips on top are a yummy contrast. It also calls for a dollop of creamed horseradish to stir in, which I omitted because I really just wanted the taste of the celery, leeks and ham.

Duck Terrine with Figs, pg113. Oh man. This right here? This is unbelievable. It takes some prep work, yes, but the end result is a delicate deliciousness I never thought could possibly come from my humble kitchen. Put a dab on crackers or spread (crumble) on a sandwich like David does, with pickles and mustard.

French Onion Soup, pg 117. A hearty meal in itself, this. Since I don't own oven-proof bowls (I love the set David shows in several of his soup and casserole pictures, but alas) I had to assemble the bread and cheese right into the pot I cooked the soup in and then set the whole thing in the oven to brown before ladling out the portions. It's still delicious and hearty, although my portion here was not quite as cheesy as everyone else's. 

Carrot Salad, pg 123. This makes a nice accompaniment to lamb, along with... 

...Couscous Salad, pg237. This, in fact, was so good we ate it for days with a various assortment of meats and vegetables.

Buckwheat Polenta with Braised Greens, Sausage and Poached Eggs. pg158. We made this for dinner, but with all the lovely textures and flavors going on here, you could make it a substantial brunch as well. 

Chicken Lady Chicken, pg173. The name? You'll have to read the story behind it. The only thing we changed was grilling it instead of frying it on a cast-iron frying pan and it was still the most flavorful, moist and tender chicken ever to emerge from my kitchen.








I'd say we got off to a pretty decent start, here. There are a hundred or so recipes throughout so I have lots more to look forward to. And let's not forget dessert. I understand the French know a thing or two about sweet and buttery confections. But that will have to be a whole other post. Stay tuned.

Check out David's website for all things Paris, cooking, food and life. It's the next best thing to being there.

Crusty Sourdough Bread 101

Sourdough bread isn't so difficult, really. It just takes a little more time and planning. This time I remembered to take pictures.

Starter:
My starter lives in a 500ml mason jar in the back of the fridge.
But when I make a new starter, I use :

1 cup white bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
and enough water to turn it all into a thick batter.

I mix this all together right there in the jar and leave it on the counter for about 24 hours or until its nice and foamy like this…

Then I put a loose lid on and place it in the back of the fridge until I need it for making bread.

Loaf:
When it's time to make a loaf, I pour out about 2/3 cup of the starter into a mixing bowl. I then replace the starter by adding flour and water in the jar again to bring it back to the batter consistency it was before, mixing it all together with a wooden spoon. This new flour and water is fresh 'food' for the leftover yeasty starter in the bottom of the jar. Once the starter is replenished, leave the jar out on the counter overnight or until it gets foamy again.

To the starter in the mixing bowl I add:

3 cups of bread flour (I use a combination of wholewheat, spelt and white and add 1 Tablespoon of gluten flour per cup of any non-white flour. This keeps the finished loaf from being too dense.)
2 teaspoons salt
1 generous teaspoon honey or other sweetener like molasses or sugar.
Mix this all together with enough water to form a smooth, kneadable dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes until it's soft and smooth and holds together nicely. It's okay if it's tacky but it should not be dry or crumbly. Add water or flour incrementally as needed to keep it smooth and elastic.

Place kneaded dough into greased bowl and set aside to rise overnight or up to 24 hours. The upper photo is the dough still early in its rising.

This photo is dough after about 18 hours. Notice the big bubbles; that means the starter has been working nicely.

A big Rubbermaid bowl with a snap on lid works great for rising dough. 

Gather the shaggy, bubbly dough up and roll it together on the counter to form a tight ball like this. You might need to flour your hands and the counter a little as it will probably still be somewhat sticky. If you work quickly, however, you could do this without extra flour. Sticky is still okay and good, for now.

Proofing the dough gets it ready for baking and to do this I generously flour a clean dishtowel (linen works best, but a not-too-fuzzy cotton one works okay too) like this.

Then transfer the ball of dough onto the floured towel and generously flour the dough as well. This is the time when you do not want anything to stick at all.

Wrap the floured towel over the floured dough . . .

. . . and gently lift the whole package into something round, like a basket or bowl. This keeps its shape under control. Leave it like this in a quiet spot for a good hour or so. If the room is very warm it might rise more quickly than in a cold room.

As soon as I've set the dough set aside, I turn the oven on to 450 and put my cast iron pot in to heat up with the oven.

After an hour, the dough is noticeably bigger but still holds its shape when unwrapped and gently poked. I've just taken the pot out of the oven so it is extremely hot.


If the dough proofs for too long it will collapse when touched and will need to be reshaped and proofed again, probably for less time, maybe 40 minutes instead of 60.

I like to wipe a small bit of grape seed oil all over the inside of the pot.

Gently unwrap the dough and score the top with a sharp knife to allow for a controlled expansion while baking.

Quickly but gently lift the dough from the towel and straight into the pot. Since I have to use both hands for this, it helps to have someone else there to pull the towel away as I lift. The dough is very soft and pillowy and won't hold up to much handling. Once the dough is nicely nestled in the bottom of the pot, I put the lid back on and place the whole thing back in the oven to bake at 450 for 20 min. After 20 minutes I take the lid off and turn the temp down to about 400 for another 15-20 minutes. When it's done, it should look . . .

. . . something like this.

 And pop out of the pot for cooling like this.

And after at least 30 minutes of cooling, should slice up like this.

















There are so many possible variations when making bread, it's hard to say exactly what will work and what won't. So much of it is a matter of taste along with some trial and error. I tend to go more by feel and consistency when making bread, than exact amounts and times. A good vigorous sourdough starter is much more forgiving than the instant packaged yeasts, although I still use packaged yeasts for loaves I need quickly in a couple of hours. But if I have more time, a good, basic, rustic loaf of sourdough bread just can't be beat.