My goal for the winter is to learn to imitate the wonderful sourdough hotcakes I had at the Otis cafe near Lincoln City, OR! About two weeks ago I made my own starter from potato water, flour and a little sugar. I've now made two batches of hotcakes with following recipe (1 C starter, 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp oil, 1 egg, scant 1/2 tsp salt, and scant 1/2 tsp soda - dissolved first in a bit of warm water). The flavor is wonderful, but they don't seem to get done inside. I lowered grill temp and cooked longer, but then they got tough on the outside. Any suggestions? By the way, I am also inspired by the many suggestions and wonderful photos on this site. I just know I have lots to learn!
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The formula use is as follows:
1 1/2 cups ripe starter
1 egg separated
2 table spoons milk (room temperature)
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it's fresh)
2 + tablespoons vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
Mix egg white with milk
Mix butter with egg yolk (be sure to temper the egg yolk)
Mix egg white / yolk mixtures together.
Mix liquids with starter and solids EXCEPT baking soda
Get pan ready, I cook mine on setting 4 (medium low)
Just before your ready to make the pancakes mix in the baking soda.
Vanilla sugar - 2 - 3 cups of sugar in container with 3 or 4 vanilla beans. I keep this container full and always have good sugar to use with these sorta things. I've used the same beans for 3 years now and the sugar keeps drawing out that nice vanilla flavor.
Hope this helps some. :)
James.
I add a couple of tablespoons of AP/plain flour to the mix. Also, I think one of the elements to great SD pancakes is to get the consistency just right. I do this by adding milk until it seems just right. 'Just right' is vague and it's difficult to be more precise in words. Over time you'll find a consistency that gives you the pancakes you like.
A less significant difference between your recipe and mine is that I mix in a combination of baking powder and baking soda (1/4 teasp and 1/8 teasp respectively) as a second-last step.
Other than getting the consistency right, you can achieve a lovely lightness to your pancakes by separating the white and yolk of the egg, and whisking the white into a thick, airy mousse-like consistency. Beat the yolk into the batter mix, then the baking powder/soda, and as a last step before frying, gently fold the whisked egg white into the batter, only enough to combine - you want to keep the air in the mix.
SD pancakes do tend to be a bit custardy in the middle, as you've noted...unless you get the consistency spot on. Also, unlike non-SD pancakes, I find the first one or two are often the best! As time goes on, the whisked egg whites deflate and the baking powder/soda tends to lose its power. So, frying ASAP after the batter is ready is vital.
Hope some of the above makes a positive difference.
Cheers
Ross
PS: I am assuming hotcakes are the same as what we call pancakes.
Ross yes, I have heard pancakes called hotcakes and flapjacks so your assumption is right. I had some sourdough pancakes at Sheep Mountain Lodge in Alaska and they were just the best I have ever had. I wish I knew his secret but that was long ago. Here is one more tip that I have heard that helps, add the baking soda to the ladle of batter just before you pour the batter into the pan. The baking soda reacts with the acid in the sourdough and bubbles up so if you add the baking soda to all of the batter the bubbles fade as you are frying the pancakes. I have never tried separating the yoke from the white of the egg but that sounds like a good idea too.
Hi James,
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and sharing your recipe. I have not heard of vanilla sugar, so I'm glad you explained what you do. We are big fans of vanilla in general, so I'm sure it will be well received and used. I will give it all a try. Perhaps you can also give some advice on knowing how to use starter. I have friends who suggest that there is a prime time to use before it kind of loses potency, but I'm not sure what to look for. I would suppose lost of active bubbling, but before it separates (as it has done to me). I also have been told to mix batter the night before and let it sit out overnight before cooking (at least any added flour). Seems that eggs and milk should be added at the end, as well as the soda. My book alludes to all of this but is very non-specific!! Again, thank you!
Sue
Hello Ross,
Many thanks for the info and suggestions. I will definitely give it a try - I did forget to mention in my post that I used WW flour. I almost fed my remaining starter with AP flour this morning, but decided against it for the moment. I prefer mostly whole grain, so I'll just add a bit to my pancakes and see how that goes. Also, separating the eggs and the mixture of b powder and soda sounds interesting. My dad thanks you, too, as he's the one who has to live though all the less-than-desired efforts to hopefully reach the product that is "just right". I have another question about maintaining the starter. I have used it twice now, at 6 days and again 12 days after I began it. What, if anything should be done along the way to keep it healthy and happy, and how often should I take some out and use it. Is this pretty critical or not such a big deal?
Thanks much and take care, Sue
Watch the Alton Brown episode on YouTube about Buttermilk Pancakes. True your not making buttermilk pancakes, but he talks about why you should mix the egg yolks and whites separately and then combine them. It's all about proteins and fat molecules mixing together...
The vanilla sugar is another gem from the same show I belive. I just bought a new container that will hold 5 lbs of sugar and some new beans. :p We love the stuff!
I'm probably not the best one to give advice on starters, I had tons of problems with mine and the breads I was making at first (mostly due to poor scales) and got lots of help from others like Russ...
However I have noticed over the past 9 months that I've been using mine that it tends to be at it's ripest at about 5 hours or so after feeding with regular stirrings. I would stir it every hour to knock out the bubbles and then it would grow some more and then I'd stir it again. After about 5 hours it wouldn't grow much more. So I guess that means it's ate all that was there for it and was as potent as it would get. I read that waiting an hour or so more would lend more flavor to your bread so I do.
A typical week goes like this... Wednesday evening or after noon we take it outa the fridge and feed it. Thursday AM it gets fed again. Thursday Evening one more feeding. Then on Friday I ask my wife to feed it before she leaves for work at around 10 am or so. This way when I get home at 5 it's all ready to go. I then pull out 1/2 a cup, feed that and put it in a new container (we use pickling jars) and then back in the fridge till next Wednesday. I then make my bread dough, hoping that I'll have enough starter left over for pancakes... The remainder of the starter (if there is any, and there usually is) gets fed it's weight in flour and a little less in water that evening before bed (10pm or so) I cook the pancakes at around 8 in the morning Saturday while my bread is baking. Talk about wonderful smells for the rest of the house to wake up to! :)
With pancakes the baking soda is very important. don't use to much or that is all you will taste, but be sure to use enough! And it needs to be fresh!! (Alton Brown talks about this in that same episode too) Using old baking soda will not give you the bubbling or rise that you are looking for. the older the soda the less the reaction until there is no reaction. I use mine over the course of a month then the box moves into the fridge as an odder fighter and I start a new one. You also need to make your pancakes quickly after adding the soda. No waiting here! Time is your enemie at this point. I use a pancake griddle to cook on. It's a rectangular flat pan that goes over two burners at one time. This way I can cook 5 or 6 little pancakes at a time (I keep mine about 3 bites in size each). 1 1/2 cups of starter is enough to feed 3 adults and two small children (if your not starving). Our boys love them and gobble them up almost before the rest of us can get any.
GL!
James
Hi Sue. To keep your starter healthy and happy, simply store a bit in the fridge in the bottom of a jar (I prefer glass, but plastic is OK) with the lid on. Whenever you want to use it, take it out and feed it. Best to build to the quantity you want over 2 feeds or more, 8-12 hours apart depending on your room temperature. The warmer the temp, the more food your little darling will consume, and the less time there should be between feeds. It's time to feed once the starter has peaked and fallen back a little.
Also, calculate the feed quantities such that they're approximately double the weight of the starter each time. Your starter is ready to use just before, at, or after peak ripeness. You have some latitude here - a couple of hours, at least, unless your ambient temperature is very warm, in which case you probably have a bit less.
SD pancakes is a great way to use a newly reactivated starter. I never discard excess starter these days...it all ends up as pancakes, instead of compost.
Jigsaw's tactic of using a long griddle so several pancakes can be done at once sounds like a great idea if you have a suitable hotplate setup on your stove. As mentioned, with SD pancakes the first couple are usually the best, so if you can maximise the number you do initially, you should get the very best out of them.
BTW, I've never tried making wholemeal SD pancakes, so everything I've said is applicable to a white flour mix. I imagine the process is transferrable to other mixes, but just thought I should mention that that's outside my experience.
Cheers
Ross
Ross and James,
I can't begin to thank you for all your detailed info. Now I have a good idea of what I am supposed to be doing, and will try all of your suggestions. It seems that a scale is an important tool to have. Does it kinda work (before I can get one) to use volume when feeding? I live a long way from town, so may not make a trip for a few days. Also, before I can get vanilla beans, will using a bit of liquid vanilla backfire on me? I'll keep you posted about my results. Ross, if this note won't go to James, please let me know and I'll write him one separately.
Thanks again, Sue
Vanilla pods are always a better source of vanilla flavour, but vanilla essence is also fine in pancakes. Just doesn't taste quite as good (although I wouldn't back myself to tell the difference in a blindfold test). I've used both vanilla-infused sugar and vanilla essence with no problems, but decided I prefer pancakes without vanilla flavouring. The first time I ever came across a pancake recipe with vanilla of any sort in it was on a American blog, so I'm guessing it is a usual ingredient in American hotcakes. Not so here.
Greetings, and thanks to all you guys who offered advice. I have been improving with each batch of pancakes, and finally have some I'm really happy with. My recipe is sort of a combination of all your suggestions, and I've used it twice. The first time was better than my previous efforts, but with the second attempt today, I think I caught the starter at the just the right time - about 5 hours after last feeding. The batter was FLUFFY, and they were so good we just ate them plain - no butter or syrup. I now have a mixture of whole wheat and AP flour in the starter which seems to help. I can alter the proportions in the future to see if I can also get good results with more whole wheat. I'm sure I'll still fiddle with it, but if I can duplicate a few times, I'm going to try some bread. I do have another question. Now that I have am keeping the starter in the frige, how often does it need some type of feeding or attention. I sometimes travel for 2-3 weeks and need to know if I can leave it alone for that long. Otherwise, I am in good shape for now. You bakers are great to share your tricks. Thanks again!
Sue
Good to hear you've got the hotcakes happenin' how you like 'em, Sue.
I've kept unfed starter in the fridge for over 3 weeks, and although initially sluggish, it soon came back to life once I started regular feeding again. As long as it is active and healthy when you put it in the fridge to store until the next feed, 2-3 weeks should not be a problem.
No reason not to try some bread. You realise, of course, you're now obliged to post pics as soon as you have some bread porn for us...?
Cheers
Ross