If you know me, you know that I don’t like to waste food! I save bones and stems to make broth and rollover recipes so that I don’t have to throw away things my family is tired of eating as leftovers. So, one of the things that bothers me about getting a happy sourdough starter going, is that most recipes recommend that you discard part of your starter before feeding it. This is because it works best to feed the starter an amount approximately equal to its weight with flour and water. This isn’t much at first, but as you continue feeding the starter, it can turn into quite a lot.
Once you begin to make bread, you will use up some starter and that will help with volume control. You can also refrigerate your starter, pulling it out each time to make leaven, 24 hours before plans to bake. Only mature starter will last well in the fridge. My favorite way to control my starter volume though is to make pancakes! This recipe uses an entire cup of starter, making it a perfect way to use up what recipes suggest throwing away.
These pancakes taste great! That’s the point of pancakes right? They are a celebration food in my house, served on birthdays or special weekend mornings when everyone has time to gather for breakfast. In addition to being delicious, though, they are packed with nutrition, unlocked by a long, slow fermentation of the dough. It takes just a few minutes of effort the night before you wish to make them to stir together the flour and starter. Then the next morning, adding the eggs and other ingredients is just as simple as a standard recipe or boxed mix. The recipe yields a lot of pancakes so you may have leftovers. They will keep well in the fridge or can be frozen and heated throughout the week. Serve them nice and hot for the best texture.
Recipe
8-10 hours ahead:
240 grams or 1 cup sourdough starter
480 grams or 2 cups warm water
* The thickness of the starter greatly impacts how much water you need. This is just an approximate measurement. Add water until you have a thick batter. I thin mine with milk more in the morning if needed.
480 grams or 2 cups unbleached, organic, white flour
360 grams or 1 ½ cups whole spelt flour (finely ground)
22.5 grams or 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (chia seeds make a great substitute)
The night before you plan to cook your pancakes, combine sourdough starter, warm water, the two flours, and the flaxseed meal into a large mixing bowl.
To prepare the pancakes:
3 large eggs, beaten
37.5 grams or 2 tablespoons raw sugar or honey
60 grams or ¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil
5 grams or 1 teaspoon baking soda
5 grams or 1 teaspoon salt
Heat a large, nonstick, skillet over medium to medium/high heat.
Add the eggs, sugar or honey, butter or coconut oil, baking soda, and salt to the dough that you fermented the night before. Stir well to combine the ingredients. The batter will be clumpy at first and then come together to be very sticky and stretchy. It will not look much like standard pancake batter and will definitely not behave that way. Don’t lose hope! They will be nearly identical once they are cooked. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes before you start your pancakes.
Scoop ¼ cup of batter into the skillet with a measuring cup for each pancake. Since this dough is quite stretchy, you’ll need a large spoon or butter knife to scrape the dough off of the sides of the cup before transferring it into the skillet. Shake the batter out of the cup with one or two firm jolts towards the skillet. It will not just pour out like standard batter. Add three to four pancakes to the skillet, depending on the size of your pan. The batter will spread and rise a lot as it cooks so leave plenty of room between each one.
You can reserve them under a paper towel so that they won’t dry out or inside a container for longer storage once they have cooled completely. Enjoy them with butter and maple syrup, honey, nut butters, or jam.
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