Bread Machine (100 page)

Overnight Sourdough Pancakes

Makes about twenty 4-inch pancakes

Since a sourdough starter is best if used at least once a week, here is a good way to keep it active. Anyone with a sourdough starter enjoys being able to make these tangy pancakes, as well as a variety of breads. This is an excellent “all-purpose” pancake recipe with a delightful flavor—you can substitute part of the unbleached flour with whole wheat flour or buckwheat flour for variety. I call for blueberries here, but you can use different varieties of fresh berries in the summer, and frozen unthawed, unsweetened berries in the winter. To make this into waffle batter, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

1
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- or 2-pound loaf machines

For the pancake sponge:

1 cup warm water

1 cup evaporated milk

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cup sourdough starter

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For the pancake batter:

2 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon light olive oil

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

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teaspoon baking powder

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teaspoon salt

1
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to 2 cups fresh blueberries or one 12-ounce package frozen unthawed blueberries, optional

To make the pancake sponge, the night before you want to make the pancakes, place the water, milk, and starter in the bread pan. Add the flour. Program for the Dough cycle, and set a kitchen timer for 10 minutes. When the timer rings, press Stop and unplug the machine. You will have a batter. If you leave it thin, it will make crisp pancakes; a thicker batter, which I like, will make more hearty pancakes. Let the sponge sit in the machine overnight. The batter will rise and fill the pan, become moist, and smell yeasty.

To make the pancakes, the next morning, add the eggs, maple syrup or honey, oil, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the sponge. Plug in the machine, program for the Dough cycle, and press Start. Watch the mixing for a few minutes. Press Stop as soon as the batter is ready. Do not overmix; the batter should be smooth yet have small lumps. Press Stop, unplug the machine, and you are ready to make the pancakes.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water skates over the surface, then lightly grease it. Pour the batter onto the griddle using a 14-cup measure. Sprinkle with some berries, if you like. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, the edges are dry, and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn once, cooking the opposite sides until golden, about 1 minute more. The second side will take half the amount of time to cook as the first side. Serve immediately with maple syrup, or keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.

FRENCH BUTTERMILK STARTER               
Makes 1
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cups starter

I
always seem to have cultured buttermilk around. With a cup left in the carton, I decided to add yeast and some flour, and let it stand for twenty-four hours.
Voila! C’est I magnifique!
I got a smooth, thick fermented starter that has become my favorite. Buttermilk is thinnest at the time of purchase and thickens as it sits. You may want to adjust how much flour you add according to the thickness of your buttermilk. If your buttermilk has exceeded its pull date, the starter may be ready to use after 1 day, but I suggest you let it ferment for at least three days to use it at its best.

INGREDIENTS

³
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cup unbleached all-purpose or bread flour

Large pinch of active dry, bread machine, or SAF yeast

1 to 1
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cups lowfat buttermilk

For the first feeding:

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose or bread flour

3 tablespoon water

Whisk together the
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cup flour, yeast, and buttermilk in a medium bowl; the mixture should be thick like a pancake batter. Add a bit more flour to adjust the consistency, if necessary. Transfer to a plastic container or crock. Cover with a few layers of cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band; then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand at warm room temperature 24 hours (80°F is optimum). It will be bubbly, begin to ferment, and smell delightful. There will be tiny yellow dots of butter from the buttermilk on the top.

After 36 hours when the starter begins to smell sour, feed it with the 2 tablespoons of flour and the water; whisk to combine. Let stand for 1 to 2 more days, until the desired degree of sourness is achieved. This starter can be used 3 or 4 days after it is initially mixed. The longer you let it sit, the more sour it will be; you can judge how sour the starter has become by the way it smells. If you are not ready to use it after 3 or 4 days, let it stand a few more days to continue to sour, or store it in the refrigerator, covered loosely, until you are ready to use it. For information about maintaining your starter, see
Technique: Building and Maintaining a Sourdough Starter
.

GRAPEYEAST NATURAL STARTER

S
tarters cultivated from fresh grapes are a very popular type of natural starter. Get your grapes from the arbor in your yard, an old wild vine, an organic farmer’s stand at a weekend farmers’ market, or a local organic winery in late August or early September. The source of the grapes is important, as sulphured grapes have had the wild yeasts killed that collect naturally on their skins, and that is the culture you want to cultivate. This home recipe is adapted from one given to me by Karen Mitchell of the Model Bakery in St. Helena, California, and is the basis for her
pain duvin
sourdough round. The starter takes anywhere from nine days to two weeks to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds ripe unwashed fresh organic red or white varietal grapes on the vine

Unbleached bread flour or whole wheat flour

1 cup lukewarm bottled mineral water (90°F to 100°F)

1
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cups bread flour or whole wheat flour

Place the grape bunches in a 4-quart deep plastic bucket (the yeast is on the outside of the skins). Use the back of a large spoon to crush the grapes, pressing out the must (unfermented grape juice) and leaving the skins hanging on the stem. Remove the stem and skins, and leave the crushed grapes, whole seeds, and the must in the bucket. Cover with a double layer of cheesecloth fastened with a rubber band and let stand at warm room temperature (80° to 90°F) to naturally ferment for 5 to 7 days. Do not add anything else to the bucket during this time.