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Yeastie Beasties!
Jan. 19th, 2009 11:22 amMy aunt -- who is getting up there -- has for many years (i.e. since 1967) been the caretaker of a colony of yeastie beasties which have returned her care and love by providing her with leaven for lots and lots of sourdough pancakes and waffles. (She coaxed the starter from a friend, who got it from an old guy who was living in the mountains and had probably been custodian of it for several decades by then.)
This last trip, I used blandishments and big puppy eyes to wheedle a cup of starter out of her, and took it to my sister's house, where I made more starter (and pancakes!) and left some for her enjoyment while I very carefully transported a few ounces of yeast-infested dough back through airport security and home. (The top didn't pop till I got off the plane!)
I dined last night on sourdough pancakes -- my apartment finally being warm enough to proof the sponge. (See all the lovely jargon you can pick up from the internet?) There being far more batter than any one person could consume in one night, I made a few pancakes to pop into the freezer as an experiment, and saved the rest of the batter for morning.
Breakfast, of course, was sourdough pancakes -- which turned out amazingly well, considering how chilly those yeastie beasties must have been after a night in the fridge. I still have batter left, too, so that will be lunch. I may even get ambitious enough to go out and buy syrup by then.
I have a few notes, however.
1. Sourdough pancakes rise. A lot. They are thick, and tasty. This means they probably need to be smaller in diameter than ordinary pancakes, so that you have a chance of finishing them without experiencing a slightly desperate sensation of "oh, no, I'm *not* giving up that last lovely lump of jam!"
2. Sourdough starter does not taste nearly as lovely when you lick the drip off your fingers in haste.
3. Auntie was right. Wash the doughy bits off your kitchen equipment right away and its actually going to work. Later is a baaad idea.
4. Having sourdough starter in your refrigerator and the internet at your fingertips is a recipe for ...er... recipes. Whether ambition will follow the research I have yet to determine.
This last trip, I used blandishments and big puppy eyes to wheedle a cup of starter out of her, and took it to my sister's house, where I made more starter (and pancakes!) and left some for her enjoyment while I very carefully transported a few ounces of yeast-infested dough back through airport security and home. (The top didn't pop till I got off the plane!)
I dined last night on sourdough pancakes -- my apartment finally being warm enough to proof the sponge. (See all the lovely jargon you can pick up from the internet?) There being far more batter than any one person could consume in one night, I made a few pancakes to pop into the freezer as an experiment, and saved the rest of the batter for morning.
Breakfast, of course, was sourdough pancakes -- which turned out amazingly well, considering how chilly those yeastie beasties must have been after a night in the fridge. I still have batter left, too, so that will be lunch. I may even get ambitious enough to go out and buy syrup by then.
I have a few notes, however.
1. Sourdough pancakes rise. A lot. They are thick, and tasty. This means they probably need to be smaller in diameter than ordinary pancakes, so that you have a chance of finishing them without experiencing a slightly desperate sensation of "oh, no, I'm *not* giving up that last lovely lump of jam!"
2. Sourdough starter does not taste nearly as lovely when you lick the drip off your fingers in haste.
3. Auntie was right. Wash the doughy bits off your kitchen equipment right away and its actually going to work. Later is a baaad idea.
4. Having sourdough starter in your refrigerator and the internet at your fingertips is a recipe for ...er... recipes. Whether ambition will follow the research I have yet to determine.
