Sourdough Maintenance and Cooking

I'm only a week into cooking with my new sourdough starter and I'm obsessed.  So far I have made griddle cakes, pikelets, crumpets, crackers, flatbread, fruit cakes, scallion and cabbage pancakes just from the discard.  This has been so much fun and so delicious that I haven't even attempted bread yet!

I have shifted into maintenance mode and it has been very simple.  I was using my starter almost every day so I began by keeping it on the counter and feeding it twice a day.  But because it is the middle of summer right now, and it was rising too fast, I started keeping it in the refrigerator.

My new routine is when I get up in the morning I take my starter (Poquito) out of the fridge and let him warm up before feeding him.  Then I let him sit on the counter (feed) for a couple of hours before putting him back into the fridge.

This schedule has been a great way to keep my starter active and ready to use as often as I like.  What I have discovered is that knowing how my starter reacts to my kitchen and environment was critical for it to thrive.  

I'm looking forward to many years of happy Sourdough cooking.

Sourdough Discard Master Batter

This is one of the best, most versatile sourdough discard recipes.  I have made many variations (crumpets, pikelets, scallion pancakes) and they are all excellent.  Quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup Sourdough Starter Discard (unfed)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• Butter for cooking

Preheat pan on low heat.  Combine ingredients (except butter).  Mixture should be fluffy.

Melt butter in skillet.  Pour batter into buttered rings or freeform shapes. 

Cook on low heat 5 – 6 minutes until dry bubbles form on top.

Flip and cook an additional 3 – 4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Variations:
Top or stir in fruit (pineapple, blueberries) for sweet cakes

or vegetables (soy sauce, garlic, scallions, cabbage, carrots, onion) for savory pancakes.

Sourdough Discard

Now that I've finished creating my new sourdough starter "Poquito" it's time to start cooking.

Today was my first test and it turned out great.  My grandmother used to call these griddle cakes and I loved them growing up.  It's a great way to use discard from sourdough feeding.

I didn't have a lot of starter so I made 1 large cake.  It was quick and easy to prepare while I was feeding my starter so it only took a few minutes and I had a great breakfast.