Sourdough Selections Part 2: Recipes

Congratulations! Half the battle toward taming sourdough supremacy has been won. You have followed one of Carla’s recipes I posted last week and have created your own sourdough starter to have on hand. Now that you’ve made your delectable sourdough starter, you must be looking for some recipes to put it to good use. Carla Emery’s Encyclopedia of Country Living has some easy gems, and I’ve included a few to get you started.

Sourdough Pancakes

Mix 2 c. lively starter, 2 c. flour, 2 beaten eggs, 1 T. sugar, 1⁄2 t. salt, and 2 T. melted butter or oil, plus enough milk to make a good pourable batter (about 11⁄2 cups, depending on how thick your starter is). Lastly, add 2 t. baking soda. Mix well; then let it rest a few minutes. Heat your griddle or frying pan. Shine it with oil before each panful of pancakes. Fry on medium heat. It helps to make dollar-sized pancakes. Be sure they are cooked through. You can’t make good pancakes in a big pan on a little burner; you need even heat and heat over the entire bottom of your pan. Sourdough pancakes taste even sourer if underdone.

Sourdough French Bread

Soften 1 pkg. yeast in 11⁄2 c. warm water. Blend in 1 c. sourdough starter, 2 t. salt, and 2 t. sugar. Add 21⁄2 c. flour. Beat a few minutes with a strong arm or mixer. Cover and let rise until it’s bubbly. Combine 1⁄2 t. soda and 21⁄2 c. flour, and stir that into your dough. Continue adding flour until you have a stiff dough. Knead on a floured surface almost 10 minutes. Divide your dough into 2 halves, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 10 minutes. Now shape into 2 French bread loaves. Place them, not touching, on a greased baking sheet. Let rise until it doubles and then bake at 400˚F for 35–40 minutes. Just before your loaves are done, take them out of the oven long enough to generously spread butter on their tops. Then return to oven for a few minutes. Serve in about 1-inch slices, cut somewhat on the diagonal.

Sourdough Cornmeal Cakes

Beat well together 4 c. flour, 2 c. cornmeal, 1⁄2 c. milk, 1⁄2 c. starter, 3 eggs, and 2 t. salt. Let rise overnight in a warm place. Bake on a griddle in the morning.