Friday, January 31, 2014

Oh-So-Fluffy Cast Iron Sourdough Pancakes

This recipe is included in Sourdough A to Z eBook and/or demonstrated on video on Sourdough eCourse.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons melted butter, coconut oil, or olive oil (not too hot)
1/2 teaspoon salt (if using refined salt, might want to use a bit less)
1 egg
2 tablespoons sweetener (honey, maple syrup, sucanat)...
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or vanilla/almond combo (more or less or none at all)
a generous sprinkle of spice (I use a self created spice blend-see below)
2 cups of sourdough starter (fed the night before-I feed mine an equal amount of water and flour, but it shouldn't really matter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
fresh or frozen fruit (optional)
yogurt and maple syrup for serving (optional)

Directions:

Begin by heating your cast iron skillet. I turn my electric burner to level 3 (of 11). I want my pan hot, but not too hot or the bottom of the pancake will burn. If you don't get a perfect golden brown the first time you try this method, take note of what you did and make a change the next time. A golden fluffy-beyond-your-wildest-dreams pancake is worth every effort!

While the skillet is heating, take a medium size bowl and whisk together melted coconut oil/butter or olive oil, egg, salt, sweetener of choice, extract of choice, and spices of choice. Pour in two cups of sourdough starter that has been fed the night before you want to make the pancakes. Stir well with whisk. Set aside.

In a small cup combine 1 tablespoon of water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Set aside.

Take a bit of butter or coconut oil and grease the bottom and sides of your hot cast iron skillet.

Pour the water/soda mixture into your waiting pancake batter. Quickly stir to incorporate.

Pour the batter into your waiting skillet. How much? Oh, I don't know for sure. Maybe an inch thick...maybe a touch more? Out of my batter, I make one large and one small cast iron pancake and two griddle pancakes.

I would not recommend letting unused batter sit while you wait for your skillet pancake to finish. You might want to make one skillet pancake and finish the rest of the batter off as regular pancakes. (Or give the wait a try and let me know how it turns out!)

Now, watch for bubbles. I let mine cook for 4-5 minutes on the stove.

If you choose, now is the time to add fresh or frozen fruit. Give the fruit a little push to sink them down into the batter.

Toward the end of this initial cook time, I turn on the broiler. "Finish your pancake off by placing it in the oven. Do not use the very top shelf; the second or third shelf will work best. Remember, your pancake bottom will continue to cook while the top cooks and browns.

This looks like a great recipe to us. Can't wait to hear your results with it. We have been getting so many questions about pancakes we thought you would like this. Happy baking!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Cheesy Sourdough Spelt Popovers from Bread Experience

Note: These popovers are made with sourdough and spelt so they have a different texture than popovers made with regular white bread flour. They are yummy nonetheless.

Makes 6 Popovers

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (can use almond milk)
3 large eggs...
1/2 cup sourdough Spelt starter, fed or unfed
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup All-Purpose White Spelt Flour

Directions:

Warm the milk until it feels just slightly warm to the touch.

Combine the warm milk with the eggs, sourdough starter and salt, crushed pepper and parmesan, then mix in the flour. Don't over-mix; a few small lumps will be fine. The batter should be thinner than a pancake batter, about the consistency of heavy cream.

Heat a muffin or popover pan in the oven while it's preheating to 450° F.

Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, and spray it thoroughly with non-stick pan spray, or brush it generously with oil or melted butter. Quickly pour the batter into the cups, filling them almost to the top. If you're using a muffin tin, fill cups all the way to the top. Space the popovers around so there are empty cups among the full ones; this leaves more room for expansion.

Bake the popovers for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to 375° F and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until popovers are golden brown.

Remove the popovers from the oven and serve immediately.

Happy baking!!!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Maple Oat Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Maple syrup, oat flour, and sourdough starter unite to form a nutritious, unique, and delicious dinner roll.

Author: Kristen @ Smithspirations

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, beaten...
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups oat flour
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
Additional butter or oil
2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup rolled oats

Instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl with pouring spout, combine butter, eggs, syrup, milk, and starter and mix well.

In the mixing bowl for a large stand mixer, add oat flour, 2 cups wheat flour, and salt.

With the dough hook attached to the mixer, turn on to the speed for mixing bread doughs, and allow the flours and slat to combine. Slowly pour in the liquid ingredients until a wet batter forms.

Gradually add additional wheat flour, 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms, allowing the dough to remain moist but not sticky.

Allow the dough to rise, covered, in a buttered or oiled bowl on the counter for 12-18 hours or in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours, or until doubled.

Punch down the dough and place on to a lightly buttered or oiled counter. Divide into 24 equal pieces. Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish.

With buttered or oiled hands, gently shape each dough piece into a round roll and place in the buttered baking dish. You will have six rows of four rolls.

Allow the rolls to rise until doubled in a warm (and turned off) oven for 3-6 hours, on the counter for 12-18 hours, or in the refrigerator for 24 or more hours.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Gently brush the risen rolls with milk and sprinkle each with rolled oats, gently pressing the oats onto the rolls.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm and with butter.

Friday, January 10, 2014


Dark Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes with Raspberry or Rhubarb Buttercream by Kresha Faber

For the cupcakes:

makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

1 cup sourdough starter, active and bubbly
1 cup of milk, preferably raw
1 3/4 cup whole wheat or spelt flour
1 cup unrefined cane sugar OR 3/4 cup date syrup...
1 1/4 cup unrefined, virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled but still liquid
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, preferably pastured
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee, preferably dark or espresso roast
100 grams (3-4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup cocoa nibs or other chocolate pieces

For the buttercream:

Makes about 4 cups

1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
2 1/2 sticks butter (10 ounces), softened but still cool, cubed
1 generous pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup pure rhubarb OR raspberry juice
1 teaspoon pure beet juice, more as desired

For the Cupcakes:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, the milk and the flour. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line muffin tins with parchment muffin papers and set aside.

Scrape the sourdough mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer (or grab your favorite wooden spoon to mix by hand). Add the cane sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla and mix on low speed. Increase the speed to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time.

Reduce speed to low and add sea salt, baking soda, cocoa powder, ground coffee, and melted unsweetened chocolate. Mix just until homogeneous, but no more, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. If the mixture is very thick, add a few tablespoons of milk to thin it. Stir in the cocoa nibs by hand.

Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or just until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack.

For the buttercream:

Start by making sure the mixing bowl of your electric mixer is completely clean and completely dry.

Next, prepare your juices: for raspberry juice, place 1 cup of raspberries in a blender, food processor, or mortar. Puree the berries and pour into a cheesecloth, then let the berry juice drip out until you've got 1/2 cup juice. For the rhubarb juice, either follow the same method as the raspberries, allowing much more time for the juice to drip to obtain sufficient juice, or run the rhubarb stalks through a juicer. For beet juice, coarsely dice 1 small beet, then run it through a juicer. Set juices aside.

Bring 1 inch of water to a steady simmer (not boiling) in a wide, shallow saucepan, then place the sugar and egg whites into the bowl and place over the simmering water. Whisk gently until temperature reaches 140° F, or if you don't have a candy thermometer, until the liquid is hot and you can't feel any granules when you rub a drop between your fingers.

Remove the bowl from the water and place the bowl back on the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is white, glossy, and about doubled in volume. The temperature of the outside of the bowl at this point should be neither warm nor cool.

Add the butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and whip until it has reached a thick, silky smooth texture. (This is the point of panic, so don't be alarmed. If the mixture deflates or curdles, just keep whipping and whipping and whipping-it will become thick and smooth again, even though it might take several minutes.)

Toss in the salt, then drizzle in the juices.

Enjoy and happy baking!