richsoil

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(this is an essay I wrote in 1985. The original text is in black, my modern (2006-2007) notes are in blue) In my teens, I moved into the home of an aunt and uncle. These were very good people and made very good food. When they asked if I liked sourdough pancakes, I admitted that I'd never even heard of such a thing. Trying to imagine what sourdough pancakes were made of, I first thought of lemons. Lemons in pancakes didn't make a lot of sense, so my mind wandered again. This time stopping at “sour cream” or “sour milk”. That sounded like a possible gourmet stunt, and I couldn't come up with what else it could be. I began to think to myself what I would need to do to get out of eating them should I find them unpleasant. The cakes hit my plate. I smothered them with butter and syrup in an effort to hide the unknown. One small bite. What flavor. I ate nine pancakes about six inches wide that morning. I could've eaten more, but we ran out of batter. You can reuse a sourdough starter about every two or three days, so we ate these cakes every other morning. We would often bicker within ten degrees, what the temperature setting of the griddle should be. “When to flip” was a good breakfast discussion topic. I was frequently ridiculed for serving cakes with the “last cooked side up”, also referred to as “upside-down”. Years later, when I moved out on my own, I realized how economical these were to make. One batch could be considered a full meal for the average size person (I'm usually stuffed at one and a half). Including all of the toppings used, it costs about twenty-eight cents per batch. Cakes without toppings run about seventeen cents a batch. The stuff is so cheap, it seems like a waste to fire up the griddle for just one person. So I started inviting people over to help eat these cheap cakes. Since other folks would often bring toppings, the only expense to me is seventeen cents per person. The company attracted is more than worth it. That was the math then. I haven't done the math now. Plus, now I use only organic ingredients and real maple syrup. I think this could be one of those "ignorance is bliss" sort of things! :) Many, many times I've been asked for the recipe and I'm more than glad to give it out: There are two items prepared in advance. One is the yeast-based sourdough starter, which must be babied for ever and ever. The other is “The White Powder” which you add to as needed. The starter is the soul of these cakes. It's also the hardest ingredient to make or find. Although the best thing to do is get a “branch” form someone else's starter, it's possible to make your own from scratch. Sourdough Starter Warning!: Clean all dribbles immediately! This stuff can double as cement. If you let it dry before wiping it up, it'll take you about thirty times longer to get it off with a chisel. Do not let starter come in contact with the lid that it is stored in or you may have to go to the shop for your drill to save what's trapped inside. For starting your starter, I recommend a large crock with a loose-fitting lid. A crock that is about fifty percent bigger than you would actually use is good.

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