Back to School is always hard for parents and kids alike. We know that most mornings we are barely making it out the door on time, the kids are pulling shoes on as they run to the car and everyone has a toaster strudel or similar thing in their hands for breakfast (don’t judge, you’ve read this far so it’s a high probability that you relate). But the great thing about hectic fall mornings is that it makes us appreciate mornings without obligations even more, and nothing is greater than a California fall morning with sourdough pancakes and syrup.
Serves 5
Ingredients:
-1 ½ Cup white flour
-1/2 Cup wheat flour
-2 T sugar
-3 T baking powder
-1/4 tsp Salt
-1 large egg
-1 cup sourdough starter*
-1-2 cups of water
Equipment:
– mixing bowl
-griddle
-wooden spoon
-spatula
-measuring cups/spoons
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except the water in a large mixing bowl.
Add the water a little bit at a time, you want the batter to be smooth but not too thick or too liquid. The one things people tend to get wrong about pancake mix is not getting the batter the right consistency. You should be able to stir through it easily, but not have it be runny if you pour some out. We like to refer to it as papier-Mache thickness.
Once the consistency is right let it stand for an hour. It will be very bubbly when you go back to it.
Pour it by the ¼ or 1/8 cup full onto your hot griddle (the griddle is hot enough when water dances on its surface but does not immediately evaporate, you may need to adjust as you cook).
Be patient. This is really a step to good pancakes. You want the side facing up to glaze over a bit, and then you only want to turn it once. If you turn it more than once it will lose its fluffiness.
Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
*Unless you have been cultivating your sourdough starter for a while now, you will need to buy some. Sourdough is a unique culture that only really thrives in Mediterranean climates, meaning that there are only really 5 places on earth where sourdough will turn out how we in the Bay Area expect it to. This recipe will be just fine elsewhere but beware of trying to make sourdough bread anywhere but in a Mediterranean region.