Sourdough Adventures

Back in the old days, the sourdough starter being passed around was the flour and water type, no milk, less sugar and not as sweet as the "Amish Friendship Bread" starter. We kept it in a crock in the fridge and fed it every week or so. It made terrific pancakes as I recall.

So now that our Amish starter from Jen is going and going and going, and one can only eat so much Amish bread, I've tried a few more recipes with varying results. I'm a better cook than baker but, here's the results:

Muffins - Two different recipes (recipes are all over the internet), one with nuts and one with nectarines. The latter was better although the oven temp recommended (425) was too high. I'll lower the temp next time and maybe use part white flour instead of all whole wheat and more sugar or Splenda. I did not peel the nectarines and some chunks turned a weird bluish color inside the muffin but the taste was not altered.

Biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake - Jackson loved these just hand to mouth before we even made it to the strawberries. I just sweetened a regular biscuit recipe. Would try it again. Memo to self: look for a nice sharp round biscuit cutter set.

Pancakes - These are a definite keeper! Light, fluffy and just a hint of sourdough flavor. Drop on fresh blueberries while the first side browns. Butter, maple syrup...awesome and a real carb boost whether you need one or not! Simple, simple recipe using sourdough batter, water and buttermilk pancake mix. The proportions are arbitary, in my opinion, so I just mixed up 2 cups starter with 1 cup water and then added pancake mix to get the right consistency for fluffy pancakes. My challenge is having enough patience not to overheat the pan but to get it hot ENOUGH. Practice is in order :) We had so much pancake batter that we froze about 8 pancakes. We're thinking of popping them in the toaster for quick snacks later.

Nate has requested corn bread which we may do for Dad's Day.