Uncle Jacks Sourdough Starter Food

YUKON SOURDOUGH FLAPJACKS (PANCAKES)

Steps:

• To proof your starter, feed it with equal amounts of flour and water (start with 1 cup of starter and at least 1 cup each of flour and water); cover and let sit overnight.
• Next morning, measure 2 cups of the proofed starter into a mixing bowl.
• Add egg, oil, sugar, and salt to the starter and mix briefly.
• Add enough flour to attain the desired consistency and mix until lump-free.
• Just before cooking the pancakes, dissolve baking soda in 1 Tbsp of warm water and gently blend into batter (See Note).
• Once baking soda is blended in, do not stir again.
• With a pitcher or ladle, pour 2 to 3-inch rounds on a hot (400 F) griddle.
• Cook 2 to 4 minutes, until bubbles form on surface.
• Turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes; serve hot.
• NOTE: If time permits, omit baking soda and stir 1 cup white flour and 1/2 cup of milk into batter.
• Proof, covered, for 1 hour at 85 degrees F, and then without stirring pour batter onto hot griddle--this will make pancakes extraordinary.

UNCLE JACK'S SOURDOUGH STARTER

Steps:

• To make your own starter, mix flour, sugar, salt and vinegar in enough warm water to make a creamy batter. Leave it in a warm place for four days to a week until it begins to sour, or "work." If it is ready, it should have bubbles on top. Pour some in a dish and mix a dash of soda with it if it is active and ready to use, it will respond like hotcake batter. (Batter should rise to about double, looks kind of like meringue).Sourdough "works" because of a culture similar to yogurt. It forms an acid which will attack most metal containers and could poison you, so keep your starter in glass, crockery, or plastic. Stainless steel is OK for mixing batter, but it's not best to leave it in that, or even in a fruit jar with a regular ring and lid. It is imperative to never use any metal pot or metal spoon with sourdough EXCEPT stainless steel, as it causes a chemical reaction. A wooden or plastic spoon is a good idea to go with the sourdough pot. Gas bubbles (carbon dioxide) are released as the starter "works," so don't close the lid too tight!Sourdough rises because of the gas bubbles, same as bread dough with yeast. The baking soda you add to the batter causes a rapid reaction with the acid in the starter to make the light hotcakes, and also, neutralizes the acid taste. There is no reason for sourdough to taste sour. A slight soda taste is OK, but if you get too much, it makes the bread look yellowish. When you plan to use your starter, take it out of the refrigerator the previous evening and mix flour and water with it to batter consistency. Let it set out overnight to work. Then you take out as much as you will need for the day, but be sure there is a cup or more left, and put it back into the refrigerator. If you forget it and it molds on top, simply get two or three tablespoons of clean batter from the bottom of the crock and mix with new flour and water. Never add anything to the starter but flour and water. No yeast, no leftover batter, no potato water or any of the other stuff you hear about. A slightly lumpy starter will work itself out overnight, so it's better to leave it that way than way too thin. A Back Country Guide to Outdoor Cooking Spiced with Tall Tales - Bread in Camp