We Are Yeast-Less Out Here - Sourdough Starter To The Rescue!
Apr. 18 2020 - The Quarantine Journals
I knew she was hiding in the back of the fridge. My 4-year-old sleeping, hungry sourdough starter. But was she ready for the COVID-19 call to duty?
We are having challenges in the world right now, one challenge in the many weeks gone by was "toilet paper"--yes, I know, a world full of people scared shitless and no toilet paper to be found anywhere...it is terrible and hilarious at the same time.
We Canadians were asked to self-quarantine, especially if we were immune-compromised or elderly because we were most vulnerable. I fall into that group. I have been home for 6 weeks now, and I am lucky I can be. We need to stay home and stop the pandemic from spreading, and we complied. Then we were forced to comply. All for good reason, if you don't mingle, you don't get the virus jumping from one person to the other. I believe social distancing will be with us for some time yet. So no hugging or moist talking, please. Don't go anywhere near each other. Unless you live together, then hug and kiss and moist talk all you want--at home. Wear a mask please, who knew a bank would become a mask-and-gloves environment.
Then slowly other things began to be difficult to find. Milk, eggs, yeast, and flour come to mind. Also butter and cheese. Farmers are now dumping products into waste bins or on to the ground while we consumers are clamoring to buy it. For the farmer, there is no way to get it from the farm to the consumer, insane but true. We will need to fix this broken link in the supply chain but right now we just need to be satisfied and helpful and stay home.
My husband is the family shopper, only curbside pickup mind you, but I am frightened every time he leaves (once every week to 10 days). We wipe down everything when he gets home. It's exhausting. I now live a life of "substitutions" and "not available." No complaint mind you, just not at all the world I was expecting to live my golden years in.
Yeast is now a new North American kitchen obsession, it is very hard to find or extremely expensive if you do. If you're connected--yes, like in the old "meet me after dark at this street corner" kind of way--I am sure someone can help you. I found fresh yeast at a bakery in my city, but I can't leave to get it and I can't take a chance of my husband adding a trip to the already dangerous supply runs.
Let me state that I am a member of a Caremongers Group on Facebook for my area. They are amazing people, bless them. They posted about this bakery and I asked a few questions and a member told me she could arrange a volunteer to get the flour and yeast and do a porch delivery for me. I nearly sobbed. Not because I was sad but because I live in a community where this has become possible. There may be things wrong with Facebook and social media but right now it is a God Send for all the people that are shut-in who need information and cannot fend for themselves. I declined the offer as I feel it burdens and possibly puts a person in danger that need not be, but if this shortage persists I will ask for help. Remember, ask for help. Don't meet a yeast dealer on the corner, ok?
So back to my sourdough story. I brought my sourdough back to life by feeding it every day equal parts flour and water for a week. I also started a fresh batch in case my old girl was not going to revive, but she did. So now guess who has too much sourdough starter? I intend to keep up this pace with my old starter and placed the new one in the fridge to give away (porch pickup style) for the foreseeable future and use the older starter in other foods I make.
I found a marvelous lady who has excellent videos and a blog about sourdough. I saw her sourdough pancake recipe and decided I would make them:
This lady also does videos on how to make a starter and many other preserving methods. Things I feel the world will need to know in the times to come.
I adjusted her recipe a little, and I'll write it up for you here. But the recipe is hers. It is different from most recipes I looked up in that she does not really dilute the starter with water and milk, so it was a lovely thick batter to work with. I will make waffles with it next time. First I need a waffle iron.
Sourdough Pancakes:
2 cups starter (fed and rising) - I used 3 cups because I fed 2 cups and it rose to 3
2 large eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter - I used butter, I don't have coconut oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons honey - I used buckwheat honey cause that is what I have
1 teaspoon baking soda
Coconut oil for frying - Again, I just used butter
Mix the starter with eggs, oil, honey, and salt in a glass bowl (the starter does not like metal, including stirring utensils). Oil skillet for the batter. Fry until bubbles appear and look open, like a crumpet's center, then turn over for 30 seconds. Done.
I cooled them and I will freeze them with parchment paper between each so I can eat them one at a time. As you can see, they are the size of the center of a dinner plate. That is because I was tired, I used the same pan I use to make crepes, so they came out that size. You can make them smaller.
Well, my coffee is cold. It is time to get off my chair at the kitchen counter and make the day happen. Stay safe, stay inside, help where you can.
I will be posting a journal-type blog like this for all my preserving this year, my gardening, and my experiences with REKO (a new community way to support farmers directly from consumers using social media, perhaps the solution to the waste of food by current supply system).
~ Cookin Mum
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