|
| No, in my experience, cooling it down just slows the "feeding" of the bugs. They get going again as soon as it is allowed to warm up.
As I said, I loved the flavor of the pancakes - especially when the sourdough had a chance to sit after feeding. I had one of those big glass crocks - often used to display candy, I think. I kept it about half full (after feeding it). It would generally not overflow then when the "bugs were feeding." If i got it too active and fed it, it would overflow the top and make a mess. After sitting and aging for a couple of days, I would take out about half of it for pancakes and feed the remaining starter a couple of cups of flour and about the same amount of water - whatever it took to maintain the right consistency. Again, I never added flour to the pancake mix - just a couple of eggs, a bit of oil, and a bit of sugar so the cakes would brown a bit. Best pancakes I ever have had, and you could eat as much as you wanted and would never get that over-full feeling that lasted. It seemed much more digestible than normal pancakes.
For bread, I would take out enough of the starter and simply add flour to thicken it. If the starter had sat for a couple of days, it would have a great flavor. Let it rise only once and pop it into the oven. The new flour would lessen the sourdough flavor, but if the starter had been aged a couple of days, it would still be there. Very dense bread this way - and again, great for french toast when sliced thin. I imagine a little extra yeast would make them lighter.
Remember, feeding the "bugs" is a bit like feeding livestock. Feed them often, and forget to feed them for a bit too long, and they might be dead. Feed them every other day - about an equal amount to what is already in the starter - and they take longer to get actively feeding - and they survive longer if left unfed for an extra day or so. The flavor is very different with using the starter "fresh" vs. letting it sit an extra day or two. Experiment. Soda makes the bread - or pancakes - light, but you need to mix it in and use it immediately. And, it kills the sour flavor. I greatly preferred the pancakes mixed up without any yeast or soda and fried without much of a rise at all. I got to crave that great flavor. I would splurge and put butter and real maple syrup on them - and it doesn't take all that much, as they will not absorb the syrup like normal pancakes. Eat until you can't hold any more, and very soon you'll feel just fine again - unlike regular pancakes that can feel very heavy in your gut.
How is the oil patch doing these days? I worked in the arctic oilfields for ten years. I worked with several guys from ND up there. | |
|
Sourdough question
