Sourdough Flapjacks & New Crochet Project

I'm starting a family tradition - I am making sourdough flapjacks for Sunday brunch for the family.  If you've never had a sourdough pancake, you're missing out.  They are fresh, homemade and healthy for you.  You serve a stack of these with butter and maple syrup and you have a happy family! :-)  See the yeasty bubbles in the batter?  

Getting the griddle at the right temperature is a challenge.  My first batch last week were a bit burnt looking, but tasted fine.  But I am aiming for "golden brown".  So, this week I fiddled with the controls and got it JUST right.  I used 2 cups wheat and 1 cup white flour with this one and next time it will be 1 cup wheat, 2 cups white for a nicer texture. 

There we go.. just what I'm going for. 

I was flipping flapjacks like crazy and grandpa was serving them up with sausages and cutting them up for our grandsons.  Buddy is hoping that some crumbs might fall to the floor. :-) 

SMILE.. egads, I didn't notice that Hayden had stuffed a napkin in his mouth.. lol! 

I made a triple batch this time so we wouldn't run out. 

My plate was last.. I could not finish eating them.  Next time, one less flapjack. :-)  FYI - I use Mrs. Butterworths sugar-free maple syrup. 

I had to show you Dayle's BBQ he made us for dinner last night.. these are a full rack of baby back pork ribs and some kielbasa sausage.  We made baked beans and macaroni salad to go with this. 

I may or may not have gnawed on the ribs before I thought to take a photo. :-) 

Nom nom nom... a perfectly warm evening on the deck and the boys had a blast chewing on the bones.. :-) 

I decided to make a nice, soft, warm cotton afghan with my KnitPicks "Billow" yarn.  I'm using the "Interlocking Colour Ripple" pattern by the lovely Lucy at Attic24 Blog.  Click on that link for the free pattern.  She uses much more colorful yarn in her project, but I'm going for a soft natural look with this.

This yarn is sooooOOOooo soft!  

I'm using the newest sterling silver crochet hook that I ordered from Celtic Swan - it's an "H" hook and this is bulky yarn.  It's a fun project so far. 

I had taken my vintage wicker yarn basket out on the deck to get these photos.. it's a magical morning with the sun slanting at a different angle.. oh I'm going to miss the warm weather and flowers.   

I'm heading to the pool today and Dayle has offered to do the grocery shopping while I'm paddling away.  We're doing a lot more cooking now!  I hope you have a great week ahead!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)  

SOURDOUGH FLAPJACK RECIPE

(You can make your own sourdough starter - mix warm water and flour for a batter similar to cake batter - then add some yeast and stir in.  You will need to let it sit out on the counter for several days and let it bubble away, until it smells sour.  You feed it with more flour/water mixture.  When you're using it often, it can stay on the counter - if you don't use it for a while, store it in the fridge and then bring out and feed to bring it back to "life".)

(For 2 people, use this recipe.  For 4 people, double it, for 6, triple it.)

Night before - mix 1 cup flour (we recommend 1/4 cup wheat and 3/4 cup white) with enough warm water to make a nice thick batter (like cake mix consistency).

Stir that up good then add 1/2 cup sourdough starter - just fold it in, don't beat it too much.

Next morning, stir together 1/4 cup milk, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1/6 cup oil, and stir these ingredients into the batter you made the night before.

Then add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in a bit of warm water and add this just before cooking, folding it in, don't beat it too hard.

NOTE:  Never use metal spoons or measuring devices or bowls when using the sourdough. Use wooden spoons for mixing and rubber spatulas for scraping.

Heat griddle to medium hot and spray with PAM a bit - batter will be fairly thin - use ladle and put about 1/2 cup of batter for each flapjack.

(NOTE: YOU WILL HAVE TO EXPERIMENT WITH HOW HOT THE PAN OR GRIDDLE IS AS YOU COOK THEM.  I HAD TO LOWER MINE OR ELSE THEY GOT TOO BROWN TOO FAST.  YOU WANT THEM TO BE GOLDEN BROWN.)

Cook till brown on one side, then flip over and brown the other side.  Serve with butter on top and maple syrup.

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Feed sourdough batter with a batter of about a half cup of warm water and flour.  It will foam up when it's happy.  If you aren't going to use it for a while, put it in the fridge, and when you want to use it, take it out a few days ahead and feed it and keep it warm.

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