Instructions: SOURDOUGH STARTER - Empty the starter into a large bowl and add the warm water. Stir to thoroughly mix. Add the flour. Stir to combine but it is not necessary to remove the lumps. Cover the bowl lightly and place in a warm place for 12-36 hours (depending on hour sour you want the pancakes to be). Within a few hours, the mixture should have a surface of bubbles and a pungent, sour odor. I leave the mixture on the kitchen counter overnight since my starter works fine in a cooler environment.

When you are ready to make the pancakes, remove 4 cups of the starter mixture and place in a mixing bowl. Add about 3/4 of a cup of flour (not included in the above recipe) to the remaining starter and 1/2 cup of water. Mix well but ignore any lumps. Return this mixture to the starter storage container. Allow to sit on counter for 1 hour before returning to refrigerator.

PANCAKE/WAFFLE - To the 4 cups of starter, add the oil, eggs (you may use only the egg whites if you wish to reduce the cholesterol or omit them altogether. They add to the richness), salt and sugar (you may reduce the sugar, however, it does help in browning the pancakes or waffles as some of the sugar caramelizes during cooking) . At this point, it may be necessary to adjust the mixture thickness. This may be done by adding flour or milk.

Powdered milk or powdered buttermilk may be added as well to make a slightly richer pancake. Use 1/4 cup.

Dissolve the soda in a couple of tablespoons of water and when the griddle is hot, fold the dissolved soda into the pancake mixture. This will cause a leavening action and the mixture will double in volume. This will make the pancakes much lighter and fluffier. The amount of soda may be cut in half, if you wish a more sour tasting pancake.

Bake the pancakes on a hot (400F) griddle turning them once. Sourdough pancakes require a higher cooking temperature than typical for pancakes.

The same mix may be used to make waffles without any necessary adjustments to the recipe. However, for an even fluffier, lighter texture, you can fold in the whites from the eggs used in the recipe. They should be beaten until they are stiff and folded into the mixture before baking.

To reduce the amount of effort at the time you wish to make the pancakes or waffles, I often allow the original starter and the added flour and water to "work" for about 12 hours and the proceed to take 4 cups of the working starter, mix the rest of the ingredients in it and let the mixture continue to "work" another 24 hours or so until Im ready to make the final pancakes or waffles.

The addition of soda as a leavening agent will reduce the sourness of the batter somewhat. If the batter has doubled in size from the original mixture, you can use it this way instead of adding the soda and water. If you do, be sure not to stir it down as the added air inside the mixture will make the pancakes more fluffy.

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