Don’t disregard the discard
Olga Massov tells us how to get the most from our sourdough starter rubbish, to create delicious popovers and crumpets.
Are you a proud parent of a sourdough starter? Congratulations on keeping your fermented baby alive. It certainly feels like a small victory to realise your starter (mine is named Frampton) is flourishing.
If it is, you are probably used to the routine: you feed your starter once or twice a week (or maybe even once every two weeks, I don’t judge). You also may cringe every time you, well, discard the discard (the portion of your starter that you have to remove every time you feed it).
Your discard is practically begging to be used in various baked goods – and it’s easier than you might think to do it.
Numerous recipes can help you use your discard as flavour – crackers, biscuits, banana bread (or any quick bread), but I want to highlight two less-obvious favourites that are perfect for sourdough newcomers: crumpets and popovers.
‘‘It’s important as an aspect of honouring highquality ingredients that we don’t throw it away,’’ says Martin Philip, author of Breaking Bread: A Baker’s Journey Home in 75 Recipes.
‘‘Farmers worked hard at growing these grains. Food is a privilege, and let’s treat it with honour and respect. Make an extra loaf and give it away. Make your discard something that can contribute to the wellbeing and happiness of someone.’’
Sourdough crumpets
4 to 5 servings
If you have a sourdough starter, you can make these crumpets in 15 minutes.
■ 1 cup sourdough starter discard (unfed)
■ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
■ 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
■ Scant 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
■ Neutral oil and melted butter, for greasing the pan
In a medium bowl, stir together the discard with the sugar and salt until combined. Sift in the baking soda and whisk it in thoroughly; the batter will rise and bubble.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over a medium-low heat until you can feel the heat when you hold your hand a few inches above the skillet’s surface. Lightly grease the skillet with oil and butter.
Brush a 7.5cm to 9cm cookie cutter with a little oil. Using a 1⁄4-cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into the centre of the cookie cutter.
Cook until the top of the batter is set and full of small holes, 5-10 minutes. Look for the top of the crumpets to resemble the surface of the moon – full of craters and dimples. Adjust the heat as needed to achieve a mostly cooked, porous surface on top without burning the bottom (you can peek using a spatula to lift the mould). Using a spatula, or tongs, flip the crumpet and remove the cookie cutter ring. To do so, gently ‘‘cut’’ around the perimeter of the crumpet using a knife.
Cook on the other side until golden brown,
3-4 minutes. Serve warm with butter and jam.
The crumpets can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to two months. Sourdough gruyere popovers
6 to 7 servings
With their billowing dome and custardy centres, popovers appear impressive and complicated, but they require just a handful of ingredients, a bowl, and a whisk, then you’re minutes away from popover greatness.
If you don’t have specialty popover pans, with spaced deep cups, regular muffin tins will work just as well – just be sure to give your popovers the space they need by skipping every other cup in a regular muffin tin, as described below.
■ 1 cup whole or reduced-fat milk
■ 1⁄4 cup cream (optional)
■ 3 large eggs
■ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
■ 1⁄2 cup sourdough starter discard (unfed)
■ 1 teaspoon salt
■ 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
■ 1 cup all-purpose flour
■ 1⁄2 cup shredded gruyere cheese (may be substituted with another melting cheese or a hard cheese, such as parmesan)
Neutral oil, unsalted butter, or cooking spray, for greasing
Position a baking rack in the middle of the oven and place a muffin pan on the rack. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
In a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, warm the milk and cream until slightly warm to the touch.
In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk-cream mix with the eggs and butter, then add the starter, salt and pepper.
Whisk in the flour and the cheese (do not overmix, a few small lumps are fine). The batter will be the consistency of heavy cream and look slightly curdled.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, and spray it thoroughly with non-stick pan spray, or brush it generously with oil or melted butter. Quickly pour the batter into the cups, filling them almost to the top.
The popovers will nearly double in size and may topple a bit, so to prevent them from touching one another, fill every other cup with the batter to give them room to rise. Bake for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 190C, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the popovers are golden brown. Using tongs, carefully lift the popovers out of the muffin tin and serve.
Popovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.