Banana pancakes
SOURDOUGH starter, especially old, overripe sourdough starter, is very acidic. This is great, because it means it reacts with bicarbonate of soda to produce a lot of CO2. A lot. So, in things like cakes or scones that rely on chemical leavening, you can produce some almighty reactions.
I’ve found that one of the best places for this is in pancakes — not crepes, but US or Scottishstyle airy pancakes. The healthy dose of starter gives a slight muffin-like firmness to the dough and a lingering tang, as well as a complexity of flavour that balances well with the banana.
Banana pancakes
MAKES: About 12
Ingredients
80g white sourdough starter
120g plain (all-purpose) white flour
Pinch of table salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 overripe bananas, mashed
2 medium eggs
Butter, for frying
Method
1. Ideally, your starter should be over-mature — a day old if left at room temperature, or a week old (or more) if left in the fridge. Start by preheating a thick-bottom frying pan (skillet) over a low heat. Don’t add any butter.
2. In a large bowl, weigh your flour. Add your salt and bicarb (baking soda) and mix in. Then, add in your ripe bananas, starter and eggs. Mix everything together until it is combined into a lumpy but gloopy dough.
3. Add a few wee knobs of butter to your pan. If it instantly sizzles and spits, it’s probably too hot and going to burn; remove the pan from the heat and stick it on a lower ring. Once your butter is melted, take 1 tbsp of dough from your batch and let it drop on to your greased pan. Use this as a tester. Fry for 2 minutes or so on each side, or until golden brown.
4. Repeat with the rest of the dough, keeping the pan topped up with butter all the time to stop sticking and add flavour. Fry up to four pancakes at a time, or however many you can fit in your pan. When each batch is done, stick them on a clean tea towel, folding it over to keep them warm.
5. Serve with whatever you fancy. My favourite is natural (plain) yoghurt, honey and blueberries.