Sourdough pancakes have risen recently in popularity. It is one of the favorite loaves of bread. People find it tastier and healthier than conventional bread. Sourdough is easier to digest and less likely to spur your blood sugar. Today, the baking of sourdough bread is popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, including San Francisco Bay. Some of the sourdough bread bought from stores are not as healthy as it should be. The reason is that they do not use traditional sourdough baking methods.
Sourdough Flour
Sourdough is referred to as both, bread and starter to make it. The combination of flour and liquid is the starter. It ranges from a stiff starter made from rye flour and water to a liquid batter of milk and cornmeal. When the flour is mixed with liquid, the friendly bacteria (Lactobacilli) and wild yeast starts working together. These tiny little creatures generate byproducts that cause the bread to rise and give it a rich and complex flavor.
The signature taste of sourdough bread or flour comes from the friendly bacteria and yeast. They produce flavorful lactic and acetic acid when the bread dough is rising. The organic acids range from vinegary to mellow. The balancing and controlling of these acids and adjusting ingredients create a bread of your favorite flavor profile.
Nutrition Content
One medium slice of sourdough bread weighing 2 ounces (56g) consists of the following nutrition:
| Nutrition | Value |
| Calories | 162 |
| Carbs | 32g |
| Fiber | 2-4g |
| Protein | 6g |
| Fat | 2g |
| Selenium | 22% of RDI |
| Folate | 20% of RDI |
| Thiamin | 16% of RDI |
| Sodium | 16% of RDI |
| Manganese | 14% of RDI |
| Niacin | 14% of RDI |
| Iron | 12% of RDI |
10 Essential Tools for baking Sourdough Pancakes
1. Sourdough Starter
A sourdough starter distinguishes a loaf of sourdough bread from a loaf of yeast-leavened bread. The reason why you should buy a sourdough starter is that it takes weeks to make a starter from scratch. Feeding a mature starter will help you to understand the process of making the starter from scratch. It is comparatively cheap. Why you should go through the hustle of making sourdough from scratch, while you can enjoy the process of sourdough baking.
2. Digital Scale
A digital scale will help you to measure the ingredients correctly before baking sourdough. The only use of a digital scale will be to measure the ingredients accurately and to change them accordingly based on your results. It is not recommended to bake a sourdough pancake or bread without a digital scale.
3. Clear, Straight-Sided Vessel
This clear and straight-sided vessel will help you to know that how much the dough has risen before baking. If the dough has risen approximately 50% in volume, then it means that it is ready to be shaped. When the dough rises in the bowl instead of the vessel, you cannot judge or measure the risen dough. It becomes tricky and it does not go well while baking.
4. Non-Stick Flour-Sack Towels
Using these non-stick flour-sack towels will absorb the additional moisture from the dough. The dough can be released without any sticking, even if the dough is very high-hydration dough.
5. Rice Flour
You can sprinkle the rice flour on the flour sack towel before placing the dough on it. The use of rice flour does not burn the flour as wheat flour does. It also helps to prevent the sticking of the dough with a Flour Sack Towel.
6. Bench Scraper for Shaping
The use of a bench scraper is for minimal handling and shaping of the dough. You can easily shape it in a round or oval shape using the scraper, rather than using your hands. Even if you want to cut the dough in equal proportions, you can easily and conveniently do it while using the bench scraper.
7. Parchment Paper
Parchment paper allows you to transfer dough from the counter to Dutch over easily. The parchment papers are non-stick and it transfers cookies or bread without sticking on it.
8. Mixing Bowl
A clear glass mixing bowl will help you for mixing the dough correctly. And you can store the dough in the bowl with a lid. You can use it if you do not have a clear, straight-sided vessel.
9. Double Dutch Oven
If you want a crusty boule, then you need a Double Dutch Oven. In most of the sourdough pancakes and bread, bakers use the Dutch oven exclusively. The lid of the Dutch oven works as a skillet, offering you more options. It maintains the level of nutrition in the food, providing you non-sticky and healthy cooked or baked food.
10. Oven Mitts
After baking, the Dutch oven would be hot and you do not want to scream or burn your hand or fingers. For this purpose, you should be having oven mitts to protect your hands from burning. They are heat resistant up to 480 degrees. Your hands and forearms will be protected by these high-quality oven mitts.
Baking method of Leavened Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- Naturally leavened sourdough bread
- 454g ripe sourdough starter
- 602g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 85g King Arthur Premium Whole Wheat Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour
- 397g room-temperature water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
Make the dough
If you are using volume, rather than weight for sourdough starter, then sir before measuring. Combine the starter, flour, and water in a large bowl. Now mix it well, until all of the flour is moistened. Now the dough will be in cohesive mass form. If you need the dough to be soft and sticky, you can add more flour or water.
Autolyze
Now cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. This period of letting the dough rest is known as autolyze. In this process, the dough absorbs the water and forms it into a gluten formation. It makes it easier for kneading.
Knead
After autolyzing the dough, add the salt and knead the dough. This will form a smooth and supple dough. When the dough is fully kneaded, place it in a bowl and cover it. Now let it rise for 1 hour in a bowl or clear, straight-sided vessel.
Fold
Now you can fold the dough using the bench scraper. Turn it out on the floured surface. Fold it like a business letter using the bench scraper. Shape it accordingly and repeat the letter fold till it gets a smooth shape. Now place it back in the bowl. Let it rise for another hour.
Pre-Shape
Every time you handle the dough, its glutens tighten up, which makes it more resistant to shaping. Pre-shaping shapes the dough in its final shape before the glutens tighten up. You can easily shape it into two rounds.
Shape into a Boule
Now you can shape the loaves into tight rounds. You can place them seam side up in the bowl using floured towels or cloth. Cover it and let it rise for another 2 or 2 ½ hours.
Prepare your oven
You can use a Dutch oven or the oven for baking sourdough bread. An hour before the bread is ready to be baked, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. For the best crust, place an empty cast iron frying pan.
Score
When the dough or loaves have risen, gently take them out in the parchment paper and slash them with a sharp knife. Scoring, also known as, slashing means putting an X shaped cut on the top of the dough before baking.
Steam
Slide the parchment paper directly onto the stone in the oven. Make sure that you are wearing the oven mitts to prevent steam burns. If you are not using the stone, then place 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron frying pan for steaming the dough.
Bake
Bake the bread for 30 to 40 minutes until it’s crusty and golden. Remove the loaves from the oven. Let it cool on a rack before slicing.
Verdict
In this article, we have mentioned 10 baking essentials for sourdough pancakes. You can easily buy them according to your need for baking sourdough bread or pancakes. Sourdough bread or pancakes are nutritious and healthy for life rather than consuming conventional pancakes and bread. We also recommend you read our post about pink pancakes made with BEETS.