sourdough starter . the present invention begins with sourdough starter . the present inventor uses a starter that he has been growing for years . the starter had its humble beginnings as a mixture of flour and distilled water that was left standing , uncovered , for four or five days . sourdough starter has a special place in the lore of san francisco , calif ., and many varied starters can be found there . sourdough starter recipes abound and , for those less enterprising , one can always get some starter from a friend or a friend of a friend by way of example , starter can be made as described above , or as follows : a . mix two cups of all - purpose flour with enough lukewarm ( distilled ) water to form a thick batter . let this stand uncovered for four or five days , or , until it starts working . lukewarm milk can be used in place of the lukewarm water . b . mix one cup of flour with one cup of room temperature ( distilled ) water , cover the mixture loosely , for example , with a damp towel , and let stand in a warm place overnight . next morning , add one cup of flour and about a cup of room temperature ( distilled ) water . mix well , cover and let stand in a warm place for up to about twenty - four hours . repeat the adding of flour and water at least one more time and then let the mixture stand and work in a warm place for a day or so until you see a lot of foam and bubbles on top of the starter , which is then ready for use . if you ask the inventor what the best starter is , he will tell you that it is his starter . accordingly , in accordance with the duty to disclose the best mode , readers are invited to contact the inventor for a sample of his starter . some people might be satisfied to make their own starter using one of the recipes above or other recipes that are widely published . a preferred method according to the invention for producing a sourdough pancake or waffle batter pre - mix is described below . it will certainly be appreciated that other recipes and / or procedures may be employed , provided that one leaves out the baking soda , and stores the batter pre - mix under refrigeration or freezing , until ready to make pancakes or waffles . at that time , one adds a suitable quantity of baking soda , preferably pre - mixed with a little water , mixes it with the batter pre - mix , and makes pancakes or waffles , preferably within twenty minutes of the final mixing . sourdough sponge . white flour and distilled or purified water are mixed thoroughly together in a ratio of about one cup of flour to 10 fluid ounces of distilled or purified water , preferably warmed to about 90 degrees f . ( 32 degrees c .). the flour water mixture is mixed with starter so that the starter comprises about 10 to 20 % of this mixture , with the balance being the flour and water mixture . the thickness of this sponge mixture is adjusted , as necessary , by the addition of flour or water , to make the mixture have the consistency of a medium thick batter . this sponge mixture is put into a container and covered loosely , for example , with a damp towel to prevent a crust from forming on the sponge , and the container is put in a warm spot at about 90 degrees f . ( 32 degrees c .) and held for about eight hours to produce a sponge which will have about twice the volume of the original starter , flour and water mixture . a portion of the sponge is recycled from this mixture , back to a starter container , and reserved for later use as a starter . the remaining sponge mixture is then re - mixed thoroughly and held for about one or two days , depending on how much “ sour ” is desired in the final product , at 90 degrees f . ( 32 degrees c . ), again , covered with a damp towel . this step is called proofing . at this stage , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , flour amounting to about ten percent by volume of the sponge mixture is added thereto and mixed therewith , and this mixture is held at 90 degrees f . ( 32 degrees c . ), covered with a damp towel , for another day or two , again , depending on how much “ sour ” is desired . this second proofing step creates a most remarkably tasty and “ sour ” sourdough sponge . at this stage , the sponge is ready to be mixed with other ingredients to produce sourdough pancake or waffle batter pre - mix . sourdough pancake / waffle pre - mix . for each gallon of sponge , the following ingredients are added : this mixture is mixed thoroughly to produce a sourdough pancake or waffle pre - mix , which can be used immediately , as described below , or is immediately refrigerated or frozen . the refrigeration slows down the activity of the batter pre - mix , which can now be held under refrigeration for up to thirty or even forty days , for use in making sourdough pancakes or waffles , as described below . alternatively , this batter pre - mix can be frozen for up to several months . sourdough pancakes / waffles . to each cup of batter pre - mix , one adds one - eighth of a teaspoon of baking soda , pre - mixed in a small amount of water such as one or two tablespoons . this produces a pancake batter , which will be very active and should be used within about twenty minutes from the time the baking soda is added . the batter is cooked conventionally , for example , on a griddle heated to about 375 degrees f . ( 190 degrees c .). a suitable quantity of batter is poured on the griddle and cooked for about two minutes on one side or until bubbles stop forming on the top of the cake . the cake is then flipped and cooked for an additional minute or two and the pancake is ready to serve . the batter can also be used to make waffles . to prevent sticking , one can add a small amount of oil , approximately one half of a teaspoon , per cup of batter . waffles are made by cooking the batter conventionally on a waffle iron . it will be appreciated that many kinds of flours and mixtures of flours can be used in making the starter , the sponge and the batter pre - mix of the invention . excellent results have been obtained with plain old white bread flour . suitable flours include cake flour , either bleached and / or unbleached , hard and / or soft wheat flour , buckwheat flour , corn flour , rye flour and rice flour , as well as mixtures of these and other flours . it is preferred that the batter of this invention be made with eggs , as described above . more generally , it is preferred that the batter of the invention contain a water soluble or dispersible protein component . although it is preferred that this protein component be derived from eggs , it can also be derived from dairy products or egg products such as whole egg yolk , egg white or powdered forms thereof . other sources of dairy protein that can also be used include caseinates ( sodium and potassium ), buttermilk , whey and whey protein concentrate and mixtures thereof . the batter of the invention preferably includes sugar , as described above . more generally , the batter includes a sweetening or sugar component . cane sugar is preferred , although other sugars and sweeteners may be used , including low molecular weight sugars , sucrose ( cane or beet sugar ), dextrose ( corn sugar ), fructose such as corn syrup solids or mixtures thereof . artificial sweetener can be used in place of some or all of the sugar although it is believed that this substitution will hinder the browning of the pancakes or waffles . due to the greatly increased equivalent sweetening power of some sugars such as fructose and of artificial sweeteners , minor adjustments may be required in the recipe to maintain a proper liquid / solids balance at a desired sweetening level . the baking soda constitutes a chemical leavening agent that produces gas bubbles in the batter . other leavening agents that produce gas bubbles may be used but baking soda is highly preferred . water that is used in producing a batter according to the present invention should not contain chlorine such as is found in some municipal water systems and also in some well water . chlorine can inhibit or even kill the sourdough component of the batter . distilled water and purified water are preferred waters for use in making batter according to the present invention . any water that is substantially free of chlorine may be used . the batter can also include other ingredients that are sometimes included in pancakes including flavorings such as vanillin or maple flavor , coloring agents , fruit such as dried blueberries and the like , in desired amounts . preferably , utensils and containers used in making the sourdough batter of this invention will be non - metallic . some metals can and will react with sourdough starter , sourdough sponge and sourdough batter . accordingly , a method for making pancakes or waffles according to the invention comprises the steps of : 1 . mixing flour and water that is substantially chlorine free with a sourdough starter to produce a sponge , 2 . storing the sponge for several hours , preferably loosely covered , at a temperature of about 90 degrees f ., 4 . storing the remixed sponge for about one or two days , preferably loosely covered , at a temperature of about 90 degrees f ., 5 . optionally , mixing additional flour with the sponge and storing it for an additional day or two , loosely covered , at a temperature of about 90 degrees f ., 6 . mixing the sponge with eggs or another protein , sugar or another sweetener and salt or a salt substitute to produce a batter pre - mix , 8 . adding baking soda or other chemical leavening ingredient , preferably pre - mixed with a little water , to the batter pre - mix to produce a batter , and it is specifically contemplated that the batter pre - mix will be packaged and distributed for commercial or individual use .
a method for making sourdough pancakes and waffles is disclosed . the method comprises the steps of making a sourdough pre - mix from sourdough sponge that has been proofed , cooling and storing the sourdough pre - mix , removing a portion of the sourdough pre - mix , adding a leavening agent to the pre - mix to produce a batter and preparing sourdough pancakes or waffles from the batter . preferably , the proofed sourdough sponge is reproofed before the pre - mix is made . remarkably delicious and pungent sourdough pancakes and waffles are produced .