Wow, a lot has changed in the past few days. The situation with Coronavirus has escalated in Boston. As the case count is quickly climbing in MA, I will be working on some projects remotely when possible. For the most part though, I will be hunkered down in my apartment as much as possible, trying to not lose my mind. I know I am healthy and not at high risk, but I am staying inside to help protect those who are at high risk.
I am trying to be productive during this time. Even though I cannot work, I can still work on my craft. I have set myself up with a series of projects to pass the time. My first project was to make some pancakes, since I had to feed my sourdough starter. My current favorite thing to do with my starter is to make sourdough pancakes. I make a batch (using this recipe from King Arthur Flour) and freeze them, giving me a supply of pancakes to eat for breakfast. The pancakes are fluffy and tangy, pairing wonderfully with the syrup. I pop them in the microwave for two minutes and pour some New England maple syrup on them (real syrup, not the fake maple flavored sugar syrup). I almost had the opportunity to watch the maple sugaring process, but due to Coronavirus, the event has been cancelled. I will make a point to do this when things clear up.
For these pancakes, I make an overnight sponge using sourdough starter, flour, and buttermilk. That’s double the tang! The active yeast in the starter will cause the sponge to bubble and rise overnight, at which point I add the eggs, oil, salt, and baking powder.
I have been making these pancakes plain, but I decided to change it up tonight and add blueberries. I brought home some frozen blueberries from the culinary arts kitchen. Even though I drained them well, frozen blueberries maintain a ton of liquid, so the color bled. This is not my neatest work, but they are tasty.
Well, I have to feed my starter once a week, so I might as well do something with the discard. One of these days, I will actually make a loaf of bread. Maybe I will even do that during this quarantine time. For now, I have some blueberry pancakes to wake up to for breakfast.
Take care everyone! I hope you stay safe and healthy.
Catie Cooks 