Friday, 19 February 2016

Frugal: sourdough pikelets

I'm into the second stage of my sourdough starter - the discard half and feed half bit.  It seems all wrong to just chuck away something so 'vibrant' and energetic as a good dollop of sourdough starter, however immature it is, so I'm making pikelets (easier to make than their taller sister, the crumpet).

When you take off half the starter, bung it into another bowl and to each cup measure add 1 tsp sugar, half tsp salt and half tsp baking powder.  Mix well and watch the bubbles start to form.
(I need to find out what 1 cup volume looks like in the bowl I use)

Then lightly grease a pan and spoon in portions of the thick batter.  Cook them over a low heat until the tops are set and full of holes.  Flip them over and cook the other side for a short while.  Remove them to a piece of kitchen towel or similar.

Toast your pikelets and enjoy!  They freeze brilliantly, which is just as well given that there are several days of discard and feed to go before the starter can go into the fridge!

If you have crumpet rings, you can use them to make taller ones.  I find the batter sticks to the side of my rings which is a pain but there you go!

Some gloriously home made looking pikelets - not mine and not my photo.

Mine are rather dark and 'heavy' at the moment because my sourdough was started with rye flour but they will lighten as time goes on, especially if I feed with strong white.


When I was shopping in Sainsbury's, I happened to see packets of pikelets.  Six titchy ones in a packet priced 80p.  That makes mine the frugal find of the year, doesn't it?


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9 comments:

  1. Rachel Flowers19 February 2016 at 07:55

    I'm a bit scared of doing a sourdough starter - I worry about food poisoning! I bought a tall killer jar specifically for it after seeing Paul Hollywood do it. That's as far as I went!

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  2. Joy19 February 2016 at 09:31

    It's yeast . . . it doesn't go mouldy for weeks and weeks and weeks and not if you refresh it once a week (after the initial stages, of course). Honestly.
    J x

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  3. Rachel Flowers20 February 2016 at 11:43

    I know but I'm still scared! I might let you hold my hand through it in the Easter Hols

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  4. Joy26 February 2016 at 17:21

    OK, we can do that. Just remind me! :-)

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  5. Toni1 March 2016 at 17:24

    Which recipe did you follow for your starter please ? X

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  6. Joy3 April 2016 at 07:54

    There's a number of recipes out there, Toni. If you Google, they should list. Since whiting the above, I have reduced the sugar and salt and they are still good. I was finding them much too salty after a while.
    J x

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  7. Unknown23 April 2020 at 08:49

    Is it baking powder not bicarbonate of soda? I have seen a US recipe which says to use baking soda...so not sure which to use? Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Unknown22 October 2020 at 15:14

      baking powder and baking soda are the same thing over here.

      Delete
  8. Unknown22 October 2020 at 15:18

    Using a crumpet ring works, just oil it first. If well oiled the pikelets fall out easily. Thanks for this I am a West Midlander in Colorado... NO ONE knows what a pikelet is here ANd I too have tons of starter that I have HATED discarding...

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