This is the part where I finally get around to writing about sourdough. Not quite as dirt-simple as buttermilk, but still relatively undemanding.
There are a hundred variations on sourdough starter and then some. At its base, it's just a live yeast culture, a holdover from a time before there was such a thing as active dry yeast.
Anybody can make a good starter from active dry yeast. The only real trick is to keep it fed until it's well-established. From then on, it pretty much maintains itself. The most basic versions just involve mixing active dry yeast, water, and flour. Mine is a touch more complicated, but it works very well. I've experimented with yogurt and such for a more complex culture.
Sourdough Starter
~48 hours
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more as needed
1/4 tsp or 1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm water, plus more as needed
optional: 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, 1/4 buttermilk, or 1 crushed kefir grain
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp sugar
1. In medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Stir well, cover loosely and place in a relatively warm location, such as the top of the refrigerator or next to the stove.
2. Stir every 8 to 12 hours, adding 2 Tbsp or so flour and another Tbsp warm water each time. The mixture will become bubbly and eventually develop a sour, yeasty smell. If the kitchen is warm enough, this may happen in as little as 24 hours, but usually takes about 2 days. It will expand vigorously, sometimes more than double, so make sure the bowl is big enough.
3. Once the starter is established, transfer ~2 cups in a medium-small bowl with a lid and refrigerate. You can also freeze a cup of the starter in a well-sealed freezer bag (I double-bagged mine) with all the air squeezed out.
4. If you don't use it frequently, take it out of the fridge and feed it once every week or two. Just remove 1/2 cup of starter, and mix in 1/2 c. flour and ~1/2 cup warm water (it should be a moderately thick batter consistency, but fairly glutinous).
Troubleshooting/Maintenance:
The starter will probably separate and develop a liquid layer on top. This is not a problem. Generally, you'll just want to mix that back in before you measure it out for use.
Turning colors - sometimes your starter will develop a skim on the surface that is an unusual color.
A grayish or even black liquid on top is perfectly normal. In fact, if you use whole wheat flour, you should expect it.
Any other color, like pink or green (or anything fuzzy) indicates contamination by another organism, one that is potentially pathogenic. Throw it out! Not only will it have off flavors, and be potentially useless, it could be harmful.
This is where that portion saved in the freezer comes in handy. Just thaw it gently in a bowl of warm water, then mix with additional flour and warm water.
Always wipe the sides of the bowl (with a paper towel or well-wrung sponge) down to the level of the starter when you replace it in the fridge. The starter will normally maintain a sufficiently acidic environment to be hostile to pathogenic contaminants, but leaving dried goop on the sides provides a less-hostile place for them to colonize (no acid, and plenty of free, partially digested starches and sugars for food). I used to be lazy about it, but since I started regularly wiping down the sides after use, I haven't had to toss a single batch.
I'll be honest: about the only thing I ever make with sourdough is pancakes (although I did find a way to sneak some into my blueberry muffin recipe - adds a little more structure and enriches the flavor). I like sourdough bread, but it's a lot more work, and Melanie's TMJ wouldn't allow her to eat it much anyway, so we hardly ever have any. Pancakes, though... they can develop good flavor and texture and still stay tender.
Sourdough Pancakes
You have to start these at least an hour before you intend to eat, so they're best for mornings when you have lots of time or when you have to get up really early for a run or something, but they're very simple otherwise. Serves 4-5.
8 oz sourdough starter
1 c all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or any combination thereof) + 1/2 c to maintain starter
~6 oz milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 lg egg
1 Tbsp extra light olive oil
1. Mix starter with 1 c flour and enough milk to form a medium-thin batter (the thickness is largely a matter of preference, although too thick will make it really hard to work with and the pancakes will come out doughy, where way too thin will get you pancakes that run all over the place and don't rise properly). I like to warm the milk gently in the microwave, because it helps the starter develop faster and I get a more robust sourdough flavor and texture in the final product.
2. Mix 1/2 c flour and 1/2 c water back into original starter, mix well and replace in fridge. Let batter sit at least one hour. Honestly, you can fudge this a little shorter but not much. The longer it goes, the chewier and more flavorful your pancakes will end up.
3. After one hour, lightly grease and heat griddle to 350, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. This isn't like a lot of quick breads where you mix as little as possible. Plus, you have to beat in that egg until it's evenly distributed.
4. Spoon onto griddle and cook until golden brown on both sides.
5. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.
Minor Update - I've tried 100% whole wheat sourdough bread with some advice from Mark Bittman and found it quite wonderful. Just as tender, and a little more flavorful than regular sourdough even.
An addendum to my part 1 post, to go with those biscuits:
Bacon Gravy
This is a nice, basic white gravy. My dad showed me how to do this a few years ago. Now, anyone who tells you that a roux is simple has been doing it too long. Still, nothing makes awesome white gravy like bacon grease. Nothing.
5-10 min.
2 Tbsp bacon grease
3-4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2-3 cups milk
1. Heat bacon grease in small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add enough flour to make a fairly thick roux. You don't want it to start clumping and breaking like a dough, but a little thicker than the standard 1:1 ratio of fat to flour you find in most recipes.
2. Stirring constantly with a whisk, cook roux over medium heat until it is bubbly and raw flour smell is gone, ~5 minutes. Don't cook it hotter than that or forget to stir it or it can scorch. Scorched flour taste will wreck your gravy. If you start to see brown or black flecks or smell something acrid... you've burnt it. You can cook a roux until it starts to brown naturally - in fact, some recipes require such a thing - but that's different from scorching it.
3. This is the tricky part: While stirring, slowly add milk, a little at a time, maintaining a smooth texture, until gravy is smooth (no lumps) and fairly thin (thinner than you'd want on your biscuits). If you add too much milk, too quickly, you'll get lumps. It must be carefully incorporated into the roux. It helps to turn the heat down slightly. If you add just a little too much, you can keep whisking until it regains a smooth, doughy texture, then continue adding carefully until it thins to a liquid.
4. Heat to a gentle boil. Boil at least 1 minute. Mixture will thicken (you can add more milk at this point if it's too thick... just boil a little longer if you do).
5. Add salt & black pepper to taste. Serve over biscuits with bacon.
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