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The Best Pancakes

Adapted from @joseybakerbread on Instagram, September 24, 2022.

For the fluffiest pancakes, Baker soaks his flour in milk overnight in the refrigerator, then mixes up the batter in the morning. But don't worry if you forget or haven't planned ahead; these pancakes are great even if you skip that step. Baker gives the option of adding a tablespoon of sourdough starter to the mix, if you've been nursing one along.

Serves 4

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon sourdough starter (optional!)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the pan and serving
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Chocolate chips, peanut butter, fresh fruit or maple syrup, for serving

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, milk and sourdough starter, if using. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if desired. Stir in the sugar, butter, egg, baking soda, salt and vanilla and mix until combined; don't worry about overmixing.

Melt some butter on a griddle or in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Ladle some batter onto griddle or skillet, making pancakes of any size you like; the batter will be thick, so you may need to use the back of a spoon to help spread the batter. If you're planning to add chocolate chips (or berries), do it now. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.

Cook on the second side until lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and top as you like.

Note (from original post):

This recipe omits the overnight soak of the flour, as I have previously instructed in my pancake recipes. I will admit that the overnight soak does in fact yield a slightly better pancake, but I mean wtf we are already dirtying THREE bowls with this recipe, so I didn't dare to ALSO ask you to start this recipe the day before for fear of being labeled a MONSTER. But if you wanna go ALL THE WAY with your pancakes, then please soak your flour and milk overnight and proceed with the rest of the recipe as described here. Or really, if you wanna be THE MASTER OF PANCAKES you should also include some sourdough in your overnight soak. But this might cause you to become known all over the land as the Master of Pancakes, in which case you'd have to quit your day job and just make pancakes for everyone you know for the rest of your days. So proceed with caution and don't say I didn't warn you.

James' Pita Bread

Ingredients

  • 100g discard sourdough starter (about 1/2 cup, optional)
  • 500g bread flour (about 4 cups)
  • 4-5g baking soda (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 15g olive oil (about 1 tablespoon), plus more for cooking if needed
  • 10g salt (about 1 and 3/4 teaspoons)
  • 300ml water (about 1 and 1/4 cups)

Starter and Water Mixture (Optional)

If available, combine the discard sourdough starter and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir well to mix. The starter is optional and is used to enhance the flavor of the pita.

Adding Dry Ingredients

Gradually add the bread flour to the water, stirring continuously. Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. Drizzle in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

Stretch and Fold

With the dough in the bowl, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl slightly and repeat about 2-3 times. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and repeat this process a few times over 2 hours.

First Rise

After the final set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it almost doubles in size, which should take about 1 to 2 hours.

Shaping the Pitas

Once the dough has risen, gently deflate it. Divide the dough into small balls, around 8-10, depending on your preferred pita size. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin or a tortilla press (if available) to flatten each ball into a round, flat shape, about 1/4 inch thick. Be careful not to press too hard to maintain some airiness in the dough. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

Cooking on Cast Iron Skillet

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. If the pitas start to stick, lightly brush the skillet with olive or avocado oil. Place a rolled-out pita onto the skillet. Cook for 2-4 minutes until it puffs up and the bottom has browned. Flip and cook the other side for an additional 2-4 minutes.

Cooling and Storing

Remove the cooked pita from the skillet and cover it with a clean towel to keep it soft. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve the pitas warm, or store them in an airtight container after they’ve cooled down.