No, it was not oatmeal, nor crumbled paneer, though those are good guesses!
I thought it looked a little like crushed saltines, too.
It is dried sourdough starter.
This summer I was lucky enough to taste *real* sourdough pancakes made by a pro who was also kind enough to give me some starter. The whole concept and process reminded me of fermenting a batter for dosas.
dried sourdough starter
dried sourdough starter and food – warm water, flour, and sugar
~~~
So Nabeela guessed it, and Maneka did too, for by definition, sourdough is “a leaven consisting of dough in which fermentation is active” — it uses wild yeast from the air. The use of sourdough as rising agent is old, but this was a new experiment for me.
On Sunday, the dried starter was mixed with about half-cup of warm water,
1 TB flour and 1/2 tsp sugar.
sourdough starter mixed with warm water, flour, and sugar
It was covered and left to rest in a warm place, then each day for three days
I fed it a little more flour — about 1/4 cup at a time.
Today, the third full day, it finally seems to be cooking.
I added flour once more, and gave it all a good stir.
Now the “sponge” seems to be taking off nicely.
the sourdough “sponge” is really bubbling now
This goes into the fridge for a few days. It will be removed daily, and fed more flour and warm water if necessary.
Hopefully, by the weekend, it will be ready for sourdough pancakes and biscuits. Then perhaps I will tackle a real loaf of bread!
RP said
hmmmmm………
You take the best photos for us to guess RP – waiting on your next one
maneka nirmal said
linda…..what r u up to???????????????? i can hear a big clattering from ur kitchen!!!!!!!!!!
hmmm… maybe the cats?
Vaishali said
Is that crumbled Paneer in the first picture, Linda? Oh God, this is too much excitement for me. -bites nails-
What I love most about this post are the ‘hmmmm…..’s.
I guess we’ll have to get a manicure together, Vaishali!
shilpa said
I am very bad at guessing. So will wait for your answer
Lucky for me the guessing game turned into something real Shilpa… I wasn’t sure for a day or two that it would work!
Asha said
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…………………..
Ah, the answer was napping too Asha
mm said
Is this oatmeal?????
Probably the only thing I will never write about mm, is oatmeal
maneka nirmal said
hey i got it..i got it… it is yeast for sure..!
It is a kind of yeast, Maneka! Great guess
Nabeela said
is that a sour dough starter? are you making sour dough bread??? If you are, I’ll definitely need to know how it went…cuz then I’ll be making some myself over here…the hubby loves’em you see
Nabeela, you won the prize — yet to be determined
It is a sourdough starter, and happily it woke up! Will definitely let you know how this goes…
Lera said
Linda, something different ..looking fwd to see the end products of your sourdough!!
Hi Lera, I hope the end is edible!
Will post when I’ve tried cooking with it…
shaheen said
interesting linda. i like sourdough bread so waitng to see how urs turned out.
Hi Shaheen — will certainly put up a photo and recipe when I give it a try, thanks
Vaishali said
Wow! I would have never guessed that. Also because I never thought that you would take the trouble of doing that at home. I have read about sourdough somewhere and I know it is a lengthy procedure, which kinda convinced me that it is to be done only by bakeries.
Btw, it goes on to show that Nabeela is big way into baking. Applause, Nabeela!
Hi Teach! Unfortunately I’m rarely satisfied unless I try some things myself… even if I fail miserably. Will hope for a good mark with sourdough… I have another expert advisor helping me with that too
Luv2Cook said
yay…cool..learnt something new
never knew about this…
Hey Sam… nice to see you
I’m learning about this myself… will see how it turns out!
PS Am also working on ghee-not-butter dish for your JFI
Nabeela said
Oooh, you must be excited with your bubbling starter… I know I would! Sourdough pancakes are something I never heard of…but they sound interesting.
…I’m sure my Professors would be delighted if I spent the same amount of time in my course work instead of poring over cookbooks 
P.S: Vaishali, when you spend as much time as I do in baking books, you would know about it too
I fed it again tonight, Nabeela, and it’s looking great. You’re right — I am excited. Now I’m sure you’re spending as much time crunching numbers as you are crunching delicious baked goodies!?
Hema said
Hi Linda,
I tried making my own starter about 6 months back and it bubbled up just like yours. I even kept it alive for about 4 months. I tried making bread twice and both times it wasnt just the right texture. Maybe the starter couldnt catch the right guys here in Florida. Maybe I did something wrong. Let me know if you bake a bread and it turns out well. I probably should buy some starter the next time.
Hi Hema,
I have read that different climates, time of year, altitude etc can affect sourdough and how it acts when used in baked goods. That’s why I mean to begin with something simple like biscuits and pancakes — so I can see how it works here in New England. If I make a good loaf of bread, I will certainly post about that too.
Took a peek at your blog just now — very nice! Hope you don’t mind if I add your link
Arjuna said
Linda
Now that I know how much of effort goes into making sour dough bread.. I will probably never try to make it at home
Hi Arjuna — so far it’s been more time consuming than anything — but I’m still nervous about it! Love your “big grin”
Asha said
Great sour dough starter for making any kind of bread!! Looks time consuming but bet you get beautiful soft bread!! It’s all worth it in the end!Thanks!!
Thanks Asha
Sourdough Bread « Vegetarian Concoctions said
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