This summer was so cool that most of the tomatoes died off last week and the eggplants won’t have time to mature. Now Autumn feels like winter. Here we are midst the best month of the year and today the temperature plummeted to 12 c. What happened to my Keatsian season of mellow fruitfulness, close bosom friend of the maturing sun? Time to light a lovely wood fire and renew my acquaintance with baking, butter and wonderful winter treats.
Like many others around the world who received a gift of sourdough starter from Celia, of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, I have religiously fed mine, (who is also named Celia ) since last July and have often been forced to throw out the excess, especially during summer when bread making wasn’t on the agenda.
Today’s cold produced a spate of frenzy in the kitchen, with soup stock on the boil and a batch of sourdough pancakes for afternoon tea, using Celia’s recipe which can be found here.
After cooking, I simply piled them on a plate, dotted them randomly with dabs of butter and drizzled them with cherry jam. I made about 25 and there are only 2 left. Who needs dinner?
If you have an excess of sourdough starter, I highly recommend Celia’s recipe. Don’t waste that sourdough starter: pancakes (or pikelets ) never tasted so good.
ALMOST ITALIAN 
They look so fluffy and bubbly! Sounds like the perfect afternoon tea 🙂
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An afternoon tea that was so satisfying, it could be followed by a simple egg in a cup for supper. xx
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Ohhhhh thanks Zia, I always see this recipe but have never bothered to give it a crack. My starter cup overfloweth! This is perfect timing 🙂
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Really, You will love them… I have never pigged out so severely. And as for Daisy, she ate 6 in a row. It is the best solution to overflow. Samardhi will love them too.
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If only I had some of that cherry jam!!
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Any old jam will do, Lu. XX
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No! It must be cherry! Hehe
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I’ll go in search of some cherry jam for you in Brunswick.
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I am planning to make them this weekend actually, though will have to feed La Figlia extra on Friday to have enough for those and bread. How much starter do you typically keep in the fridge?
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La Figlia- what a perfect name for the daughter of Priscilla! Sometimes I have little bowls and containers that get halved and returned and then it all gets out of control. Which baby needs feeding? Which one is too old? Then I start halving them as the weekly feed really doesn’t work on big quantities. So, I am quite pleased with this cold spell meant I had to address the issue. You will like them I am sure, and so will tuo marito. Any old topping will do- i just had some cherry jam to finish off.
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Sourdough pancakes are the best…a regular feature at our place and so easy. This gorgeous little girl looks very happy!
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She is, she always is, and she is the best eater I have ever met. I feel so lucky to have her in our lives.
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A lovely cure all for when the weather turns crap. My boys love their Nanas pikelets (more than mine!) The idea of sourdough pancakes is compelling. Daisy is a sweetchops too!
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She is a sweet little treasure but what I love about Daisy the most is that she is a baby chef. She just loves real food and likes to watch, cook and eat. My kind of girl. And yes, the weather has turned crap !
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Check out the Tat. We leave for a few hours and you ink her…
Don’t seem to recall a doggie bag following her home?
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Nothing left to put in it Mr Tool!
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I love good and enthusiastic eaters and she sounds like a great guest to have over! 😀
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I don’t have starter left over that often, but pancakes are certainly a great way to use it. I even throw it in crepe batter – they don’t puff, but it adds a great flavour…
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yes, very good flavour indeed.
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Francesca, I can’t wait for the cool weather and pancakes.
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Afternoon tea was so late, they became our dinner. And who makes the rules anyway? I love this new found freedom of eating what I feel like at any time.
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Gorgeous Daisy 🙂 I have plans for my starter that were waiting on cooler weather. We have such limited space in the fridge and on bench tops for cooking but I really must give her a go or she’ll be gone: she may be gone anyway. Sourdough pancakes are a great idea. Savory pancakes are one of our standby dinners, usually topped with smoked fish of some sort, maybe a fr egg or bacon, but for afternoon tea with jam… oh yum.
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I must try a savoury version of these by omitting the sugar and adding some parmesan. Hmm with smoked fish or vegies in a white sauce – now you’ve got me thinking.
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Perfect… the family love pancakes and I hate having to throw away sourdough starter, thanks for the pointer to the recipe. And while you’re feeling cold at 12c, we’re celebrating days when the temperature hits double figures – it’s all relative I suppose.
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Yes, 12c is cold for us. Although I had read about Celia using up sourdough starter in this way before, I had never tried it. Now I am a pancake convert.
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I really love these sourdough pancakes – so light. I’ve also made them with barley flour which were absolutely delicious. Sorry about the tomatoes and aubergines…these things happen. There is always next year.
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Must buy some barley flour for my next lot!
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Very delicious little pancakes….very tempting:)
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Wait .. I’ll be right over! 😀
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All gone Julie!
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I make these too and they do go down a storm. Your little Daisy looks very happy – who needs dinner?! Shame about the weather and the vegetables though x
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Thanks Selma- I am never making the old style ones again. These are so much better.
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What a shame your summer was so cool. I think around the world we’ve now had five years of cooler temperatures than average. How disappointing that the weather affected your vegetable harvest. I’ve heard of people using their leftover starter to make pancakes. Yours are a great testament to the fact you shouldn’t throw out starter xx
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I am indebted to Celia for these and all of our bread!
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No you’re not, gorgeous. I just put a 70c stamp on the envelope. 🙂
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I’m so late to responding, my apologies Fra! I’m just catching up on reading now. So glad you like the pancakes – we have a jug of batter in the fridge about once a week, and the boys all make their own now! I find it lasts fine for a day or two! 🙂
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No worries Celia. I knew you would be partying for a month! I loved them- so much easier to eat than the regular ones. x
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