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During the Klondike gold rush of 1898, it was said that a real "Alaskan Sourdough" would just as soon spend a year in the hills without his rifle, as to tough it through without his bubbling sourdough pot. since food was scare, food provisions were more valuable than gold. In extreme cold, miners would put the dough ball under their clothes, next to their skin, or tuck it into their bedroll with them at night, anything to keep it alive. 

I adapted this sourdough pancake recipe from the wonderful sourdough cookbook called Alaska Sourdough by Ruth Allman. This great pancake recipe is a good way to use your extra sourdough starter. You couldn't ask for an easier recipe that this one, and the pancakes are so light that they "melt in your mouth."

Check out Linda's Bread Making Hints: Quick Breads,  Bread Machine Breads,  Secrets to using the bread machine, About Yeast in Bread Making, and Sourdough Starter.

2 cups sourdough starter, room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoons warm water

In a large bowl, add sourdough starter, sugar, egg, and olive oil; mix well.

Dilute 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Only add baking soda to batter just before you are ready to cook the pancakes. Fold gently into the sourdough batter (do not beat). This will cause a gentle foaming and rising action. Let the mixture bubble and foam a minute or two.

Heat up a lightly greased griddle until fairly hot; then pour batter onto the griddle. For each pancake, pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve on hot plates.

Sourdough Pancake Variations:

Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes:
Combine 1 cup blueberries dusted with 2 tablespoons sugar; let stand a few minutes. Gently fold blueberries into the batter just before adding the baking soda mixture.

Apple Pancakes:
Grate some tart apples into the batter before adding the baking soda mixture.

Banana Pancakes:
Thinly slice or mash banana into the batter before adding baking soda mixture.