Grandma Lori’s Sour Dough Pancakes or Waffles

The night before you want to make Pancakes or Waffles you need to make the Sponge. It will need to ferment overnight. So, mix the first five ingredients in a bowl until they are smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter overnight. It will grow in volume so use a medium or large bowl. The next morning, whisk the yolks with the warm melted butter until blended, in a small bowl. Add yolk mixture, salt and baking soda to the sponge. Stir and fold with a rubber spatula, just to mix. The batter will bubble. Do not over mix. The bubbles are good. In a clean, dry, medium sized bowl, beat the egg whites to stand up peaks. This takes some time and works faster with room temperature egg whites. If there is any oil on the whip or in the bowl, it won’t work. Add the whipped egg whites to the batter and GENTLY fold them into the batter. It’s ok if there are some dime sized patches of egg white that don’t mix in. Remember, bubbles are good. Let the batter rest on the counter while the griddle, pan or iron heat on a medium high setting. I spray some Pam on the pan, griddle or iron. For pancakes, scoop 1/3 cup of batter for each cake. Then turn down the heat to a medium setting. Wait for bubbles to rise in the middle of the cakes. Using a wide spatula, gently, flip the cakes, up and over. You can tell when they are done by lightly pressing with a finger in the center of a cake. If it springs back up, it’s done. I usually set my oven to 200 degrees, with a sheet pan on the middle rack, when I am just starting. I use a silpat or a piece of parchment paper on the pan. To keep the cakes warm, I place the cakes in a single layer and I do not stack them, while I make the next batch. For waffles I use 1/3 cup of batter in a small 9 inch round pre heated iron. If your iron is larger you will need more batter per waffle. I bake the waffle in the iron until it is a dark golden brown. Then I remove it with a fork. Just like for pancakes, I set my oven at 200 degrees when I’m just starting, but instead of a silpat or parchment paper, I place a rack in the sheet pan. This allows hot air to surround the waffle and keep it crisp, while I make the rest of them. Once again, I put the waffles in a single layer and do not stack or overlap them.