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Sourdough Flapjacks

From a vintage recipe box found at an estate sale

As written on the card

Front

Sourdough Flapjacks

Put one cake of crumbled Yeast into

a deep Bowl, Add 1 cup of water &

Stir – then add enough Flour to

make mixture Stiffer than waffle

Batter, Cover the bowl & let stand

overnight in a warm place,

Next morning add ¼ teaspoon of

Baking Soda ¾ teaspoon salt, 3 or 4 table–

spoons of sugar, & 1 or 2 unbeaten eggs

(1 egg for Heavy Batter, 2 eggs for thin) over

Back

Rub your Hot griddle with a piece of

bacon & Pour on your Batter – when

bubbles rise & burst, turn cake over

(do not press it down) and cook only

once on each side. Don’t forget to

take 3 tablespoons of the original mixture

before adding the morning ingredients for

this is your Starter to which you

simply add more flour & water each

night.

Sourdough Flapjacks

Overnight yeast-batter pancakes cooked on a bacon-rubbed griddle, with a starter saved for next time

Starts the night beforeGriddleKeeps a starter

The Night Before

  • 1 cake of yeast, crumbled
  • 1 cup water
  • Flour, enough to make a batter stiffer than waffle batter

Next Morning

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 or 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 or 2 eggs, unbeaten (1 for a heavy batter, 2 for thin)

For the Griddle

  • A piece of bacon

Method

  1. Start the batter: Put the crumbled yeast in a deep bowl, add the water and stir. Add enough flour to make the mixture stiffer than waffle batter.
  2. Let it stand: Cover the bowl and let it stand overnight in a warm place.
  3. Save the starter: In the morning, take out 3 tablespoons of the mixture before adding anything else. That’s your starter.
  4. Finish the batter: Stir in the baking soda, salt, sugar and the unbeaten egg or eggs.
  5. Cook: Rub a hot griddle with a piece of bacon and pour on the batter. When bubbles rise and burst, turn the cake over. Don’t press it down, and cook it only once on each side.
  6. Keep the starter going: Each night, add more flour and water to the saved starter.

As written: The card ends the front with “over” and saves the starter reminder for the back. We’ve moved that step to where it happens.

Our note (not part of the card)
  • A “cake” of yeast is a small cake of fresh compressed yeast, about 0.6 oz. One packet of active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons) is roughly the same.
  • Lukewarm water (about 105–110°F) helps the yeast get going. Expect to use roughly 1¼ to 1½ cups of flour.
  • Keep the saved starter covered in the fridge between batches.

Recognize this handwriting or recipe? We’d love to know who wrote it.