Kitchen
The whey loop
Homemade yogurt becomes labneh. Straining it leaves a jar of whey, and the sourdough starter leaves discard. Those two go into biscuits, bread and pancakes, so nothing goes down the drain.
Yogurt
The cold-start Instant Pot method does almost all the work. Whisk a few spoonfuls of live-culture yogurt into a gallon of ultra-filtered whole milk, set the yogurt program for 6 to 12 hours (overnight is easiest), and chill. Ultra-filtered milk comes out thick enough that it doesn't need straining. I learned it from Olga's Flavor Factory, which has the details.
Labneh
Ingredients
- 4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- Olive oil and za'atar, to serve
Method
- Whisk the salt into the yogurt.
- Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth or a thin, clean towel, and set it over a deep bowl.
- Pour in the yogurt and let it drain in the fridge: 24 hours for soft and spreadable, 48 hours for firm enough to roll into balls.
- Keep the whey that collects underneath. It's the starting point for everything below.
- Spread the labneh on a plate, make a well, and fill it with olive oil and za'atar. It keeps a week or two in the fridge. Firm balls kept under olive oil last for weeks.
Whey & discard biscuits
Both the discard and the whey are acidic, so baking soda gets plenty to react with. You get extra lift, and the raw-starter taste goes away. All butter, and cold is everything.
Ingredients
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g sourdough discard (50% hydration)
- 90 ml cold whey (or about 80 ml buttermilk)
- 85 g butter, frozen
- 12 g baking powder
- 3 g baking soda
- 6 g fine salt
Method
- Freeze the butter for at least 30 minutes. Stir the discard into the whey and keep it cold.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a cold bowl. Grate the frozen butter straight in and toss to coat.
- Pour in the discard mixture and fold with a bench scraper until just shaggy. If it's too dry, add whey a tablespoon at a time. Discard varies, so hold a little back.
- Pat into a ¾-inch rectangle, fold in thirds like a letter, and turn it 90°. Repeat four times, working fast.
- Pat to 1 inch thick and cut straight down without twisting. Set the biscuits touching in cast iron, brush the tops with whey, and bake on the middle rack until deep golden.
Whey soda bread
Ingredients
- 480 g all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 360 ml cold whey
Method
- Heat the oven with a cast iron pan or heavy baking sheet inside.
- Whisk the flour, soda and salt well. Uneven soda leaves bitter spots.
- Add the whey and stir with a fork just until a shaggy, sticky mass forms. Stop there, because more mixing makes it tough.
- Pat, don't knead, into a round about 6 cm thick. Cut a deep X across the top.
- Bake on the hot surface until deep brown and hollow-sounding underneath. Cool at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Sourdough pancakes, stretched
The base is King Arthur's classic sourdough pancakes or waffles, an overnight sponge of discard, flour and buttermilk. When there are more people than batter, I extend it in rounds. Each round adds:
- 1 cup starter or discard
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp whey
- ⅔ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp salt, stirred in last
If the batter gets thick, add a splash more whey before the next round. A little vanilla or lemon zest goes in with the whey.
The same starter also makes King Arthur's sourdough popovers. The secret is a screaming-hot pan, and not opening the oven door.