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I'm planning on a 25% preferment for a bake tomorrow and it is my intention to add Caraway seeds for flavour and maybe even some black onion seeds. I feel that if the Caraway seed were to be incorporated into the preferment, greater flavour would be released. Now I've never used these sharp seeds in bread before and wonder if it may damage the gluten structure should they be added early. I'm thinking maybe 1 tablespoon for 500g total bread flour. Are my concern valid? Also, would I experience a different flavour in the crumb if the seeds were added early compared to much later where a local flavour may be experienced, a little like poorly stirred coffee. This is my first preferment also. 

Years ago a friend of mine gave me this simple recipe for sourdough pancakes.  They can be made with AP flour or whole wheat flour, your choice.  I like mine with whole wheat flour and while cooking them, I like to drop some blueberries into the pancakes as they cook on the griddle.

Sourdough Pancakes

The night before you want pancakes, put 1 cup starter in a large glass or plastic bowl.  Add 2 cups flour(whole wheat or AP), 2cups lukewarm milk or water, 2 TBSP sugar.  Mix and let stand covered overnight(at least 12 hours) in a warm place.

The next morning when you are ready to make pancakes, get the griddle heated.  To the starter mix you made up last night, add 1 egg, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 TBSP vegetable oil(3 TBSP for waffles), 2 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 TBSP lukewarm milk or water.  Mix well.  Use 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake and cook as you usually do for pancakes.

This is a simple recipe that my family enjoys.  The recipe makes enough pancakes for 4 generous servings(about 3 pancakes each).

Happy Cooking,

Linda

I'm starting to learn more about my newish sourdough starter, which by all accounts is healthy and behaving well. The question here is more to do with ratios where I'm wondering if the following would amount to the same degree of feeding.

Let it be presumed that I feed my starter at 1:1:1 once a day. Would this be the same as feeding 1:2:2 every other day. Would the starter on day three, four or five be in the same state or condition in either situation. Or would one or other make the starter more or less soure

Basically, I am trying to determine what the different feeding methods may result in and in continuation of the following last question here. 

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/11948/122-vs-134#comments  

"That was just about all the information one could hope for! Thank you! I was able to sit down finally tonight and read through it all and comprehend it haha. I wanted to reply as soon as I could though so you didn't think I ran off! The hydration thing makes perfect sense.

Now out of beginners curiousity once again, why do people choose to feed it once to twice daily instead of doubling or tripling it and feeding it say, once a day or every other day, or just sticking it in the fridge with a big feeding? I'd assume that it keeps them more vibrant I guess? But it'd sure be nice to maintain something a little less often, unless it does cut down on the quality... I read somewhere that a mild bread is made from old starter and a quick rise, and a sour bread from an actively fed starter and long rise, so I suppose thats what it is... ?"