The night before you plan to make hotcakes, take the starter out of the refrigerator and add to it 2 1/4 to 3 cups flour and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water. This amount can vary in order to get the right consistency. (Swend sometimes uses as little as 2 cups flour when his starter is thicker.)

The next morning, dip out enough for the "heel", about a cup of the starter, to save for the next time. This is returned to the refrigerator.

To the rest of the starter, add 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar (to help the hotcakes brown) and 2 teaspoons salt. Beat in 2 eggs. Just before it's time to bake the hotcakes, add 3/4 teaspoon baking soda. Stir just enough to mix.

Bake on a skillet or a cast-iron griddle, which has been greased with a bacon rind. (You can use oil, but a bacon rind is better.)