Shoggoth

In the world outside Shadow Unit, a shoggoth is an H. P. Lovecraft monster. In Shadow Unit, it's an affectionate term for a sourdough starter.

Chaz has a shoggoth named Elmer. He uses Elmer in a variety of recipes. When Chaz was held captive in Refining Fire, one of his concerns was who would take care of his shoggoth

Elmer has been divided on a few occasions and little shoggoths have been sent out to Shadow Unit fans, another example of the fandom's tendency to break the fourth wall.

Shadow Unit fans can be recognized by their dedication to the chore of remembering to feed their shoggoths.

tereshkova2001 shared the following notes on converting a normal bread recipe to be used with shoggoth:

"To adapt any yeast bread recipe to its sublime zenith in sourdough: Combine starter with all milk or water called for, and an equal volume of white flour. Ferment to tangy bubbliness, and subtract a fresh starter. (For maximum San Franciscoesque tanginess add a bit more of the flour, then ferment few more hours; then more flour and more ferment, etc., until stirring is barely possible.) Mix in the rest of the ingredients and proceed as for any yeast bread."

MG shared the operating instructions that Chaz sent out when he shared some scions of the late Elmer:

Your shoggoths are in the mail. Hopefully, I packaged them smartly enough to survive transit without exploding. Those of you in the USA should have them within three days. Leah, you are at the mercy of Canada Post.

When your shoggoth arrives, remove it from its deli container, give it a name, and place it in its new home. Feed it a cup of white flour and a half cup of filtered or bottled water, or tap water if your tap water is tasty and chlorine-free. Leave it alone until it starts to bubble and expand, doubling in size.

At this point, subdivide it, and either feed both halves again as before, (at which point you will have one shoggoth to save, and one to bake with or give to a friend), or discard half and feed the other half as before.

When it bubbles and expands the second time, congratulations. The culture has become established. You've got shoggoth! You may now place it (loosely covered) in the fridge (where it will live about two weeks between feedings), or begin using it in recipes.

To use in a recipe, take the starter from the fridge, remove as much as you need (reserving at least a cup), and feed both halves. Give the parent shoggoth an hour or two to re-establish before sticking it back in the fridge, and give the fed starter (which you will be using in your recipe) an hour or two to start converting its food into shoggoth before using it in a recipe.

Nom nom nom.

Cheers,

Chaz

A few recipes for shoggoth pancakes.

Chaz's basic shoggoth bread recipe.