Filed under: Breakfast
This is another of the recipes that my father and I shared. When I was little, we would make pancakes for breakfast. We would use the recipe from an old Joy of Cooking cookbook. I found the Joy of Cooking recipe on Cooking for Engineers, though I cut the sugar in half as my father always did- 3 tablespoons is too sweet. I also reformatted and rewrote most of the directions. I don’t think anything like an engineer…
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar,
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. There is two ways to make batter- the proper way and the “I only have one mixing bowl” way. The proper way is to mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir them together.
The “I only have one mixing bowl way” is to combines all the wet ingredients first, then stir in the salt, sugar and baking powder. After they are properly mixed, stir in the flour.
The reasoning behind the proper way is to evenly distribute all the ingredients throughout the batter. You can tell when the liquids are evenly distributed with the dry ingredients, but you can’t tell when the baking powder is equally distributed in the whole batter. Doing the liquids first with only one bowl takes care of some of those problems, by making sure the salt, sugar, and baking powder are distributed throughout the liquids, instead of the flour.
2. Combine the ingredients thoroughly, though some lumps are okay.You may need to add extra milk, depending on how thick it is.
3. Fold in any additions (I like mine plain). Cooking for Engineers prefers to put in additions right after you pour the batter. For further explanation see is post.
4. Heat pan or griddle to medium, or slightly higher.
5. Lightly grease with Pam or butter. You only want just enough to get the pancakes off the pan. You should only need to grease every couple pancakes or so.
6. Scoop batter onto the pan, depending on how large of pancakes you like.
7. Cook until the batter bubbles. You can check how the pancakes doing at the edges. Flip.
8. When the other side is lightly brown, take it off the griddle and enjoy. In my family we eat them as they come of the grill- you can keep them warm at 200 F in the oven, but they’re never as good.
Tips
Don’t be afraid to adjust the different factors throughout the process. If the batter is too thick, add more milk; too thin add more flour. The pancake isn’t golden enough for you, turn up the heat a little; burning, turn down the heat.
The first pancake will never turn out well. Often the pan is not hot enough and their is too much greese on the pan. It’s a fact of life- don’t worry about it.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’ll get a couple good ones and even if they aren’t perfect they’ll taste great.
Crepes ares are one of the simplest things to make that everyone thinks is difficult. They are basically really thin pancakes and are only slightly harder to flip. I ran a crepe making workshop at school today and people were able to jump right in. This is the basic crepe recipe from Allrecipes, though it is similar to one I used to use from a gourmet cookbook back home. You can put sugar and vanilla in them, though I prefer mine without. Serve with fruit, whip cream and melted chocolate. There are also savory recipes. Check out some of VeganYumYum’s ideas. I edited the instructions more for this recipe.
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, milk, water, and butter. Add in the flour and salt and beat until smooth. You may want to add in a little extra milk depending on the consistency. You want the batter to be thin, but not soupy.
- Heat the pan at medium or medium high heat. I prefer medium. Lightly grease the pan, preferably with Pam. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
- Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.
