The pancake topic to end all pancake topics

[Jon Savage]

Anybody know anything about these pancakes they'd be willing to share?

Edit: Forgot to mention that I've done quite a bit of experimenting on these on my own and haven't had much luck with that either. I'm beginning to wonder if the big secret is that they use some kind of commercial mix (although I really don't want to think that).

←

I don't have a specific Finnish recipe per se but the recipe below produces a result similar to what you describe, more crepelike. This makes anough for 2 people but scales well.

1 cup flour

1 egg

milk

salt to taste

Combine flour and egg whisk in milk until the batter's texture is about like heavy cream. cook in a lightly greased non no-stick pan, seasoned cast iron or a well seasoned carbon steel crepe pan work well.

[paulraphael]

FG, do you want to include crepes in this discussion?

[tammylc]

My formula is from the Joy of Cooking, with some whole wheat pastry flour substituted for some of the AP.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup AP flour

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/4 c milk

1 egg

I mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave, add in the milk, then the egg. Add to dry ingredients, stir to mix, add extra milk if needed.

I use an old griddle - aluminum coated in non-stick. I spray it down with a little Pam, then use a (scant) 1/4 measuring cup to portion out my pancakes. I can cook 5 at a time on the griddle and the recipe above makes about 12.

We eat some right away, and keep the rest in the fridge for weekday breakfasts for the 3 year old. He likes to eat them with cream cheese. With 3 tbsp sugar, they are pretty sweet all on their own, so a friend of mine likes them because her kids will eat them plain - she doesn't have to worry about syrup, etc.

[prasantrin]

The recipe I use is this one, which I got from a children's book about maple syrup:

250 mL all-purpose flour (1 cup)

10 mL baking powder (2 teaspoons)

a pinch of salt

5 mL sugar (1 teaspoon)

1 egg

175 mL milk (about 3/4 cup)

15 mL melted butter (1 tablespoon)

10 mL vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients and make a well. Mix wet ingredients together, and dump in the well of the dry ingredients. Don't overmix.

I find this produces a very thick batter, and the resulting pancakes are very fluffy. I can usually only get 2 or 3 pancakes of what I consider to be average-size out of this recipe, which is fine with me since I usually only eat one.

One tip my dad taught me was to let the batter sit for a bit. He said it would make the pancakes fluffier.

I like to use oil in the pan--it makes the pancakes even lighter, and also gives the pancakes a crunchier exterior (which i like).

I always eat pancakes with more butter and some maple syrup, even when I've added cheese to the pancake (but batter in the pan, add slices of cheese, then cover the cheese with a bit more batter).

To add a few more recipes, this topic was started just a couple of weeks ago, and includes people's favourite pancake recipes. spaghetttti and I have almost the same recipe (and I think she likes to use oil in the pan, too!).

Edited December 27, 2007 by prasantrin (log)

[pennylane]

There is a restaurant a few hours southeast of where I live (in the closest fairly big city to here) that serves pancakes that I really like. It's a Finnish restaurant and the pancakes look like thin (but not as thin as crepes) standard pancakes but the texture is entirely different than a standard pancake and different than a crepe as well. They're not the least bit cakey or fluffy but they're still tender and not rubbery or eggy. The folks at the restaurant won't budge at all on the recipe, not even hints or general ideas. I've searched Finnish Pancakes and found quite a few recipes but they don't seem to measure up to what the restaurant makes. Anybody know anything about these pancakes they'd be willing to share?

Edit: Forgot to mention that I've done quite a bit of experimenting on these on my own and haven't had much luck with that either. I'm beginning to wonder if the big secret is that they use some kind of commercial mix (although I really don't want to think that).

←

Do you think they could be made with potato, like lefse? I know those are Norwegian, but, you know, same neck of the woods... and those are thinner than pancakes but not as thin as crepes, and tender without being cakey at all.

I know what you mean about the secret possibly being a commercial mix... I spent years trying to duplicate a recipe for the cornbread at a barbecue place which everyone was crazy about, only to discover that it was actually just a blend of two different kinds of commercial mix. Hmph.

As for my pancake recipe, well, I use some of the ones already listed here but also do make a very simple cornmeal pancake using 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1/4 tsp baking soda, a pinch of salt, smidgeon of butter, and enough buttermilk to make a thick batter. Simple and delicious, and just enough for for me!!

[Shel_B]

Been using this for a few years. I sometimes modify it, but thought just posting the original recipe would be a better choice. You can make your own mods but have the original as a guide.

Bette's Buttermilk Pancakes

Bette Kroening - Bette's Oceanview Dinner, Berkeley

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

½ cup milk

¼ cup unsalted butter

Berries or nuts (your choice)

oil for griddle

-----------------------------------------------------------

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Lightly beat the eggs with the buttermilk, milk, and melted butter.

Just before you're ready to make the pancakes, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just enough to blend. Batter should be lumpy. If you want to add fruit or nuts, add them now, or you can sprinkle them on the pancakes while they are on the griddle.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet over med-high heat (about 375 on an electric griddle).

Pour ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the griddle or skillet, spacing the pancakes so they don't run together. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and the underside is lightly browned, turn and cook for about 2 minutes more, until browned on the bottom.

Edited December 28, 2007 by Shel_B (log)

[Jim Dixon]

My basic recipe is from the 1931 Joy of Cooking, which uses the term 'griddle cakes' for we call pancakes. I've adapted it over the years, but the critical step I still use is separating the eggs (an option from Joy), beating the whites stiff, and folding them in at the end. The result is a light and fluffy cake.

For the past few years I've been getting amazing corn meal from Ayers Creek Farm here in NW Oregon. Anthony and Carol Boutard grow heirloom corn varieties that make great polenta and corn cakes. If you don't live in Oregon and make a point of tracking it down, you could substitute corn meal frm Anson Mills or something similar.

I think it was Charlie Trotter who popularized candied bacon, but there are a lot of recipes out there now. My approach is pretty simple but good. Anyway, here's my current pancake recipe....

Candied Bacon Corn Cakes

Use good, thick cut bacon. Pour a mound of brown sugar (a few cups, at least) onto a plate, then press the bacon into to sort of coat each slice (and I’ll admit I actually used a little olive oil to coat each slice so the sugar stuck to it).

Lay the bacon slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan (I oiled the parchment, which is probably not necessary). Sprinkle the leftover sugar over the top, and bake at 350F for about 30-40 minutes, or until the sugar is bubbling away and the bacon looks pretty dark. Remove the bacon strips immediately to another clean sheet of parchment. As they’ll cool they’ll harden (candy-makers probably understand the hard ball stage of sugar cooking, but I don’t).

You also get a bonus of bacon candy, the sheets of greasy sugar that form on the pan. After they cool, you can just lift them off. I haven’t figured out how to use them, but they taste good.

For the corn cakes, combine 1/2 c corn meal, A scant 1 c flour (eg, a little less than 1 cup), 1/2 t baking power, 1/2 t baking soda, and about 1 t fine sea salt (or kosher). Crumble 2-3 strips of the candied bacon and stir into the dry ingredients.

Separate two eggs, then beat the yolks with 1 c yogurt and 1 cup milk (you can also use cream or creme fraiche for the liquid, and add a little water if it seems too thick). Combine with the dry ingredients, but don’t mix too much...just enough to combine everything.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold into the batter.

Drop spoonfulls of the fairly thick batter onto a medium hot griddle (I use cast iron, no grease). Cook until the bubbles open on the surface and the edges look dry, then flip carefully and cook for a couple more minutes. Serve with butter and real maple syrup.

You can also make these with plain bacon. Cook it first, then crumble, or chop the cheaper ends and pieces and cook until brown. Add to the batter like the candied bacon.

Jim

Edited December 30, 2007 by Jim Dixon (log)

[slkinsey]

I have had very good feedback on these lemon ricotta pancakes. I forget where I got the recipe:

1 cup high quality ricotta (or drained overnight if Polly-O is the best you can do)

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs, separated

0.5 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup AP flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Pinch salt

Butter

Beat together ricotta, sour cream and egg yolks. Beat egg whites medium-stiff. Stir dry ingredients into cheese mixture well (do not beat). Stir in lemon juice and zest, then fold in beaten egg whites very gently. 3-5 minutes per side in butter. Makes a very light, moist and tender pancake.

I serve with a warm fruit compote.

[earlgrey_44]

FG's apology for using Bisquick is graciously accepted. The world suffers from inadequate Bisquick guilt.

With a nod to Chris Kimball for his "Cloudcake" Recipe:

Serves 4-6

2 c ww pastry flour

2 T sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1 t table salt

2 c low fat buttermilk

1/3 c sour cream

3 large eggs, separated, beaten whites folded in at the end

3 T unsalted butter, melted

My particular prejudice here is that while I happily eat many a delicacy made with white flour, I cannot abide chewing my way through a whole plate of cakey white flour pancakes without eventually feeling like I’m chomping away on a cud of sweet dairy glue.

The whole wheat pastry flour gives these cakes the substance of real food.

At the same time, the buttermilk, sour cream, separated egg approach lightens up and tenderizes the whole thing so they avoid the “leaden slab” image that comes to mind when whole wheat is mentioned. Pastry flour is important since whole wheat bread flour is an irredeemable pancake disaster.

If you are not so afflicted as I, you can substitute all purpose flour in the above and almost have the Kimball Cloud Cake. Chris punches up the recipe from stratocumulus to cumulonimbus by adding an additional egg white. I don’t know what to do with the extra yolk and don’t like throwing it away so I usually stick with the three eggs.

I followed chefcrash’s “one bowl” method today (see up thread) – I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before either – but I still had to use my zabaglione bowl to beat the egg whites.

Hoo-ray for Tammylc for using the magical ww pastry flour! With the right iron, a similar recipe to this will produce 100% whole wheat Belgian waffles so light and airy as to elicit reactions of shocked incredulity from those informed of what they are eating after tasting them.

[tammylc]

thanks earlgrey_44 - i like the nutty flavor the whole wheat pastry flour adds. But the pancakes still turn out light enough that my picky 3 year old will eat them!

[Katie Meadow]

BTW, there is another thread called "Pancakes, how do I love thee?" which has some nice recipes on it and perhaps could be merged with this one.

I do have a semi-chemical question. Pancake recipes seem to be almost evenly divided between the use of baking soda and baking powder, and some even call for both. What are the differences in how these two behave in pancake batter? What would be the advantage of using both?

Also, what is the interaction between buttermilk and either baking soda or powder? Does the use of buttermilk in a recipe rather than regular milk mean that less of those two things will be necessary?

[tobiias]

I don't know, but I guess that the batter with baking soda and/or powder would be a bit lighter and fluffier, as the leavening agent reacts with the buttermilk. However, I don't know if merely milk will be acid enough for it to react.

[haresfur]

Ok, since you asked. Here's my father's recipe as handed down to each of his children. I tried to more or less preserve the formatting as he wrote them:

German Pancakes - my brother's

4 c. flour + 1 tsp salt

- add milk in glugs and stir in each glug til the dough is thin.

- add eggs (2 per person), beating them in one at at time

- fry about 1/3 c of batter per pancake in butter.

Ragout

- make a white sauce, using water instead of milk

- add lemon, salt + sugar

-----------------------------

German Pancakes - my sister's

3/4 cup flour per person

pinch salt

add milk with minimal stirring until consistency of thick glue

add eggs - about 2/person - you can skimp a bit

beat well after each egg

adjust consistency to that of heavy cream with milk

fry in butter, hold in oven at 250 Degrees F

-----------------------------

GERMAN PANCAKES - mine

2 c flour

dash salt

4 eggs or so

milk

Add milk, about 1/2 cup at a time to flour, mixing

only lightly. Result is a gloppy, sticky, lumpy

mess, thicker than glue. Now add as many eggs as

you can afford, one at a time, beating like all hell.

Maximum is about 7 for this amount. The batter will

still have lumps, but they won't be big and don't

matter. The consistency should be that of heavy cream,

or slightly thicker.

Heat frying pan very hot, use lots of butter to fry

pancakes, turning when they are no longer liquid on top

------------------------------

The details:

These are thin, crepe-like pancakes about 10 inches in diameter. A cast iron skillet is traditional but a non-stick pan works well. Getting the temperature right is tricky, especially since I try to use minimal butter (sorry Dad!). They should cook quite fast. My father would fill the kitchen with smoking butter (and cigarette smoke - don't watch if a few ashes in the food worry you). Once the pancake is cooked it is folded in half and half again and added to the stack in the oven.

To eat the pancakes are unrolled on your plate and served with the beef ragout alluded to in my bro's recipe (very tiny cubes of roast beef in the sauce) or apple sauce. The sauce is ladled into a strip down the center, the cake re-folded over top and (especially if you are a kid) sugar sprinkled on top.

Variations:

I substitute 2 egg whites for about half the eggs (that low saturated fat thing). Mushroom sauce or a cauliflower-cheese sauce is good for the vegetarian branch of the family. I usually do a mushroom sauce or a scallop sauce along with the apple sauce (don't think I've ever made a roast).

Dessert:

With all that sugar??? We never got dessert with this meal. Try to end on an apple sauce one.

[paulraphael]

Here's my formula for crêpes, adapted from multiple sources.

Some French recipes have up to three times the number of eggs; I prefer a less eggy taste, so these use the egg primarily for structure. You can use more if you like.

Savory Crêpes

-1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

-3 eggs

-1-1/2 cups (approx) milk (for extra light crêpes, substitute water for half of milk. For dense ones, substitute cream for half of milk). There's no need to measure—just use enough milk until the consistency is right (like heavy cream for normal crepes)

-1/2 tsp salt

-3 TBS melted butter

Sweet Crêpes

-1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

-3 eggs

-1-1/2 cups (approx) milk (for extra light crêpes, substitute water for half of milk. dense ones, substitute cream for half of milk)

-3 TBS liqueur, rum, or brandy (Optional. Reduce milk by whatever amount you add—total liquid should be about 1-1/2 cups)

-2 TB granulated sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-3 TBS melted butter (more can be used to discourage sticking if you're not using a nonstick pan)

Mixing

- Combine dry ingredients and eggs in mixing bowl and add just enough milk to allow flour to incorporate. A wooden spoon or spatula works best at first. Once ingredients are incorporated use a whisk to gently form a smooth paste. don't overwork.

- Gently whisk in the rest of the milk and the liqueur (if using) Use more or less milk as needed to get consistency right.

- Strain, pushing any thickened batter through strainer with a wooden spoon or spatula.

- Ideally, allow to rest covered in a cool place or the fridge for 2 hours (or up to 24 hours). This is optional to relax the gluten and improve tenderness. If you want tender crepes and don't have time to wait, substitute 1 TB of cornstarch for 1 TB of the flour, or use pastry flour (NOT whole grain)

- Stir in melted butter.

Note: batter can also be made in a blender. put liquids, eggs, sugar, and salt into belnder. blend until mixed. add flour, and blend until just incorporated. then butter add butter. blend for 1 minute on high speed. scrape down sides with a rubber spatula and blend a few more seconds.

Cooking

- Pan temperature is important. If too hot, batter will seize and cook before it spreads. If too cool, crepe will stick. Go for a medium heat, at which butter foams and then subsides.

- Butter surface of pan, with a pastry brush or paper towel. If using a nonstick pan, I only butter once at the beginning, to check pan temperture.

- Add batter with a scoop or ladle. A 1/3 cup dry measuring cup is about right for a 10 inch pan. Rotate the pan to cover surface with a thin layer. Pour off excess. If thin layer doesn't stick, pan is too cool. If batter sizzles on contact with pan, pan is too hot.

- Cook about 1 minute, until batter loses its sheen or starts to brown at its outer edges. Turn with spatula, using fingers to help. If crêpe starts to tear when you turn it, it probably needs a bit more cooking.

- Cook second side about 45 seconds.

- If crêpe still tears, try beating another egg and whisking it into the batter. If that doesn't work, try adding 2 TBS flour (made into a thin paste with milk) to the batter. Or, if batter is too thick, thin it with milk.

- Crêpes can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen. stack with plastic wrap between them, and wrap whole stack with plastic.

NOTE: Basic proportion is two eggs and 2TB butter per cup flour, with enough milk to adjust consistency. That's all the measuring you need to do.

[earlgrey_44]

BTW, there is another thread called "Pancakes, how do I love thee?" which has some nice recipes on it and perhaps could be merged with this one.

I do have a semi-chemical question. Pancake recipes seem to be almost evenly divided between the use of baking soda and baking powder, and some even call for both. What are the differences in how these two behave in pancake batter? What would be the advantage of using both?

Also, what is the interaction between buttermilk and either baking soda or powder? Does the use of buttermilk in a recipe rather than regular milk mean that less of those two things will be necessary?

←

Some people prefer a single-acting agent in pancakes on the theory that double acting baking powder doesn't have time to completely work, given that pancakes cook so quickly, and the extra chemical then gives an unwanted taste. In the Cloud Cake recipe, buttermilk = acid, baking soda = alkali; together a single leavening action that works immediately.

[Toliver]

You also get a bonus of bacon candy, the sheets of greasy sugar that form on the pan. After they cool, you can just lift them off. I haven’t figured out how to use them, but they taste good.

←

They sound quite Homer Simpson-esque.

As for how it could be used, think where you use bacon or where you use brown sugar...

Crumble some of your bacon candy on a spinach salad (or would that be too redundant with a hot bacon dressing?). I'm also imagining them added to steamed or roasted carrots (cumin on roasting carrots smells divine). Bacon candy would be a natural pairing with yams or sweet potatoes, too. I'm wondering if it would go well with sauteed or roasted brussell sprouts, too.

Let us know what you come up with...

[Baggy]

Without trying to create too much of a debate, could someone post a picture of a successful pancake. I’m not sure that us Limeys have the same idea as to what a pancake means.

[andiesenji]

I often make sourdough flapjacks because I happen to like the flavor, but I know some people don't care for them at all.

I can post a recipe if appropos for this topic.

[K8memphis]

Wait wait. I haven't made them in eons but I think it's the Hungry Jack Buttermilk pancake mix that you only add water to that makes astonishingly wonderful pancakes. They are crazy good. But of course one must adjust the water as has been stated to your particular pancake liking.

But we just had some pancakes at the Sunday brunch at the Thornton River Grille in Sperryville Virginia. Glory, I'd like to have that recipe to share with y'all. They had a pleasant crunchy chewy exterior and a tangy soft meltilicious interior.

Here is how I make pancakes now and they are very good. You can make them fat but I like them thin the best.

Edited December 31, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[K8memphis]

Wait wait. I haven't made them in eons but I think it's the Hungry Jack Buttermilk pancake mix that you only add water to  that makes astonishingly wonderful pancakes. They are crazy good. But of course one must adjust the water as has been stated to your particular pancake liking.

But we just had some pancakes at the Sunday brunch at the Thornton River Grille in Sperryville Virginia. Glory, I'd like to have that recipe to share with y'all. They had a pleasant crunchy chewy exterior and a tangy soft meltilicious interior.

Here is how I make pancakes now and they are very good. You can make them fat but I like them thin the best.

←

Oh whoops, you said wheat based pancakes didn't you? My recipe is of course oat based but they come out like a wheat flour based pancake.

[tino27]

Wait wait. I haven't made them in eons but I think it's the Hungry Jack Buttermilk pancake mix that you only add water to  that makes astonishingly wonderful pancakes. They are crazy good. But of course one must adjust the water as has been stated to your particular pancake liking.

←

WAIT WAIT WAIT ... I have found (through the magic of the Internet) a way to make pancakes even EASIER!

First, whipped cream out of a can.

Then, cheese out of a can.

And now ...

Pancake batter out of a can.

And it's organic, too.

Tremble with fear, fellow eGulleters.

[K8memphis]

Wait wait. I haven't made them in eons but I think it's the Hungry Jack Buttermilk pancake mix that you only add water to  that makes astonishingly wonderful pancakes. They are crazy good. But of course one must adjust the water as has been stated to your particular pancake liking.

←

WAIT WAIT WAIT ... I have found (through the magic of the Internet) a way to make pancakes even EASIER!

First, whipped cream out of a can.

Then, cheese out of a can.

And now ...

Pancake batter out of a can.

And it's organic, too.

Tremble with fear, fellow eGulleters.

←

Covered in post #3. I guess the can keeps the leavening ingredients viable. The Hungry Jack ones are very good pancakes despite being quite easy.

The real question is how good are the shot out of a can cakes?

There's more than a little irony in organic pancakes being shot out of a can. twice in the same thread even. But are they any good?

Edited December 31, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[Pam R]

Without trying to create too much of a debate, could someone post a picture of a successful pancake.  I’m not sure that us Limeys have the same idea as to what a pancake means.

←

These are a version of a successful buttermilk pancake, though they will vary.

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 Tbsp. butter -- melted

1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the liquid in. Use a whisk or fork to combine, mixing until it just comes together. If there are a few small lumps, it's okay.

Place a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-low to medium heat. Spray with vegetable spray and then pour in as much batter as you like. If you use a heaping 1/3 C., it will produce approximately 8 large pancakes. Making silver-dollar size pancakes will make many, many.

Cook the pancake until the edges start to brown and there are lots of bubbles on the surface (1-2 minutes). Use a spatula to flip it over and cook until the second side is golden brown. Serve right away or keep in a warm oven until they're all cooked. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

[K8memphis]

I find it very difficult to flip the pancake. Well no not really the flipping it's the accurate landing of it that's so hard. Invariably it will land a bit on it's fellow pancake there in the pan, so annoying. I mean you have to cover the surface of the pan with batter or it will get too hot. So everybody in the pan is kinda elbow to elbow anyway.

I had much less trouble with this when I used a nice big flat griddle. But in any skillet it is muy difficulto to land them properly for me. I usually have to get it up on the spatula and then turn the pan a bit and the pas de deux with a half cooked cake dangling from a gyrating spatula while I do a dosey do with the skillet so the landing gear can set down smoothly is just more than most two handed folks can swing. Me anyway.

And another area of difficulty for pancaking is the amont of grease and temperature of the skillet or griddle. Usually the first one is the sacrificial pancake that is weakly, browns poorly, looks funny, potential stomach ache in that one, then miraculously the temperature is correct, then the surface has the right amount of grease and away we go. The first pancake is the runt of the litter.

Edited December 31, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

I have never made a good "from scratch" pancake in my life ....for some reason I just do not have the pancake making skill ....so I resort to this mix ..it is the only "mix" in my house and it is actually quite good considering all you add is water...far better than any other type of mix (no funny chemical taste) I have found

I can not stand the taste of Bisquick at all

you can buy this locally here in Washington in almost any grocery store .. but I have also found a link where it can be ordered online.. go figure on that one!!Snoqualmie Falls Pancake mix

Edited December 31, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)