Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes may seem like a no brainer. But I have found pancakes to be quite personal. Some like thick. Some like thin. Some like a griddle-type cake, where others are crepe-type cravers. Some, even prefer a hearty, whole-wheat version...my grandmother was that way. I probably would lean toward this latter choice as well, except for the fact that my house is made up of traditional thin & tender, buttermilk pancake lovers. So I cater to their tastes most of the time.

I do recommend most mornings breakfast be built on whole-grains, but pancakes are, for us, an exception. We like them this way, so we just don't make them an everyday option. They don’t stack up quite as high in stature as say a buckwheat pancake, but always receive high praise from hungry mouths. And for me, that is perfection.  

Dry ingredients: 

1 cup White Lily self-rising flour 

1 tablespoon sugar

Wet ingredients: 

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon warm water (optional)

Fresh fruit

Maple syrup

Whisk together dry ingredients, then wet ingredients and then combine. Break up lumps, while stirring, but be careful not to overmix. If you prefer your pancakes thinner (as we do), stir in water. Let batter stand while griddle heats. This allows the buttermilk & baking soda (in the self-rising flour) to "puff" up the batter.  

Divide batter evenly (I prefer to use an ice cream scoop), in batches onto a hot non-stick griddle (I like to hear a little "sizzle" so that I know the griddle is hot enough). Cook until edges of pancakes look dry & tops are bubbly. Flip. 

Serve warm topped with fruit and maple syrup. 

Recipe Notes:

• White Lily flour is key to tender pancakes. I tried for about six years to get pancakes the way my husband wanted them, tender. Every source I read said to use a regular flour, but they always turned out to “tough” for him... eventhough I knew I was not overmixing. I finally decided (against the guidance of such sage cooks as Alton Brown via his Good Eats show) to try a soft winter wheat (White Lily is the only brand I know of). The result was right on the money. They tend to deflate a little when made with this type of flour because it contains less gluten. But I do agree that they are more tender than a traditional all-purpose version. 

• Similarly, real maple syrup is a must. Sure... sugar is sugar and a calorie is a calorie. But if you're purchasing anything other than maple syrup you're simply purchasing a fake maple-flavored-sugar-concotion. The real stuff is more expensive, yes. But it's so much more flavorful, that ultimately you can use a little less and save some pennies (and calories) in the end.  

• I loathe dirty dishes. So rather than breaking an egg into a separate bowl for beating, I crack into my liquid measuring cup BEFORE I measure the buttermilk. Give it a good beating with a fork then top with buttermilk. An egg is universally about 1/4 cup, so if you need 1 cup of buttermilk, just pour buttermilk until the entire mixture measure 1 1/4 cup. Seems really elementary, but it took years for me to realize that I could save at least one dirty dish by doing it this way. 

• If you love pancakes, invest in a good griddle. This also made a huge difference in my pancake life. There’s nothing wrong per se with using a stainless steel pan, coating with oil and pouring in batter. But please, please... if you do, don’t call it a pancake. That’s a griddle cake at best. A pancake is not greasy - griddle cakes can be. Maybe this is just a personal hang-up, but I call ‘em as I see ‘em. 

...and with that, I wish you happy flipping.