Homemade pancakes

Replies: 14 - Last Post: Nov 18, 2012 10:21 AM Last Post By: sashac001

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Nov 11, 2012 9:37 AM
Posts: 9,259

Homemade pancakes

I haven't made pancakes at home in about 20 years, but I have a taste for them today and don't feel like going out in the high winds we're experiencing right now.

What were the proportions of the ingredients I used when I made them? I wasn't sure, so looked for recipes on line. They were near enough to what I remembered that I decided to go with what had stuck in my head all these years: a cup of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a half teaspoon of salt, two tablespoons of sugar (to help them brown), a cup of milk, one egg, one tablespoon of oil.

I'll let you know how they turned out.

90 minutes later: They were delicious, but they would have been better had I increased the salt to one teaspoon.

Edited by NorthAmerican.

battybilly

Nov 12, 2012 6:42 AM
Posts: 12,228

it's a choice, as to texture.
One egg, a few teaspoons of plain flour and a cup of milk. That'll produce a nice thin and crispy pancake.
Three eggs, a bit more flour and half a cup of milk.... More of a scotch pancake.
I never use baking powder or salt.

StanInMaryland

Nov 12, 2012 7:22 AM
Posts: 4,183

Billy, American style pancakes are a thicker, breadier item than European style pancakes that are more like a crepe.

NA - I would have thought a touch less sugar in the proportion, but if they were good, that's all the matters.

nutraxfornerves

Nov 12, 2012 8:13 AM
Posts: 6,816

Look here A picture of American and English pancakes, plus filloas, a Galician pancake.

Served year around in northern Spain, they are most popular during early winter’s carnival season. Similar to crêpes, they’re made from with the usual suspects – flour, eggs, milk – but can also be blended with stock and cooked off with bacon fat or lard instead of butter. The thin batter is poured onto a hot skillet (or a stone), flipped and filled or sprinkled with sugar and served as dessert. Hovering somewhere between sweet and savory, they can be hard to classify.

Edited to add: Lovely. There is a version of filloa where fresh pig blood is used instead of milk. A recipe (looks like a machine translation from Spanish or Galician.)

I almost always have plain yogurt in the fridge, so instead of milk I use about 1/3 yogurt & 2/3 milk for a more buttermilk-like pancake. I add 1/4 tsp of baking soda & cut back the baking powder a bit.

Edited by: nutraxfornerves

StanInMaryland

Nov 12, 2012 8:38 AM
Posts: 4,183

Nutrax - I keep buttermilk powder in the cabinet. Keeps fairly long. Great for many items.

NorthAmerican

Nov 12, 2012 9:00 AM
Posts: 9,259

I would have thought a touch less sugar in the proportion

I might cut it back by half. Years ago, I used an electric griddle, then a heavy-bottom aluminum frying pan, but this time I used a cast-iron pan that did a great job. They were quire brown (you might say too brown), so less sugar would make sense.

arbon

Nov 12, 2012 10:56 AM
Posts: 1,363

Common English pancakes

battybilly

Nov 12, 2012 10:57 AM
Posts: 12,228

American style pancakes are a thicker, breadier item than European style pancakes

I'm guessing like Scotch pancakes maybe.

Midwesterner

Nov 14, 2012 6:57 AM
Posts: 658

I envy those who can get a flour/egg pancake cooked and turned properly. My spouse's family (spouse excluded) all seem able to make great pancakes, probably due to there being a grain mill / pancake-mix business run by the great-grand generation. My theory is they all absorbed the cooking techniques while growing up, over years at Mom's/Dad's elbow. After many attempts, I've given up trying to make pancakes other than shredded potato latkes, and just do waffles.

nutraxfornerves

Nov 14, 2012 7:36 AM
Posts: 6,816

You need either a 50-year old cast iron pan, that has a perfectly seasoned patina, or a heavy non-stick pan.

Then you need to have a pancake expert hovering over you the first few times, to show you exactly how thick the batter should be, and exactly how hot the pan should be.

battybilly

Nov 14, 2012 7:39 AM
Posts: 12,228

My frying pan is cast iron, but not 50 years old. In fact it's about 15.
Nice pancakes, but there is something very special about the really old frying pans, as *nutrax points out.

arbon

Nov 14, 2012 8:26 AM
Posts: 1,363

for Homemade pancakes

You need either a 50-year old cast iron pan, that has a perfectly seasoned patina, or a heavy non-stick pan.

for Canpmade pancakes

You need Backpacking/Camping cookwear that is very light and thin aluminium,... pancake mix is very popular for "Camp" made pancakes because you just add water.

Just don't use stainless steel pans.

sashac001

Nov 14, 2012 9:35 AM
Posts: 8,298

I cook my pancakes in butter instead of oil. They come out so good I don't even put syrup on them.

lobo2525

Nov 17, 2012 5:33 PM
Posts: 3

There are so many different ways to do pancakes. I have added a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk, to make sour milk which gives you a fluffier pancake. I also add a teaspoon of vanilla as well.

I fry my pancakes on a hot dry grill or frypan. Putting butter on the grill is what causes the white spots on the pancakes.

As for frying pancakes in oil, well, that is only to be done if you are making potato pancakes.

sashac001

Nov 18, 2012 10:21 AM
Posts: 8,298

I don't get white spots on my pancakes, lobo. I make sure the butter is completely melted first so it doesn't happen. And, even if did, they taste so good I wouldn't care.

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