Basic Pancake Food

PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
• In another bowl, beat the eggs and then whisk in the milk and vanilla.
• Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat.
• Whisk the butter into the milk mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, and whisk until a thick batter is just formed.
• Keeping the skillet at medium heat, ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the skillet, to make a pancake. Make 1 or 2 more pancakes, taking care to keep them evenly spaced apart. Cook, until bubbles break the surface of the pancakes, and the undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip with a spatula and cook about 1 minute more on the second side. Serve immediately or transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the skillet as needed.
• Procedure for adding fruit to pancakes: Once the bubbles break the surface of the pancakes, scatter the surface with sliced or diced fruit, or chocolate chips, nuts, etc. Flip with a spatula and cook for 1 minute more, being careful not to burn toppings.
• Copyright 2003 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

EASY BASIC PANCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).
• Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.
• For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).
• Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You'll have 12 to 15 pancakes.) Serve warm, with desired toppings.
• BUTTERMILK: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with low-fat buttermilk.
• YOGURT: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.
• WHOLE-GRAIN WITH YOGURT: In step 1, replace the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup each cornmeal and wheat germ, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.

EASY PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and oil. Mix until smooth.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

SIMPLE HOMEMADE PANCAKES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or large fork, mix in the buttermilk and egg until well combined and smooth. Stir in the melted butter.
• Heat non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour pancake batter onto hot griddle. When pancake is golden brown, flip to cook other side. Keep warm in oven heated to 275 degrees.
• Variations: Blueberry and banana pancakes: Stir in 1 cup fresh berries into batter.

THE BEST BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter in a medium bowl until incorporated. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (it's OK if there are a few lumps).
• Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat; lightly brush with butter. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake and cook until bubbles form on top and the bottom is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. (If the pancakes are browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low.) Flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side, about 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with more butter as necessary. Serve with butter and syrup.

TWO-INGREDIENT EASY BANANA PANCAKES

Steps:

• Blend the eggs, banana and pumpkin pie spice if using in a blender until smooth.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Working in batches, drop silver-dollar portions of the batter (about 1 tablespoon) onto the skillet and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

BASIC PANCAKES

Steps:

• Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
• Combine eggs, milk, and oil.
• Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until just moist. Let mixture rest 30 seconds.
• Spoon or pour onto greased, hot griddle or nonstick skillet.
• Cook pancakes on the first side until bubbles appear on the upper surface. Turn over and cook until the bottom is golden.
• You can make a nice variation on these by adding a mashed black banana and 1/2 teaspoon of cinammon to the batter. Yum!

"INSTANT" PANCAKE MIX

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.
• Use the mix within 3 months.
• Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
• Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don't try to work all the lumps out.
• Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.
• Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)
• Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
• Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

BASIC PANCAKE SYRUP

Steps:

• Boil together and cook gently for 3 minutes.
• Bottle and store in refrigerator.

EVERYDAY PANCAKES

Steps:

• Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1 1/2 cups milk, then stir in 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter, if using it. Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don't worry about a few lumps. If batter seems thick, add a little more milk.
• Place a teaspoon or 2 of butter or oil on griddle or skillet. When butter foam subsides or oil shimmers, ladle batter onto griddle or skillet, making pancakes of any size you like. Adjust heat as necessary; usually, first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.
• Cook until second side is lightly browned. Serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.

BASIC PANCAKE MIX

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
• Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk.
• Start with 1 1/4 cups milk, adding up to another 1/4 cup if necessary, as you mix it with the flour.
• Add the two eggs, vanilla if using and oil, whisking until mixed but still a bit lumpy.
• Heat a frying pan (if it is not non-stick, you will need to melt a bit of butter or oil in it) and when hot, pour in some pancake mix.
• How much depends on how experienced you are at flipping pancakes and how big you want them. We do about 1/4 cup a time for small, easy-to-flip pancakes but you could make this as much as 1/2 cup of pancake mix.
• If you are adding fruit, I like to sprinkle it on top of the pancake now.
• When the pancake starts to bubble on top and is golden brown on the cooked side, turn it and continue cooking until both sides are golden brown.
• The first pancake is always a bit of a test so adjust the batter by adding more flour if you need to make it thicker or more milk if you want a thinner pancake. In either case, just add a few spoonfuls at a time until you get it right.
• Repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter. You may need to adjust the heat as pan tends to get hotter as you keep making pancakes.
• Keep the cooked pancakes covered with a tea towel, to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest.

PERFECT PANCAKES RECIPE

Steps:

• Put 100g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the centre and crack 2 eggs into the middle.
• Pour in about 50ml from the 300ml of semi-skimmed milk and 1 tbsp sunflower oil then start whisking from the centre, gradually drawing the flour into the eggs, milk and oil. Once all the flour is incorporated, beat until you have a smooth, thick paste. Add a little more milk if it is too stiff to beat.
• Add a good splash of milk and whisk to loosen the thick batter. While still whisking, pour in a steady stream of the remaining milk. Continue pouring and whisking until you have a batter that is the consistency of slightly thick single cream.
• Heat the pan over a moderate heat, then wipe it with oiled kitchen paper.
• Ladle some batter into the pan, tilting the pan to move the mixture around for a thin and even layer. Quickly pour any excess batter into the mixing bowl, return the pan to the heat.
• Leave to cook, undisturbed, for about 30 secs. If the pan is the right temperature, the pancake should turn golden underneath after about 30 secs and will be ready to turn.
• Hold the pan handle, ease a palette knife under the pancake, then quickly lift and flip it over. Make sure the pancake is lying flat against the base of the pan with no folds, then cook for another 30 secs before turning out onto a warm plate.
• Continue with the rest of the batter, serving them as you cook or stack onto a plate. You can freeze the pancakes for 1 month, wrapped in cling film or make them up to a day ahead.

EASY CRêPES

Steps:

• Weigh the flour in a large jug or bowl. Crack in the eggs, add half the milk and a pinch of salt. Whisk to a smooth, thick batter. Add the remaining milk and whisk again. Set aside for at least 30 mins.
• Heat a large non-stick crêpe pan or frying pan. Add a drizzle of oil, then wipe out the excess with kitchen paper. When the pan is hot, add enough batter to just cover the surface, swirling it and pouring any excess back into the bowl. The pancake should be as thin as possible. When the edges are peeling away from the sides of the pan, shake it to see if the pancake easily releases and is browning on the underside. If not, cook a little longer. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two. Serve, or keep warm in a low oven.

EASY PANCAKES

Steps:

• Put 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300ml milk, 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter.
• Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time, or start cooking straight away.
• Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper.
• When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
• Serve with lemon wedges and caster sugar, or your favourite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.