Today’s pancake is a relative of a Roman pancake recipe that was made of milk, eggs, and flour with spices added. It was more of a flat bread but was called 1/5 RoeAlita Dolcia 1/5 R? and was served with fruits. Another version was stuffed with cheese and meat and served for lunch or dinner. Europeans made pancakes in the medieval times that more resemble the ones we have today. The first published recipe was in a 1430 English cookery book.
Breakfast is the best time to serve pancakes. Pancakes are the star of the show on Shrove Tuesday. This is the day right before Lent starts when one is allowed to eat those things thought of being a luxury, as pancakes are. The next day starts lent when one should sacrifice and often people give up sweet things during the period of lent to Easter.
There are pancake recipes from Germany where they use potatoes and the Jews have the potato latke, a form of potato pancake. In France a pancake might be thin and filled with fruits and called crepes. Indonesia has a version called dadar gutung, the poori comes from India and the bao bing comes from China. The Dutch make panekoeken or buckwheat pancakes to serve their families. There are also puff pancakes that rise high and are served with fruits and covered with confectioner’s sugar.
Where ever they come from, pancakes are a staple of the American Diet. An Old fashion pancake recipe is the best there is. It is simple yet fluffy and light and smothered in syrup it makes a great breakfast or lunch. These pancakes are even good at dinner time with a little sausage. To make them you sift together in a large bowl one and one half cups flour, three and one half teaspoons baking powder, one half teaspoon salt, and one tablespoon white sugar. Make sure it is mixed well and then make a well in the center by pushing the ingredients to the side of the bowl leaving a crater in the middle. Pour one and one fourth cup of milk into the crater and crack one egg into it as well. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a measuring cup and pour it in the crater. With a fork start to beat the liquid ingredients incorporating a little of the dry as you go. Go around the crater and keep incorporating all the dry ingredients into the egg and milk mixture until it is all incorporated.
Place a frying pan or griddle on the stove over medium high heat and spread a little vegetable oil on top. With a ladle scoop some batter out of the bowl and place it on the griddle. When you notice little bubbles all around the edge of the pancake it is time to turn it over to cook on the other side. When the bubbles form again you can take it out and place it on a plate buttering the top. Syrup can be served over top.
You can alter this recipe a bit to give it a little more flavor. To make a buttermilk pancake use the same amount of buttermilk as you did regular milk. Grate the rind of a whole orange and add it to the recipe and instead of milk use orange juice for an orange flavored pancake. Add one teaspoon almond flavoring to make an almond pancake. Take three fourths cup of washed whole blueberries and add to the batter for blueberry pancakes. If you would rather have strawberry pancakes you can slice three fourths of a cup of strawberries and add them instead. If you really want something sweet and fun add one half of a cup of chocolate chips at the end when everything is mixed up. Serve chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream instead of syrup.
If you love chocolate you might want to try chocolate pancakes. You can’t beat them for flavor and uniqueness. Chocolate pancakes should be a dessert instead of a main dish. Combine 2 cups flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder and one fourth of a teaspoon of salt. Add three fourths of a cup of granulated sugar and combine well. Pour in a cup of milk and 4 teaspoons butter that has been melted. Mix to combine and add two whole eggs and mix. The last ingredient is 6 teaspoons of cocoa. Mix it all well.
Next scoop up some of the batter in a ladle and place it on a frying pan that has been drizzled with some vegetable oil. Watch for bubbles at the edges and when you see them turn the pancake over and transfer to a plate once the bubbles are seen around the edges again. Put a pat of butter on top and then some whipped cream. To make it even better place some chocolate chips over top and allow them to melt before eating.
Serve pancakes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Your family’s eyes will light up and you will not have to beg them to eat. The Old fashion pancake recipe can be altered to make different flavors or the chocolate ones can be served up for a real treat.
If you want to learn how to make pancakes check out Andrews pancake recipes website where you will recipes like whole wheat pancake recipe and many others.
