April 2, 2011

Simple Homemade Pancakes

Verdict: Win

Cami made these pancakes last semester and they were hands down the best pancakes I had ever eaten. They were big, light, and fluffy. I asked her for the recipe right away and she pulled this up on the Food Network website as well as told me her secret: adding a dash of vanilla extract and cinnamon. I tried to make this myself the following weekend, and they didn't turn out nearly as good as hers. I finally tried to tackle them again after doing a bit of research and they turned out great. The key to what I did was separate the egg and whisked the egg whites until they formed a soft peak. I then mixed the dry ingredients, added the wet ingredients (mixed separately from the dry ingredients), and folded in the egg whites. The batter seemed dense, so I added a tad bit more buttermilk. I made about 16 pancakes after doubling (don't go beyond doubling) the recipe. The texture was perfect and they tasted great with syrup, but next time I may add more sugar because I don't like to add much syrup. The recipe below is not doubled.



Simple Homemade Pancakes adapted from Food Network
Yield: Makes about 8-10 pancakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, white separated from yolk
3 tablespoons melted butter

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, whisk egg white until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl (or measuring cup), combine buttermilk, egg yolk, and melted butter.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in the buttermilk, egg yolk, and melted butter mixture until well combined and smooth. Gently fold in whisked egg white.

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.