Tomorrow is National Pancake Day

September 26^th is National Pancake Day so I’m thinking pancakes for tomorrow.  I’m going to share a simple recipe that you can modify by adding other ingredients or toppings of your choice.

Simple Pancake Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl add milk, 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Mix the milk and eggs together. I like to use a bowl I have that has a spout on it for easy pouring, but some people like to use a ladle to pour the pancake so they are all the same size.  You get to pick. 

Then add all the salt, sugar, baking powder and some flour and start stirring. Stir and keep adding the flour until you add all of it. Stop stirring as soon as the batter is smooth and without large lumps. It should be pretty thick but still liquid enough so you can pour it. If it is to thick add some more milk and mix a little more.  Do not over mix.

Usually these kind of pancakes are made on a hot greased griddle but we can also use a pan.  I like to use my old cast iron skillet.  Take about 1/4 cup of batter and pour it on the griddle. Pancakes should be cooked until they are bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom.  Fry them on medium heat and do not play with them until you are sure they are ready to flip. Then we turn them over and brown them on the other side.  The first always seems to leave a little to be desired.  Some call it the throw away pancake, but it tastes just as good.  Hide it under a stack of pancakes.  The recipe should serve 4 stacks to 4 people.

Variations

1.  You may swap out the regular milk with butter milk to make butter milk pancakes.

2.  For blue berry pancakes, add ½ cup of fresh blueberries to the batter when you have finished the batter so the blue berries stay whole.  You can also add other fruit such as strawberries, blackberries or cherries.

3.  Add a ½ cup of mashed bananas.  Drop a few chips on after you have flipped your pancake.

4.  Apple sauce pancakes can be made by adding ½ cup of apple sauce and 1 tsp. of cinnamon.

5.  Bacon pancakes you may simply crumble 6 slices of cooked bacon and add it to your batter.  You know I had to add that didn’t you?

6.  Whole wheat pancakes – use 1 cup of regular flour and 1 cup of whole wheat or buckwheat flour.

7.  Remember as a child putting jelly or jam on them and rolling them up.  You can also just add sugar and cinnamon and roll them up.

8.  For the chocolate lover chocolate pancakes – add some chocolate syrup to your batter.  Sprinkle the pancake with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

Toppings

Set up a topping buffet and let everyone pick their own toppings.  You can put out fresh bananas, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, or raspberries.  Put out chocolate chips for the kids and chocolate lovers.  Add some walnuts to the buffet.  They go wonderful with maple syrup. 

Put out a selection of syrups.  I blogged making your own some time back but will repost here again for you. 

I always put the butter on the pancakes as soon as I take it out of the pan, but you may want to put out some additional whipped butter for those butter lovers.

Homemade Maple Syrup

I have goosed up what my mom did when she made homemade syrup and given it a little more flavor.  You can also add butter to it and pretend it is Mrs. Butterworth syrup.

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple flavored extract

1 tsp. vanilla

Bring the water, white sugar, and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in the maple extract; simmer 3 minutes longer.

Store it in the refrigerator, but when serving you can put it in the microwave and heat a bit and serve it warm over your pancake, waffle or French toast.

Flavored Syrup

1 part water

1 part sugar

1 part flavoring ingredient (chopped fruit or herbs or a combination)

Boil all ingredients for five minutes (or long if you want a stronger flavor), let the mixture cool, strain out the solids and refrigerate the liquid. About one quarter of the liquid evaporates in the cooking process thickening it.  The longer you cook it, the thicker it will get.  If it gets too thick add a little more water to it.

Adjust the amount of fruit slightly based on how intense you want the flavor to be and how strong the fruit or herb is.

For a more subtle herb flavor when mixing fruit and herbs, don’t add the herb until the last minute. Then remove from heat and let steep for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired flavor. You can even add a sprig to the bottle or jar you’ll be storing it in to show what flavor it is.

For citrus, use the rind as well as the juicy part.  You may also use honey instead of sugar to mix it up!

Homemade syrup doesn’t keep as long as the commercial variety.  Store it in one of my favorite things, canning jars and you can label the lid with a Sharpie or plastic squeeze bottles.

Possible flavor:

Strawberry

Strawberry basil (toss in a couple of fresh basil leaves to steep)

Blueberry

Raspberry

Blackberry lemon (toss in a couple pieces of lemon rind)

Lemon honey

Peach cinnamon (toss in a cinnamon stick to steep)

Raspberry mint (toss in some fresh mint leaves)

Raspberry strawberry

Chocolate Syrup

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of kosher salt

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugars to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and whisk in the cocoa powder, salt, and corn syrup, whisking until all of the solids have dissolved.

Allow the mixture to simmer until it has slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of any lumps and cool to room temperature.

Pour into a squeeze bottle or canning jar and refrigerate. Use it to make chocolate milk, pour over your pancakes or ice cream, or even in a recipe calling for chocolate syrup.  I tested this syrup and it is a real close copy to the Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup and is high in antioxidants so good for you. 

Again, as I have stated before you are allowed to play with your food.  When pouring your pancakes pour them in the shape of a heart or put Mickie Mouse ears on them.  Place the chocolate chips to make a happy face.  Someone’s birthday?  Make them a stack of pancakes instead of a birthday cake.  For your pancake lover, pour chocolate syrup on a stack, add whipped cream and some candles.  Won’t they be surprised?  Get creative.  Pancakes in the morning say I love you to those you have fussed for. 

How many pancakes can you eat? I always have a small stack of 2.  I’ve wondered how a person can eat a large stack or seconds.

By the way, we have fix them morning, noon and night.  If we have them for supper, we call it brupper.  They are not just for breakfast or brunch.  I hope I have given you some ideas and hope you have a great National Pancake Day tomorrow!

Be happy and may God bless you and yours.