Sweet Things Remembered

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Delicious, buttery, fluffy pancakes – the perfect start to your morning or a sweet addition to your brunch menu.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, as a kid I lived right across the street from my grandparents, so my siblings and I spent a lot of time at their house. During the summer or other school breaks, I remember walking over in the morning, still groggy, and watching TV while Grandma fixed us breakfast. Often, it was pancakes, and she would make them in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head. Then, she’d come bringing them over for us to eat on the TV tray while we continued watching our show. I remember one specific time that she asked me what shape of pancake I wanted, and I decided to have something different than Mickey. Keeping with the theme of Disney characters, I told her I wanted Daisy. Looking back, I don’t know how I thought my grandma was going to pull off making me a pancake that resembled an animated duck with attitude, but she agreed to it. When she brought me my pancake, it was not a duck at all; it was a flower. I don’t mean a simple five petal flower like a kid would draw, either. It actually looked like a daisy with thin petals coming out from the center, and it was the most beautiful pancake my kid self had ever seen. I was so amazed at what she brought that I didn’t even think to tell her a daisy flower was not what meant.

Grandma wasn’t the only person who would make us pancakes, though. At some point in his life, my grandma taught my dad to make them, and I think that may be when he officially became a pancake connoisseur. He can tell you (and he will) all the tips and tricks, as well as which restaurants have the best ones. Anyways, my dad would also make us pancakes, but his were usually made as a breakfast for dinner special. I remember times he would ask, “Who wants pancakes for dinner,” and we’d all moan and groan about not wanting to have pancakes again. He’s actually the one who taught me how to make pancakes, too – not the scratch recipe, but the flipping part. When I first started trying to make pancakes, I would burn the outside and the middle would be runny. He showed me where to have the heat set and how to tell when the pancake was ready to flip. Now, I can get a perfect pancake every time (well, most of the time). It will be some years in the future, once my son is big enough, but I’ll get to teach him how to make them, too. And, who knows, maybe he’ll be our family’s next pancake enthusiast.

Ingredients

• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Sugar
• Salt
• Egg
• Milk
• Vegetable Oil

Equipment

• Skillet or griddle
• Turner – According to the pancake connoisseur himself, this one is the best, and I wholeheartedly agree. I have two of them. It’s thin, so it easily slides under whatever you are cooking, instead of just pushing it around.
• Mixing and measuring tools

How to Make Pancakes

• Step 1 – In a mixing bowl, mix together your dry ingredients (1-1/4 flour, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt), and set them aside.
  • The actual recipe says to sift them. I don’t know if my grandma would do that, but it’s up to you. Sifting will help them be more light and airy.
• Step 2 – In a separate bowl, combine 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, and 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
  • If you want a thinner batter, use an additional 2 tbsp milk.
• Step 3 – Add your wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.
• Step 4 – Have your skillet or griddle ready over medium heat with oil of your choice. Spoon batter into skillet or griddle and make your pancakes. I like to use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop the batter, and I usually do one scoop plus a little extra. When the pancake starts to have bubbles and the outside edge it set up, it’s ready to flip. Cook on the other side for a minute or two, and then remove.
• Step 5 – Serve ’em up however you like them!

Questions You May Have

Pancakes

Recipe by rebekahdearmondDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

4-inch pancakes

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 egg

• 1 cup milk (and 2 tbsp optional)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

• In a mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flour (1-1/4 cups), baking powder (3 tsp), sugar (1 tbsp), salt (1/2 tsp), and set them aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients – egg (1), milk (1 cup), and vegetable oil (2 tbsp).
  If you want a thinner batter, use an additional 2 tbsp of milk.
• Add your wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.
• Have your skillet or griddle ready over medium heat with oil of your choice. Spoon batter into skillet or griddle and let cook. When the pancake starts to have bubbles and the outside edge it set up, it’s ready to flip. Cook on the other side for a minute or two, and then remove.
• Serve ’em up however you like them!