Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Whatcha' Cookin' Wednesday - "Pancakes"

If you don’t know who Mark Bittman is you should. If I ever see him in person I’m going to kiss him on the mouth and thank him for vastly improving my life. Mark Bittman is the author of “How To Cook Everything.” Think of it as a much hipper “Joy of Cooking.” Every single recipe I’ve ever tried from that book has been pure gold. And easy.

Thanks to Mr. Bittman I will never buy boxed pancake or waffle mix again. The recipe listed below took less time to make than boxed and was way, way tastier. Sometimes we add raisins or dried cranberries. Mushed up, super-ripe bananas are an awesome addition too.

Pancakes (Bittman-style)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar (you can substitute with honey or maple syrup)
2 eggs
1 ½ -2 cups milk
2 tbsp. melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking (I use non-stick spray)
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.

Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg(s) into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in the 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter and vanilla (if you are using them).

Gently stir this into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten the flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. If the batter seems thick, add a little more milk.

If your skillet or griddle is nonstick, you can cook the pancakes without any butter. Otherwise, use a teaspoon or two of butter or oil (or non-stick spray) each time you add batter. When the butter foam subsides or the oil shimmers, ladle batter onto the griddle or skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust the heat as necessary; usually, the first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. The idea is to brown the bottom in 2 to 4 minutes, without burning it. Flip when the pancakes are cooked on the bottom; they won’t hold together well until they’re ready.

Cook until the second side is lightly browned and serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degrees oven for up to 15 minutes.

1 comment :

Liz Jimenez said...

That very same recipe and cookbook is also why *I* will never make pancakes from a box again, either! Hooray for homemade! I also like the buttermilk variation.