United States | Breakfast

Pancakes

(American sweet skillet flatbread)

Yield: 4 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Milk 2 cups
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
 
Flour 2 cups
Sugar 2 tablespoons
Baking powder 2 teaspoons
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
 
Eggs beaten 2
Butter melted 3 tablespoons
Oil 2-3 tablespoons

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Sour milk → Sift → Mix → Pan fry
  1. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium flame. Mix the milk and lemon juice together in a medium bowl and set aside for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk the eggs and melted butter into the soured milk.
  3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients enough to moisten the flour and make a lumpy batter. Do not overmix or your pancakes will be tough.
  4. Add the oil to the hot skillet and wipe out the excess with a paper towel. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles form and pop on the top.
  5. Flip the pancake over and brown it on other side. Remove to a baking sheet and hold in a warm (200˚F) oven while you repeat with the rest of the batter. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.
  6. Serve pancakes with butter and maple syrup, fruit syrup or jam.

VARIATIONS

  • Buttermilk Pancakes: substitute buttermilk for the milk and lemon juice.
  • Flavored pancakes: immediately after pouring batter into the skillet, spread some sliced bananas, blueberries, crumbled bacon or chocolate chips over the top. They will bake into the pancake.
  • Silver Dollar Pancakes: make small 3" pancakes.
  • Whole Wheat Pancakes: use whole-wheat flour for some or all of the regular white flour.

NOTES

  • Variously known as flapjacks, hotcakes and griddlecakes, pancakes are a traditional breakfast food in the United States. Variations of the pancake, both sweet and savory, are found around the world, from the French crèpe to the Indian dosa.
  • Pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) in England, Canada, Ireland, Australia. The day is sometimes known as Pancake Day in these countries. Pancakes are a way to use up rich foods like butter, milk and eggs before the fasting of Lent.