pancakes

mark bittman was right. the person who invented pancake mix was a genius. it occurred to me recently, that other than on a few special occasions, i never really make pancakes from scratch. the good ole’ aunt jemima mix occupies a valued piece of real estate in my cabinet, and i realized after this recent pancake adventure, it doesn’t have to.

there are really only a couple of dry ingredients (simple pantry staples, i might add) in pancake mix anyway, and the process itself is so easy, there is no reason to ever use the mix again! this is a basic pancake recipe from mark bittman’s how to cook everything, but i added the cinnamon and nutmeg for some wintry/fall flavor.

the batter was a little thick, so i added that extra 1/2 cup of milk.

the most important part? waiting until the pan is hot enough.

as soon as those bubble start rising on your pancake, it’s time to flip!

voila! nice buttery, crispy outside topped with some maple syrup.

ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 – 2 cups of milk

2 tbsp. melted and cooled butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

directions:

1. preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.
2. mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in the 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter and vanilla. 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.
3. 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 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.
4. 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.