Sunday, May 20, 2012

Strawberry Pancakes

On this Ascension Sunday, I'm going to rise early to make a rather uplifting dish.  Ok, it was the best segue I could come up with.  As it was on last day when the liturgical calendar was green (Shrove Tuesday), and now just before it goes back to being green, this is an apropos occasion for doing Pancakes.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with pancakes.  When I was younger, I didn't care for them at all.  My mom would make them into Mickey Mouse shapes, just so I would eat them.  My taste for them has now changed, and I think I have found a better way to make them instead of just making fun shapes out of them. 

One of the many commonalities that Americans have in our diet is that we tend to get things out of a box or can that really don't need to come from a pre-made source.  A few years back, my wife Kristen was in the mood for pancakes.  They were never my favorite thing, but I figured what the heck, I'll go get a box.  As I was waiting for our pancakes to cook, I started reading the ingredients, and I realized that aside from all the preservatives, there was really nothing in this box that I didn't already have in my kitchen.

Thus, began my journey to learn to make pancakes.  I found a number of recipes online and in old cookbooks.  After experimenting, I found things that they tasted a lot heartier when one used whole wheat flour.  I also found that they were even better when I threw nuts and fruit into them.  (As an aside, if you ever get a box of Blueberry Pancake Mix, it doesn't actually have Blueberries in it.)

Today, I'm doing my favorite fruit in the Pancakes: Strawberries.  Just a note: the additions, like berries and nuts are completely optional, and can easily be left out.

Ingredients:

1 c. Whole Wheat Flour

1 T. White Sugar

1 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Baking Soda

1/4 t. Salt (Optional)

1 c. Milk

1 Egg

2 T. Canola Oil

1 c. Sliced Strawberries (Optional)

Directions:

1.  If you have a griddle, preheat the griddle on Medium-High Heat.  If you are using a pan, you can heat the pan after mixing the ingredients.  The cooking surface will be hot enough if a drop of water evaporates immediately.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt.  After they are mixed, make a well in the middle of the mixture.

3.  Slowly pour Milk, Egg and Canola Oil into the well, mixing them into the dry ingredients as they go in.  After they are mixed, let the batter sit for a minute.


4.  Oil the griddle or pan, spreading the oil evenly with a paper towel.

5.  Stir the Strawberries, or whatever addition you'd like, into the batter.

Photo courtesy of Kristen Buterbaugh

6.  For each Pancake, scoop out 1/2 c. of batter and pour it onto the griddle.

7.  When the batter rises to the desired thickness and is bubbly on top, flip them.  Make sure they are cooked on the bottom, before flipping them.
*For whatever reason, the last pancakes always come out better than the first, even on a preheated surface.
 *You may have to re-oil the cooking surface once during the pancake-making process.

Complete with butter and maple syrup!  Nom nom nom!

5 comments:

  1. Oh, don't ever make pancakes out of box. They always taste funny.

    I usually cut in some white flour when making them, so they won't be hefty. Although pure buckwheat pancakes are good without any white flour.

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    1. I agree, pancakes from a box do taste funny. Adding white flour will make them lighter. It's a personal taste thing. I like them a little heartier. I may be trying buckwheat, though. That sounds good.

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  2. omg how can anyone dislike pancakes??

    My sainted aunt Mary made *the* world's greatest, from-scratch pancakes evaaaaaar. These look really good too but I'll have to use artificial sweetener, as I'm a diabetic and sugar would just send my glucose over the edge. :)

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    Replies
    1. Well, I won't try to compete with Aunt Mary. I'm sure these are a distant second.

      When I was a kid, I always just thought Pancakes were plain and flavorless, and the boxed kind seems to give me a stomach ache. Part of why I like whole-wheat is it sits better with me.

      I would imagine artificial sweetener would be fine in this recipe, since the sugar is for flavor and not a leavening agent.

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  3. These look lovely. I will try to make them this weekend. I also think I would cut with white flour, since I like a lighter disk.

    One other thing I'd recommend is a teaspoon of vanilla extract in the batter.

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