We all do it. Why not. Wake up in the morning, go into the pantry, and pull out a time-saving box of Bisquick or Aunt Jemima pancake mix. Whether it gets mixed with milk or buttermilk, the pancakes are quick to make, they taste great, and, in this busy world, there's no shame in it. My attitude is "morning food should be easy food". That said, dry pancake mix can be made in minutes at home and stored in a tightly-sealed jar or ziplock bag, in the pantry, for up to six months. Just add some milk or buttermilk, an egg, and, a touch of vanilla extract.
For the dry pancake mix:
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sea salt
~ Step 1. in a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Transfer to an airtight container. Store in the pantry for up to six months.
For the pancakes:
1 cup pancake mix
1 cup whole milk or 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (Note: Buttermilk is quite a bit thicker in consistency than whole milk, so a bit more is required.)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
corn or vegetable oil, for frying the pancakes
~Step 2. To make the pancake batter, in a medium bowl, place and whisk together the milk (or buttermilk) egg and extract -- I like to use a hand-held rotary egg beater to do this. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Beat the ingredients together, and, there is no need to worry about getting out all of the lumps. Cover and set aside for about 5-10 minutes. Check the consistency, and, if the mix seems too thick, whisk in a splash of milk or buttermilk.
~Step 3. To cook/fry the pancakes, in any size nonstick skillet, place a thin coating of corn or vegetable oil. Place skillet over medium- medium-high heat. For each pancake, pour about 6 tablespoons into the hot the oil. The pancake will form itself. Once bubbles form across the surface, and the perimeter of the pancake looks slightly-dryer than the middle, use a spatula to flip the pancake over -- this will take about 2 1/2-3 minutes. After flipping, cook pancake on the second side, for about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Pancakes will be lightly golden with slightly-crispy edges.
Note: For evenly-shaped, evenly-cooked pancakes, I like to fry them individually, in 1-2, 8" skillets -- two skillets on the stovetop at once. After each 1-2 cook, I add a splash of additional oil to each pan, and, continue to cook until all of the batter has been used. Try it my way -- each pancake comes out perfect every time. Trust me -- one pancake per skillet is the ticket to perfection.
Serve w/butter & maple syrup, or, your favorite toppings:
How to Make the Best Basic Classic Pancake Batter: Recipe yields 7 cups pancake mix/each cup yields 8 pancakes.
Special Equipment List: whisk; air-tight food storage container or ziplock bag; hand-held rotary egg beater; any size nonstick skillet; spatula
Cook's Note: In my kitchen, a snowy morning with buttermilk in the fridge adds up to one of two things: pancakes or waffles. I'm not sure if there is a better way to fritter away some time on a cold morning. This morning we decided to go the waffle route. They're a little more involved than pancakes, mostly because a waffle iron is involved, but, what the heck, my foolproof buttermilk waffle recipe only takes a few minutes to whisk together, and, they emerge from the waffle iron light-and-fluffy with crispy edges -- exactly how a waffle should be. Learn ~ How to Make the Best, Basic, Classic Waffle Batter ~. Oh yum.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2021)
Comments