Pancakes – Because Breakfast Should be more than Eggs

By Sandy Hu

Okay, I confess. Steve started making breakfast for the kids when they were growing up because he thought they should have more than eggs.

I love eggs and they’re my idea of breakfast –scrambled, sunny-side up, boiled, omelets or in the hole. Steve’s is pancakes, waffles, biscuits, popovers and muffins. Who do you think won out? The kids and I chose his, of course. And I blissfully relinquished breakfast-making duties to him.

Never one to let a recipe alone, Steve would improvise, experiment, research, try other versions of the recipe, until he created one to his satisfaction. And on weekday and weekend mornings, we would wake up to delicious smells from the kitchen of something freshly prepared, waiting for us at the breakfast table.

Enjoying Steve’s pancakes the other day, I realized this would be an excellent Special Fork recipe. Pancakes are certainly quick to mix up and fairly goof-proof, even for cooking newbies. It doesn’t matter if they come out a little free-form if you’re just learning.

For experienced cooks, it’s another basic recipe waiting for your improvisation. We’re just starting to see early blueberries in the market, so adding some to the batter is another way to get more fruit in the diet, more flavor and more nutrients.

With some crisp bacon on the side and a drizzle of maple syrup, you have all you need for a lovely start to the day.

Steve’s is a basic pancake. If you’re in the mood for something a bit fancier, try Lori’s Crispy Bacon Pancakes or her Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes or Marilyn’s Bananas Foster Pancakes.

For this week’s Video Friday, Dave, having learned from his dad, will demo Steve’s Bismark recipe – a puffy, one-skillet pancake that is prepped and baked in the oven in minutes.

What to do with leftover buttermilk? You can freeze it in plastic containers. Or freeze in ice cube trays and when frozen, pop out the buttermilk cubes and bag them in a zip-top freezer bag. Buttermilk will separate upon freezing but can still be used in baking.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
Vegetable oil for frying

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl whisk together egg, melted butter and buttermilk until well mixed. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture all at once and whisk just until the dry ingredients are incorporated; you should have some small lumps.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add just enough vegetable oil to barely coat the pan. When oil is hot, use a ladle to pour batter to form pancakes the size you want. When large bubbles appear on the pancakes, in about 2 minutes, carefully flip them and cook the other side about a minute more. (If you’re not sure if the pancake is done, slide an egg turner under the pancake and lift to peek underneath. Pancake should be golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used, adding more oil as needed.

Serves 4 to 6

Option: For blueberry pancakes, immediately upon ladling the batter in the pan, sprinkle blueberries on the batter and press gently into the pancake. When bubbles appear, turn pancakes and cook the second side. You’ll need about 1 cup of blueberries.

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