The Best Old Fashion Pancake Recipe

By Andrew Cook

Pancakes are an old recipe that was created in Rome. A pancake recipe from Rome called for a pancake like flat bread called 1/5 RoeAlita Dolcia 1/5 R? was made of flour, eggs, and milk and had spices added. Sometimes they were topped with fruit and honey and at other times they were topped with meats and cheese for a savory dish. Pancakes like we have today were first invented in Europe during the medieval era. Recipes for pancakes where first published in an old English cookery book around 1430.

A special breakfast today consists of pancakes and they are so popular they have a day dedicated to them that takes place before Lent and the Easter tide season starts. Shrove Tuesday is the traditional day to eat as many pancakes as you can since the next day starts the season of Lent and you have to give up sweet things, like pancakes as a sacrifice before Easter.

There are pancake recipes from Germany where they use potatoes and the Jews have the potato latke, a form of potato pancake. In France a pancake might be thin and filled with fruits and called crepes. Indonesia has a version called dadar gutung, the poori comes from India and the bao bing comes from China. The Dutch make panekoeken or buckwheat pancakes to serve their families. There are also puff pancakes that rise high and are served with fruits and covered with confectioner's sugar.

Americans consume thousands of pancakes per year. Sometimes some of the oldest recipes are the best and this is the case with pancakes. The following recipe is delicious and the pancakes come out light and fluffy. With a sweet syrup they are wonderful served in the morning or afternoon and can even make a great dinner served with sausage. To make a old fashion pancake you will need to sift into a bowl one and one half of a cup of flour, three and one half of a teaspoon of baking powder, one half of a teaspoon of salt, and one whole tablespoon of granulated sugar. Mix this together well then move it to all sides of the bowl leaving an opening in the center, like a volcano. Into the center of your volcano pour in one and one fourth of a cup of milk and then one whole egg. Three tablespoons of butter should be melted and that is poured in as well. Using a fork scramble the egg in the milk combination and pull in some of the dry ingredients. Keep going until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Heat a griddle or frying pan and place a small amount of vegetable oil on it. Scoop out some of the pancake batter with a ladle and place it on the griddle. Brown on one side and when you see bubbles start to gather all around the edge of the pancake flip it over with a pancake turner or spatula and let it brown on the other side. When you see bubbles forming around the edges again the pancake is done and can be removed from the pan and buttered. Serve with syrup.

You can alter this recipe a bit to give it a little more flavor. To make a buttermilk pancake use the same amount of buttermilk as you did regular milk. Grate the rind of a whole orange and add it to the recipe and instead of milk use orange juice for an orange flavored pancake. Add one teaspoon almond flavoring to make an almond pancake. Take three fourths cup of washed whole blueberries and add to the batter for blueberry pancakes. If you would rather have strawberry pancakes you can slice three fourths of a cup of strawberries and add them instead. If you really want something sweet and fun add one half of a cup of chocolate chips at the end when everything is mixed up. Serve chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream instead of syrup.

If you love chocolate you might want to try chocolate pancakes. You can't beat them for flavor and uniqueness. Chocolate pancakes should be a dessert instead of a main dish. Combine 2 cups flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder and one fourth of a teaspoon of salt. Add three fourths of a cup of granulated sugar and combine well. Pour in a cup of milk and 4 teaspoons butter that has been melted. Mix to combine and add two whole eggs and mix. The last ingredient is 6 teaspoons of cocoa. Mix it all well.

Using a ladle put batter on hot skillet with a little vegetable oil. When bubbles form around the edges flip it over and remove when the bubbles start to appear again. Spread with a little butter and place several dollops of whipped cream over top to eat. You can also sprinkle some chocolate chips on top and let them melt a little.

Pancakes are good any time of day and kids just love them. Whip up a batch and watch your family happily devour them in just seconds. Use the Old Fashion recipe and make each batch different with the variations or you can whip up the chocolate pancakes and serve them for dessert. - 29884

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here