According to The Plate, ancient Greeks and Romans ate pancakes, sweetened with honey; the Elizabethans ate them flavored with spices, rosewater, sherry, and apples. We’ve all, at one time or another, taken part in pancake day also known as Shrove Tuesday – a centuries-old tradition of making and eating pancakes before Ash Wednesday. Historically, pancake day has been a time to load up on carbohydrates before the 40 days of fasting leading up to Easter.
I’ve eaten pancakes in the morning, for brunch, and for dinner. The recipe is simple enough to make and there are oodles of toppings to choose but sometimes the simplest is plain old syrup. It’s Mr. S’s birthday today and for breakfast I made him these pancakes. We came back from our morning walk, I pulled the batter out of the fridge, added milk to thin it a bit, and had the pancakes on the table in 10 minutes. A weekday luxury, indeed!
Makes 12
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 200f.
In a large bowl combine the first four ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together eggs, butter, yogurt, vanilla and milk. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined – don’t overwork the batter…lumps are ok. Over-mixing allows the gluten in the flour to develop in the batter and will make the pancakes chewy instead of fluffy. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning stir batter and add more milk to thin batter, if needed. Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat and wipe with an oiled paper towel (use clarified butter or vegetable oil). I like to use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop out the batter and pour in the pan. When bubbles start to show (the batter seems to hold its shape) and the bottom is golden, gently flip the pancake. Allow to cook another 2 to 4 minutes. Move pancakes to an oven-proof dish and place in the warm oven until all pancakes are cooked.
When ready to serve, stack a few pancakes, top with fresh fruit and drizzle with maple syrup or other favorite syrup.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Freeze any leftover pancakes by allowing to cool first, use parchment paper in between the layers and place in a container or large baggie. These will freeze well for up to 2 months. Enjoy!
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- Preheat oven to 200f.
- In a large bowl combine the first four ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together eggs, butter, yogurt, vanilla and milk. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined – don’t overwork the batter…lumps are ok. Over-mixing allows the gluten in the flour to develop in the batter and will make the pancakes chewy instead of fluffy. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning stir batter and add more milk to thin batter, if needed. Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat and wipe with an oiled paper towel (use clarified butter or vegetable oil). I like to use a ¼ cup measure to scoop out the batter and pour in the pan. When bubbles start to show (the batter seems to hold its shape) and the bottom is golden, gently flip the pancake. Allow to cook another 2 to 4 minutes. Move pancakes to an oven-proof dish and place in the warm oven until all pancakes are cooked.
- When ready to serve, stack a few pancakes, top with fresh fruit and drizzle with maple syrup or other favorite syrup.
