I love breakfast. My day has to start with a great breakfast; not a good breakfast but a great one. God forbid I don't have breakfast. And it has to be substantial. Eggs are my favorite, fried, scrambled or poached. But on the weekend, I love to make pancakes. I get up early while everyone else is sleeping and start making the batter and preheating the griddle. I enjoy the quiet. In the past few years, I have had two helpers; one wants to mix and one wants to flip. I am not allowed to make pancakes until they assume their positions which is great unless I am famished and can't wait until they get up.
Today, I felt like making pancakes. No one was up and it was peaceful. I have been on a quest to find the perfect pancake recipe. Something that reminds me of the pancakes I had as a kid, sweet (not too sweet), fluffy and tangy (from the buttermilk) but I can't find them. So I keep trying tweaks on pancake recipes. This recipe comes from Alton Brown and it is very good. Light & fluffy. He calls them "Instant Pancakes" because he premixes the dry ingredients in a large tub and then when you are ready to make pancakes you just have to add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs and melted butter). It does make it easier in the morning. My daughter had a sleepover last Friday night, so I mixed up a batch of the dry ingredients so I was ready to go in the morning. I still have a good amount left so I whipped up pancakes again this morning. So good!
*I did not use a whole stick of butter to grease the pan!
"Instant" Pancake MixRecipe by Alton Brown
Ingredients
- 6 cups
all-purpose flour - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.
Use the mix within 3 months.
"INSTANT" PANCAKES:
- 2 eggs, separated
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 cups "Instant" Pancake Mix, recipe above
- 1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
- 2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired
Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don't try to work all the lumps out.
Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.
Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)
Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.
Yield: 12 pancakes
