Pancakes are the Rodney Dangerfield of the breakfast world. They don't get no respect. First, we can't agree on their name. There are hotcakes, flapjacks, hoecakes, johnnycakes, griddle cakes and even flannel cakes, and not the vaguest consensus about what makes one different from another.
Then there's the perception that the pancake is just a vehicle for butter, marmalade, maple syrup and other slatherables. The pancake is child's play to make and has heft and gut-fillability — precisely the reasons it's a go-to staple for church and Little League breakfast fundraisers. It can be made with scant equipment (a bowl, a griddle, a spatula and a flick of the wrist) and meager rations (eggs, flour, milk).
Come to think of it, the pancake is a fairly perfect food for these tough times — portable, cheap, chameleonlike and able to scale tall buildings with a single toss. And with Saturday being National Pancake Day, it's the best time to celebrate the flapjack.<
Pancakes predate ovens. They go back to ancient Rome, the sweet ones mentioned lovingly by Apicius in the fourth century A.D. Cooks around the world have made some kind of griddled batter concoction, often an easy on-the-go quickie; the term hoecake is a reference to when field hands would pour cornmeal batter on the blade of a hoe or shovel and cook it up over the fire.
From Irish boxty to Dutch pannekoeken, there are endless spins on a basic batter recipe. And though they've come to be associated with certain holidays (Shrove Tuesday for Christians, and Hanukkah for Jews if you include latkes in the pancake club), most versions are just straight-up breakfast comfort food.
Batter up
According to Jacob Shirai, the pancake maestro at Pinky's in Tampa, "It's like making the perfect burger. You cook it halfway and flip it only once." (Too much flipping toughens them.) The most important thing: Don't overwork the batter. Too much stirring and the flour's glutens are activated, resulting in a tougher cake.
"When I mix my dry ingredients into my wet I leave them lumpy. I do that because when I put the ladle into it, it gets mixed once again. And I like to add a little melted butter to the batter — it helps the pancakes to not stick," he says.
Fred Tirabassi, owner of the Kopper Kitchen in St. Petersburg for 28 years, has his own pancake do's and don'ts. His restaurant makes both standard buttermilk pancakes and multigrain. He has heard from many cooks that the secret to lighter pancakes is to bring the batter to room temperature before pouring. Also, his mother would whip the egg whites separately and fold them in for extra fluffy pancakes.
Though the thinness or thickness of the batter is a personal call, Tirabassi has suggestions for what to serve with the finished cakes.
"What you don't want is a dry pancake, which is why people put so much syrup on them. Trying to be a little more health-conscious, I use a little bit of maple syrup and a dollop of sour cream. I love eating them with sour cream and fruit like peaches or blueberries on top of the pancake. Then, if you want to do it all the way, you throw some walnuts on top, which takes it away from just a high-carb, high-sugar meal."
More pancake pointers
• Face it, the first pancake must be sacrificed to the pancake gods. It never comes out right. Still, make sure your skillet or griddle is fully 375 degrees before you start pouring batter.
• The cooking surface doesn't need to be greased if it's nonstick or if the batter contains butter.
• Small batter lumps are fine.
• To keep delicate berries intact, don't add them to the batter. Sprinkle them on the cakes once the batter has been poured and before they're flipped.
• Pour batter with a ¼-cup measure, a lipped ladle or a spring-loaded ice cream scoop (better for heavier batters).
• For big groups, pancakes can be held in a warm oven on paper-towel-lined cookie sheets. No stacking.
Laura Reiley can be reached at lreiley@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2293. Her blog, the Mouth of Tampa Bay, is at blogs.tampabay.com/dining.
>>easy
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour (or half all-purpose, half whole-wheat flour)
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup blueberries (optional)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Whisk oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in medium bowl. Whisk together yogurt, milk, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl. Whisk dry ingredients into yogurt mixture just until blended. Fold in mashed bananas and melted butter.
Brush nonstick griddle or skillet with melted butter; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour 1/3 cup batter for each pancake onto griddle. If using blueberries, sprinkle on pancakes. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on top and bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Eat with maple syrup, honey, marmalade or cottage cheese.
Makes 12.
Source: Adapted from Bon App้tit, February 2004
>>easy
Orange-Ricotta Pancakes
1 3/4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange zest (1 orange)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons canola oil
Confectioners' sugar or maple syrup
Blueberries for garnish (optional)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, eggs and orange zest. Whisk in flour until just combined.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Working in batches (and adding more oil to skillet as needed), add batter, using a scant 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve hot, dusted with confectioners' sugar, drizzled with maple syrup and/or topped with blueberries.
Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and cornmeal. Mix buttermilk, egg yolks and butter with dry ingredients. Beat egg whites in clean bowl with no trace of fat until stiff but not dry and fold into batter.
For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons blueberries onto batter and cook until bubbles form and begin to pop. Turn with wide spatula and brown other side. Turn only once and do not press down.
Makes about 12 big pancakes.
Source: Caf้ Beaujolais (Ten Speed Press, 1984
>>easy
Breakfast Corn Fritters
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (optional; see note)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off 2 large cobs (or 2 cups frozen corn, if you must)
Vegetable or olive oil for the pan
Maple syrup, for serving
About 1 tablespoon corn for garnish, optional
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk and sugar (if using), and whisk until smooth. Beat in the egg and gently mix in the corn. In a large skillet, heat about 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons batter into the hot oil and carefully flatten the mixture with the back of a spatula to form a fritter. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve hot accompanied by maple syrup with a dollop of butter, if desired.
Makes 10 small fritters.
Note: If your corn is very fresh and sweet, you won't need to add any sugar.
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