Pointers for Perfect Pancakes

Pancakes are the quickbread I make most often. They’re perfect for a guest breakfast or a Sunday night supper. You can dress them up with real maple syrup, or more healthfully with yogurt and fresh fruit. Or bake them with fresh or frozen blueberries folded in just before baking. Added before the last minute, frozen berries tend to bleed blue juice, spoiling the beauty of our product.

Leftover pancakes make a good snack, cold and spread with nut butter and jam. They can be a Sunday night supper rewarmed in oven or a skillet. If the weather’s too warm for turning on the stove, or time or patience short, microwave a plateful at a time of single layer for about one minute or less, depending on the power of your microwave.

A few pointers for perfect pancakes:
1.Preheat a wide skillet or a griddle until a drop of water sprinkled on it bounces.
A portable electric griddle can be used at the table, allowing cook and diners to be together. People can take turns baking the pancakes. That works for a small group, say four.
2. Grease the griddle for the first batch. You may not have to add more grease for subsequent batches, especially if you’ve put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the batter.
3. Ladle the batter onto the griddle with a tablespoon for dollar-size pancakes. They cook fast and are easy to turn over, and kids love them. They also like pancakes with the batter drizzled onto the pan to make cakes formed like their initials. They’ll want to cook them themselves.
4. Turn the pancakes when the rim of each is full of breaking bubbles and the top has lots of bubbles that break. When done on the bottom, a pancake parts from the pan easily; if it balks, it’s not done yet. Give it a couple more seconds.
5. If the first pancakes are ready to eat before the people have gathered for breakfast, line a baking sheet with a clean dish towel. Place pancakes on it in a single layer with another clean dish towel over them. Put them in a warm oven. They’ll not cool, nor dry out in a few minutes.

 BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons coconut sugar or brown cane sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter

Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Combine eggs, buttermilk and oil or butter. Stir the liquids into the dries. It’s okay for the batter to look a bit lumpy. Let it rest a few minutes for the flour to soak up some of the liquid. Bake on a griddle or skillets lightly greased with coconut oil. An electric griddle or skillet needs to heat to 375 degrees.

For pancakes of uniform size, dip batter with a ¼-cup measure. My miniature ladle holds only 2 Tablespoons and makes 4-inch pancakes. The batter spreads in the pan. Leave space between pancakes to allow spreading room. Turn when bubbles form and break on top and around the edges.

Serve hot with butter and syrup, or with yogurt and fresh sliced peaches or berries, or a fruit compote, or jam or marmalade.

Note: If allergic to cow’s milk, goat’s milk or almond milk may be substituted. Instead of soda, use 2 teaspoons baking powder.