Pancakes...?!
Answers: I'm an Italian girl who wants to cook original pancakes! How can I do that? I've already tried...I can say the result was good but there was something wrong with how pancakes looked... can you give me a step by step recipe?Thanks!
Ingredients:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter
Method:
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets a airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.
Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl anduse it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.
Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.
Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.
Serve with any filling/topping of your choice.
Good luck and enjoy.
While it's easy to make pretty good pancakes, you can go a little further and achieve perfect pancakes with just a few simple moves. If you crave pancakes that are light and fluffy on the inside and golden brown on the outside with just the faintest hint of crispness, we can help you flip these flapjacks out of your dreams and onto your plate.
It's All in the Mix
First, combine dry ingredients thoroughly, breaking up lumps either by sifting them together or by stirring them well with a whisk.
Next, combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Don't skip this step. Yes, it does dirty an extra bowl, but you must mix all the wet ingredients together before they ever touch the dry ones. Why? Because once you pour the two mixtures together, you're going to:
Stir gently, just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Over mixing leads to tough pancakes because the gluten in the flour begins to develop as soon as liquid touches it, and the more you mix, the tougher the gluten becomes.
There will be lumps in the batter. Don't worry about them.
How to Cook a Pancake
Preheat your griddle, heavy-bottomed nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet to 375 degrees F (185 degrees C), or until a drop of water skitters across the pan.
Lightly coat the hot pan with vegetable oil, cooking spray or clarified butter (regular butter burns too quickly).
Do a test run with one sacrificial pancake and adjust the temperature up or down, depending upon the results. If your pancake is scorched on the outside and raw on the inside, turn down the heat. Note: as head chef, you have the right to eat the test subject. Or not.
When you're satisfied that you've reached the perfect pan temperature, ladle in as many pools of batter as your pan will comfortably hold, leaving a little room between pancakes for comfortable flipping.
Don’t Press Your Pancake
A pancake is ready to be turned over when it's dry around the edges and bubbles have formed over the top. You are allowed to peek to see if the bottom is golden brown before you flip it.
While you're waiting impatiently for the second side to cook, resist the impulse to press down the pancake with your spatula. Pressing will not cook it any faster, but will undo all the effort you've made to achieve fluffy, light, perfect pancakes.
Waiting is the Hardest Part
Pancakes are best eaten fresh from the griddle so you can enjoy their crispy, fluffy goodness. This may mean serving them a few at a time, but that just lets people savor your cooking for that much longer.
If you absolutely must keep the pancakes waiting, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them, uncovered, in a warm oven. Never stack or cover them--the steam will make them soggy.
the secret is using ice cold water, it makes them very fluffy.
The box stuff is just fine fast and easy.
I can cook but I cannot make pancakes so one day I tried to make some from scratcha and it tasted like fried doe. Me being the creative person that I am I had some blueberry muffin mix you the know the kind you get for a 1.00 at the dollar store and you just add water. Girl we was having blueberry, mixed berry, chocolate chip.
Without getting into the measurements (you can get that from your recipe)
1)Mix the dry ingredients. I typically add slightly more baking powder because I like my pancakes with a bit more of a rise
2) Mix the milk and lightly beaten eggs so that they are incorporated in a separate bowl
3) Melt the butter and pour into the LIQUID bowl. Wisk as you pour the melted butter into the liquid. It will form tiny pieces of butter (this is what you want).
4) Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Major point.....Do not overmix. You will have some lumps (mostly the little pieces of butter).
5) Let the batter rest for as long as you can (I have even rested the batter overnight). I prefer a 2 hour rest time.
6) Heat the griddle until hot and a drop of water dances lightly when dripped on the griddle.
7) Optionally add a very small amount of oil to the griddle. If you have a good nonstick, this is not necessary
8) Pour about 1/3 cup (or the size pancake you want) onto the griddle.
9) Adjust the heat down to medium low and cook the pancake until the top is filled with little holes from the air bubbles breaking through
10) Flip the pancake and cook about half as long as the first side took.
Most important steps.....Don't worry about the little pieces of butter and Don't overmix the batter. The little pieces of butter melt and interact with the flour to give the great flavor and texture you want. Never whisk your pancakes. Use a large spoon and stir gently until mixed.
Also note that you may need to adjust the liquid (a little at a time) to get the right consistency. You are looking for a cake batter like consistency. Basically you want it so when you "pour it" it doesn't actually pour in a stream (because it's too thick). Sometimes I keep my batter so that it kind of drops in globs onto the pan.