Pancakes, Mmmmm

Pancakes are my favorite food, followed closely by waffles. I do use a mix sometimes, but I will not use any mix that calls for water as the only addition. I like the Bisquick; I grew up on it. Every Sunday morning, or afternoon (depending on church times) my dad would make pancakes. And a couple years ago my friend, Jane, shared her make-a-mix recipe, which uses half wheat flour & is extra delicious. I now keep that mix on hand & am planning to make it in bulk and can it soon.

This morning I tried Pioneer Woman's pancake recipe, freshly posted this week. And it made the most beautiful pancakes I've ever seen! Perfectly fluffy and golden brown. They smelled great, thanks to the 3 teaspoons of vanilla. But they tasted kind of... blah. I hate to say it. Syrup helped. But the 3 tablespoons of baking powder made the taste way too strong for me. My four year old wouldn't even eat them, saying they tasted funny. I need a different leavening agent.

My favorite, tried and true recipe is Martha Stewart's Best Buttermilk Pancakes. It only has 2 tsp. of baking powder and 1 tsp. of baking soda to react with the buttermilk and give you fluffy pancakes. They are moist and a little spongy, but in a delicate way and are great with add-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips. (Photo and recipe from Martha Stewart's website.)




Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Makes nine 6-inch pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle


Directions:
1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

I'm also a huge fan of this recipe for Banana Sour Cream Pancakes, which I found years ago in a Redbook magazine. I only make them occasionally, because they're a little more work, but so worth it. The recipe in the magazine is listed as coming from Bette's Ocean View Diner - visit their website to buy mixes and view other recipes. (Recipe and photo from January 2004 Redbook)

Banana & Sour Cream Pancakes

Combine:

2 c. flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl, beat together:
2 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 & 1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter

Add wet to dry ingredients and stir in:

1 ripe banana, mashed
1 ripe banana, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Cook on a lightly oiled skillet over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Top with sour cream, sliced bananas, chopped walnuts, and syrup.

If you love pancakes I know you will enjoy these recipes. For more mouth watering recipes visit Randi's Recipe Box Swap. Randi posted about pancakes this month too, and included a delicious looking berry syrup.