Pancakes

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To learn how to make pancakes, I consulted an expert. I didn't have to look far, Josh is a master when it comes to baking breads, and making pancakes (mancakes?). They're flavorful, healthy, and hearty- and he doesn't even measure his ingredients. What a guy... Anyway, what makes these pancakes unique is that there is no white flour, and no white sugar. I also used homemade vanilla extract, which is coming up in a later post! I've given specific measurements and approximations, if perchance one morning you feel like living dangerously.

This recipe calls specifically for King Arthur flour. Why? I prefer to use King Arthur flour because of the flavor/texture compared to other brands. Here is a link for Baking Bite's profile on a few types of flours, and the differences, and for a more in depth look, Cook's Illustrated has a profile of wheat flours. Of course to get their reviews of specific flours you have to pay, but they have some informative free articles.

Ingredients:

Two scoops of King Arthur whole wheat flour (total amount of all flours comes to about 2 cups)
One tiny palmful of baking powder (1 Tbsp.)
A sweeping pour of Turbinado cane sugar or Sugar in the Raw (approx. 3/4 Cup)
One egg
Dash of vanilla extract (1 tsp.)
Small pour of neutral oil (2 Tbs.)- I use a neutral oil like Canola, but you can use melted butter.
water, to be poured in gradually (1/2-3/4 C.)
Fresh coffee, for drinking
maple syrup, you know.
two medium/large mixing bowls


 Directions:

Put your weathered, coffee stained apron on. Your hair should be tousled from just having woken up. Got your fresh, hot coffee? Good, take a swig of that. Set your non-stick skillet (cast-iron is even better) on medium heat.
1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly to combine.
2. Combine all wet ingredients (except water) in second bowl, whisk thoroughly with a fork to combine.
3. Pour the wet bowl into the dry bowl, and begin to mix. Slowly stir in water until the batter comes together.
4. Ideally you would let the batter rest for 5 minutes, which lets the proteins/gluten relax, creating a softer crumb, but really, who has time for that when you're hungry? Let's make that optional, Think of it as an exercise in patience...
5. Grease the pan lightly with butter or oil if your pan needs it. I never grease my non-stick pan, and my pancakes release without any problem. Using a 1/4 cup,  scoop up the batter and put it on the pan. The first ones are always funny, so don't worry how it comes out!
6. In a few minutes, when little bubbles start to form all over the pancake, flip it!
7. In another minute (it always takes less time after you flip it), when the pancake feels firm, put it on a plate and keep going until you're out of batter.

Tips:
*You can put ready and waiting pancakes in the oven set to 175 degrees F, on the "warm" setting. Additionally, you could eat them as you make pancakes. Your call.
*If the batter starts to look too thick, you can thin it by beating in a little extra water.

Once you've mastered this approach, here are some variations:
- use buttermilk/regular milk/yogurt
- use more/less sugar
- mix in fresh or frozen fruits, pieces of chocolate
- different flours! Cornmeal, oat flour, quinoa flour, rye, spelt, you name it! Different flours absorb different amounts of liquid, so keep that in mind. Only substitute up to half the whole wheat flour, i.e., if you only use cornmeal, it will not taste or look like pancakes due to cornmeal's lack of gluten.
- orange or lemon zest
- spices, like cinnamon, cardamon, allspice
- for lighter pancakes, beat an extra egg white by itself until fluffly and frothy. Fold it into the batter, and it will lighten the pancakes. Don't overmix!

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