It’s strange that I’ve never before shared my pancake recipe. But it’s also true that since it’s such an easy, simple recipe that has been part of our lives for as long as we can remember… Well, I never thought of posting it. It was because I shared some videos on my Instagram stories making pancakes at home. The reception was so good and you were so many who asked me to share it, that here it is. A super simple recipe to make today, if you wish. I’ll leave you with How to Make Perfect Pancakes.
I think the pancakes were one of the first things I learned to cook along with French fries. The number of times I must have snacked on pancakes with whipped cream (at that time, sprayed and, of course, with a big pile in the mouth, hahaha) or French fries. I really loved to have fried potatoes for snacking… My mother hallucinated, of course. But since it was something I had learned to do on my own, I enjoyed it as if it were a delicacy.
Pancakes origin.
Apparently, and contrary to what many of us may think about their true origin, pancakes have a religious provenance. According to some history books, the ancestors of pancakes date back to the 4th or 5th century AD.
During Lent, in addition to the church’s ban on eating meat, foods such as butter, eggs, cheese and milk were not allowed either. All of them of animal origin. Something very similar to what happened with Stollen, I tell you in this post in detail.
Necessity brought out creativity and ingenuity, so that people began to make a paste/batter made from a base of flour and water. To cook it, they spread a very thin layer on hot stones.
Centuries later, the church authorities allowed milk, eggs and butter to be incorporated into the Lenten diet. These were added to the flour batter, giving rise to what are now pancakes.
In medieval times, it was customary in villages and monasteries to prepare lots of pancakes on the first Tuesday of fasting during Lent, to share with all the neighbours. Those that were left over were reserved to be eaten during the forty days of abstinence because they were very well preserved.
A recipe that has traveled the world.
Like many other preparations, pancakes can be found in many variations throughout Europe and the Americas. In France we can find a much thinner version, the famous crepes, in Germany they are made from potatoes in the same way as placki ziemniaczane. In Russia, and other Slavic countries, the famous blinis are made, ideal to be eaten at any time of the day accompanied by sweet or savoury food.
South America they are known as pancakes and are very similar to crepes, with a thinner dough and a filling that can consist of jam or dulce de leche, in its sweet format, and also with chicken or vegetables such as spinach in its savoury format.
And we cannot miss the USA and its very famous pancakes accompanied by fruit salad, chocolate, jam or maple syrup. Although they can also be served with savoury dishes.
The popularity of this preparation is such that in some countries the “Pancake Day, Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Day” is celebrated, coinciding with Shrove Tuesday at the beginning of Lent.
Making perfect pancakes.
It’s a recipe that holds no mystery. Even our kids can make it at home. I can tell you that it was one of the first things I learned to do and one of the first things my mother let me cook at home alone. Well, the latter was when I was 12…
As simple as adding all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing and pouring into a pan. The summum of simplicity and enjoyment in the same preparation. Besides, it is one of those recipes that if you feel like it, you can be enjoying it in the next 20 minutes… If you are not happy, it is because you do not want to 😀
Recipe perfect pancakes
Ingredients for 12-15 units- 200 g pastry/cake flour
- 2 large eggs
- 280 g whole milk
- 30 g sugar
- 15 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 15 g baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 200 g fat cream + 2 Tbsp icing sugar
- chocolate, caramel, fruits, maple syrup...
Instructions
Make pancakes batter.
- As we prepare batter pancakes, heat the pan to medium low heat (my cooker kitchen in a range of 1-9, I use 4 1/2). In my case I always use my Buyer's iron skillet, they come out perfect. They don't stick, they don't burn and you don't need to add butter or oil every time you make one.
- It's important that the pan is hot so that the batter doesn't stick.
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix lightly.
- Then, use a hand blender. Personally, I like it much better this way and the reason is that we obtain a smooth, silky and perfectly homogenized batter.
- Transfer the mixture into a jar. This step is optional, but they look much better than if we pour them with a ladle. We will get them to be round and of the same thickness.
Cook the pancakes.
- Pour the batter in the center of the pan, in a continuous thread, making sure that it always falls in the same place. In this way we will achieve that they are perfectly round since the batter, as it falls in the skillet, expands equally.
- The amount of batter you pour is to your liking. And it will depend on this that more or less pancakes come out.
- Cook at medium-low heat, this point is important so that we get a nice golden brown, but without burning.
- Once the surface starts to bubble, flip the pancake. Another point that will let us know to turn the pancake is the texture of the edges. They will begin to acquire a texture like "plastic" or "plasticized" because it begins to dry.
- Once we flip it, it won't be more than 30-40 seconds. Lift the pancake with a wooden spatula, observe the colour of the base and, if it has a nice soft golden colour, take it out and leave it on a plate.
- Repeat the same process with the rest of the batter.
Serve pancakes.
- In case we want to serve them with whipped cream, if it is homemade better, you can see how to do it in this post. With the amount I leave in the ingredients you will have for 3 people or for 2 very sweet tooth.
- Now you just have to enjoy...
- Serve the pancakes with whipped cream, chocolate, caramel, strawberry syrup, Nutella, fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt, cream cheese and blueberry jam (that's how they served me breakfast in a cafe in Norway and, from that moment on, I fell in love with this combination)... They are perfect with everything ;)
Notes for perfect pancakes
- The flour we need to make the pancakes is cake flour. That is, the same flour we use to make sponge cakes and cookies. Note, not cake flour with added baking powder. I don't like this type of flour, personally, because I can't control the amount of it added.
- The milk we use, if it's whole, better. For me, using skimmed milk is like adding white water, but I leave it up to you, of course. You could also use a vegetable milk, in case you are lactose intolerant.
- If we want the pancakes to be more "spongy", we can reduce the amount of milk to 260 g. That way we will get a slightly denser batter and the result will be... more "spongy".
- Melted butter can be replaced by mild olive oil, if desired.
- If you wish, you can make a Chantilly instead of whipped cream. It would be enough to add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or some natural vanilla.
- When we pour the batter into the pan, you shouldn't do it from too high up. The reason is that the batter will look "splashed" on the edges.
- It is very important not to cook the pancakes with a very high heat, otherwise they will burn and the surface will still be uncooked.
- They keep very well overnight in an airtight container. But making pancakes and not eating them within 10 minutes is a sacrilege!
