Perfect Pancakes

I don't know about your house, but in our house pancakes are pretty much the food of the gods to my kids. They would eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner and do.There are actually even tears shed and tantrums thrown when pancakes are not being served for breakfast. They have been an American staple from the early pioneer days and are a necessary food in the Harris' household.

When I found something that my first son would actually eat, I admit I jumped up and down and started making them every morning. At least he would be getting some sustenance in his stomach during the day. This eventually backfired on me, because when I had the audacity to make something different; I never heard the end of it. We finally made a peace treaty and we now have other delicacies besides pancakes without World War III being started. But there usually isn't a day that goes by that pancakes still aren't requested.

Pancakes have many names: jonny cakes, flap jacks, hot cakes, silver dollars, but since my daughter could talk she has called them panpakes, so panpakes they are in our house.

Now, I did not become a pancake expert overnight. I have spent almost 10 years perfecting them! When my husband and I first got married, he was the pancake authority and would make me elaborate breakfasts on the weekend.( yeah, I got me a good one) Granted the pancakes were from the bisquick box, but they were still good. Nowadays I am the breakfast aficionado. Like I have shared before in" Granola Goodness", I love making and eating breakfast. I still have much to learn but I think I have finally got the pancake thing down. I never knew pancakes could be so complicated but if you don' get one part right it can mess up the whole pancake, so I will try to show you the method to my madness. But don't be intimidated! In no time at all, you too will be making perfect pancakes!

1. First off is the flour( I mill my own whole wheat flour) if you can't mill your own, you can use the whole wheat flour from the store( usually "King Arthur") but I have to say milling your own flour is the way to go.  To answer any of your questions go to: http://www.breadmachinedigest.com/tips/milling-your-own-flour-the-hows-and-whys.php

2. Buttermilk is a must, if you don't have any on hand you can add 1 Tbs of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk and it will start to thicken if you leave it for about 10 min.

3.Make sure you have a good mixture, you don't want it to be too thick or too thin.

I use a paper towel to spread the butter evenly

4. Use a hot griddle or pan and grease it well with butter for a crispy yet fluffy pancake.

5. Don't leave it on too long, I was always told wait till bubbles appear but sometimes the bottom is already burnt by that time. You want the bottom to be a light brown. After you flip it, you only need to wait about a minute or two till the inside is cooked through. There is nothing worse then a gooey pancake, so I usually make a dent in the top to make sure it doesn't run.

6. Make your own mix to have on hand. I have been using this waffle and pancake recipe from weelicious;   http://weelicious.com/2012/03/13/whole-wheat-pancake-waffle-mix-a-must-have-in-the-pantry/ she uses 1 cup of buttermilk to 1 cup of mix but I prefer using 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of buttermilk. The mix also calls for sugar but if sugar isn't your thing, you could always substitute it with honey when you add the wet ingredients if you want. The recipe also calls for vegetable oil, but I would recommend using butter or coconut oil. I also like to add 2 tsp of vanilla, it adds such a great flavor.

7. Get or make a good syrup, none of that nasty high fructose corn syrup stuff. Maple syrup is the best but can be expensive so I started making this delicious syrup. Yes, it has a lot of sugar in it but at least its real sugar. I promise you will love it, and if you don't , there is something wrong with you. Here is the link:http://www.creationsbykara.com/2011/02/buttermilk-caramel-syrup.html

Ta da!! This is what it should look like when you flip it.

Teddy Bears are a must!

And you have to slather on lots of butter

oooo.. and lots of syrup..ooo and whip cream, ooo and blueberries wont hurt

perfect!

everybody's happy

I even cleaned my plate!

                                                               Happy pancake making!!!