When I think of my breakfast memories as a child, I think of pancakes. My mom made, and still makes, the best pancakes ever. Pancakes are such a perfect food. You can take them along for a cold snack, dress them up with eggs or sausage for a hearty breakfast or dinner, or even serve them as a desert with slices of fruit and cream with chocolate syrup drizzled over the top! In fact, at one point pancakes were the workingman’s staple through the ground-breaking days of our country.
I was given this great cookbook from King Arthur Flour for Christmas and love it! It is fun to learn how different ingredients combine together with a variety of results! I’m not sure if I’ll ever match my mom’s pancakes, but the following formula adapted from the cookbook’s The Simple But Perfect Pancake recipe came pretty close! They were definitely the best pancakes I have ever made.
What you need: 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cups of water (or milk), 2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 TB melted butter or coconut oil, 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 TB
syrup or other dry sugar (optional)
Now here is what makes these pancakes so amazing: Beat the eggs, water, and vanilla on a high-speed for about 3 minutes: It is fun to watch the eggs get all foamy! While that is going, lightly whisk all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. After frothing the eggs up, stir in the melted butter/coconut oil and syrup if using this for your sugar. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. (Once flour is combined with a liquid, it forms a network of proteins. If these are handled roughly they will become tough and give the pancakes a rubbery texture.)
At this point, it is important to let the batter rest a bit to allow the leavening to start working and to let the flour start absorbing more of the liquid. Grease and heat your griddle. (electric griddle temp: 325 to 350 degrees F). When that’s ready drop quarter cupfuls of the pancake batter on. Cook on one side until it bubbles and the sides are a bit hardened. Flip ‘em over and cook until that side is browned too.
I set my pancakes on a wire rack as they finish. Whatever we don’t eat right away, I store in the fridge or freezer once they are completely cooled. I love to eat my pancakes with slices of banana, cottage cheese or yogurt, and pecans with maple syrup drizzled on top. How do you eat your pancakes? 
I think I love you 🙂 Up until this point, I have NEVER heard of anyone eating cottage cheese on their pancakes besides my grandfather and myself. And let me tell you…. I catch a LOT of slack for it! 🙂 Peanut butter is pretty good too, but not with the cottage cheese. 🙂
oh yes! I grew up with cottage cheese on pancakes, waffles, with fruit! yeah, don’t think pb would go so well with it though! I have definitely been the victim of jokes from it too though, Amanda so don’t worry you are not alone! 😉
I’ll have to try that recipe, sounds great! I love pancakes… I’ve never tried cottage cheese on my pancakes but I have an awesome recipe for pancakes that have cottage cheese in them.
There is a recipe after this one in my book for ricotta-filled pancakes I thought I’d try with cottage cheese instead. I’ll see how it goes!
Ooooh…. let me know how it goes, please!! 🙂
Hmmmmm. I tried this this morning. They tasted good. But they were a really weird consistency, which from your picture, doesn’t look like an issue for you. Waaaay to watery. What did I do wrong?
hmm, sorry that was probably frustrating. Well aside from making sure you put the right amounts of liquid and flour in, another important tip is to make sure when you add the dry ingredients with the liquids, don’t overmix. You want to mix it just enough to get the clumps in and not too vigorously. I usually don’t use my electric mixer for this part as sometimes it mixes it too much. Also, did you use milk or water? From what I’ve read, you can subsitute 1 for 1 but it is still possible it may have made a different texture.
aack! My deepest apologies!!! It is 1 and 1/4 cups not 1 and 3/4 cups of water/milk! I guess it’s time to get my eyes checked again!
Made these this morning and they were really yummy, great texture and loved the vanilla flavor! All the kids loved them too.
Did you see my comment about my typo of the milk/water? It is 1 1/4 instead of 1 3/4 cups. I’m glad they turned out well for you!