Let's face it: pancakes are one of the American classics, always appreciated for a delicious breakfast!
In fact, making pancakes is really simple, you can easily organize this special and different breakfast without getting up too early. Or, between a pancake and a crepe, you can also set up a pretty good brunch.
You can fill them with chocolate, cream and ice cream and… even with cheeses and savory creams, as their taste is quite neutral.
But how are pancakes cooked? We will explain it to you, with our guide.
Pancake Pan
After preparing a good batter , a suitable pan can help us achieve an optimal result. It differs from normal pans in that it is double: you will not have to blow the pancake but you just have to turn the pan upside down, holding it by the handle. Furthermore, these utensils are also very useful for preparing omelettes, crêpes and omelettes.
They can have different formats : some allow you to cook only one large pancake at a time, while others allow you to cook four or six pancakes at a time.
If you can't find a pancake pan, choose one that is coated with a good non-stick material that will resist wear and scratches. Lightness is also a feature that you will appreciate over time.
There are numerous variations of pancakes because the recipes have been elaborated and modified by substituting or adding ingredients. A very greedy version that is also very popular with children * concerns pancakes with chocolate chips . Prepare the dough simply following the original preparation. You need: 150 ml of milk; 160 g of flour 00; 1 teaspoon of baking powder for cakes; 20 g of granulated sugar; maple syrup to taste; 1 egg; 100 g of dark chocolate chips.
Start with the batter, pour the milk into a bowl and work it with the egg. Once the mixture is assembled, leave it aside. In another bowl, mix the sugar, flour and baking powder. At this point, add the contents of the two bowls and mix with a hand whisk until the mixture is homogeneous and smooth. Remember that the batter should not be too thick or excessively liquid. If not, you can add a little water or a couple of tablespoons of flour respectively.
Finally add the chocolate chips and gently mix the mixture with a wooden spoon. Put a pan for crêpes or a suitable non-stick pan on the heat and, when it is hot, pour a ladle of dough into it. As soon as some bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, turn it carefully using a spatula and let it cook on the other side for about 1 minute. Repeat until the batter is finished. Stack the pancakes on the plate and serve them after garnishing them with the maple syrup.
Instead of chocolate chips you can also add flavorings to the mixture (for example, vanilla or cinnamon) or 30 g of hazelnut paste . This way you will have perfect hazelnut pancakes.
Another version of the recipe is to replace the sugar with as much honey as you like. The doses depend on your personal tastes and the type of honey used.
Pancakes are usually served hot, so as to make it easier to melt the butter, chocolate or hazelnut cream used for the filling. In any case, your pancakes will be delicious even if enjoyed at room temperature. The advice is to follow this precaution when you eat pancakes with fresh fruit and / or cream.
How to make American pancakes
Pancakes boast many recipes, reinterpretations due to word of mouth distortion or cultural adaptations.
Pancakes boast many recipes, reinterpretations due to word of mouth distortion or cultural adaptations. The recipe for American pancakes involves both the use of baking soda and baking powder . In addition, among the ingredients you will also find buttermilk , which will help in the leavening phase.
To prepare American pancakes you will need: 200 grams of 00 flour, 3 level teaspoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, 250 grams of buttermilk, 1 egg, 40 grams of butter, seed oil.
Start by melting the butter, over low heat or in the microwave. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl, then the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, mix the whole egg, melted butter and buttermilk; add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well but without fussing: it is preferable to leave some lumps rather than mixing excessively, risking to obtain low and not very soft pancakes.
In a non-stick pan pour a drop of oil, which you will spread with a little kitchen paper. Let it heat up and, when the pan is very hot, pour in some batter. For this operation you can help yourself with a ladle. Turn the pan slightly, so that it forms the classic round shape and cook for a couple of minutes. When you start to notice some bulges in the center, it's time to turn the pancake and continue cooking on the other side for another two minutes. The ideal color is golden , if you think you have turned too soon let it cook a little longer. By doing several tests you will be able to understand the right times.
And now a bit of history: as we have seen, pancakes are godspancakes that are cooked with few ingredients . This preparation, which we inevitably associate with America , is actually the evolution of several recipes imported by hopeful Europeans, who left in search of fortune in the New World. It seems that it all started with the Dutch poffertjes , small pancakes, greedy with icing sugar. Little by little the recipe began to undergo changes, until the addition of yeast.
American pancakes have a diameter of about 12-15 centimeters and are served stacked and enriched with maple syrup.
Anglo-Saxon countries are so fond of this preparation that they celebrate Pancake Day, which corresponds to Shrove Tuesday. On this day in London there is a very special race: the competitors run holding a pan, in which they will have to blow the pancake. The winner is whoever manages to finish the race without dropping the pancake.
How to make tall pancakes
For fluffy and tall pancakes there are a few tips to follow. First of all, we recommend using buttermilk, as it helps leavening . Alternatively, you can use whole milk with a little apple cider vinegar . The egg whites must be separated from the yolks and whipped until stiff, and then added to the mixture only at the end of processing . The ingredients are: 200 grams of 00 flour, 200 milliliters of buttermilk (or 200 ml of whole milk and 30 ml of apple cider vinegar), 1 teaspoon of yeast, 40 grams of butter plus a small part for cooking, 80 grams of sugar, a pinch of salt and 2 eggs.
Melt the butter, in a pan or in the microwave, and let it cool. Separate the yolks from the whites and whisk the latter until stiff peaks. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder, sugar and salt. Work the egg yolks, sugar, buttermilk and butter with a whisk. When the liquid part is well blended, transfer the mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Work gently and add the whipped egg whites. Be gentle in this process, to prevent the mixture from disassembling. Heat the pan over medium heat, take a piece of butter with a paper towel and pass it on the surface. With the help of a ladle pour a little of the mixture into the pan. As soon as bubbles appear on the surface, you can turn the pancake and let it cook for a few minutes on the other side as well. Once ready, you canaccompany them as you prefer : the classic maple syrup, with a knob of butter, is the most classic solution; but also a sauce with berries (such as blueberries), or melted chocolate.
How to make light pancakes
Do you want to make pancakes for breakfast, or for brunch, but would you prefer a more delicate flavor ? Try cooking light pancakes . In this recipe the butter is replaced with extra virgin olive oil and you won't have to use eggs.
The procedure is not very different from the classic recipe: in a bowl you have to sift the flour with the baking powder, sugar and salt. Slowly add water and oil, mixing thoroughly, so that all lumps are eliminated (in this case you can also use an electric whisk). Pour a few drops of oil into a non-stick pan, sprinkle them all over the bottom with the help of a paper towel and let it heat up. When the pan is hot, add a ladle of batter and cook over moderate heat. When the surface starts to swell, turn the pancake over and cook on the other side. A very simple recipe, which will make your life easier even when you wake up with the desire to eat pancakes for breakfast but you don't have all the ingredients .
How to make savory pancakes
The recipe for savory pancakes is not very different from the classic one, and the method of preparation is the same. Once you have learned the basic recipe you will find yourself cooking them as soon as you have the opportunity: when you have guests for dinner, when you are alone at home and you want to eat something tasty, perhaps in front of the TV, when you wake up late on the weekend and you are a little confused: breakfast or lunch? In addition, brunch can also become a good invitation for friends, because it will allow you to taste different dishes in a more informal way than a normal lunch by replacing them with bread.
Starting from the basic recipe, you can fill them as you like: savory pancakes with cheese, for example, are a favorite of children *.
You can combine the original recipe of aromatic herbs; or add ricotta to the ingredients for softer pancakes. During the Halloween period you can prepare some nice ones, like a pumpkin . While, during the spring season, you could characterize its flavor by adding asparagus. But pancakes are delicious even simple, perhaps accompanied with a cream cheese.
With the basic pancake recipe you can also create a very special parmigiana !
In this variant the aubergines are replaced with scones . Prepare a good tomato sauce, with the scent of basil.Cut a Santa Lucia mozzarella into pieces and dedicate yourself to the preparation of pancakes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. When all the pancakes are ready, form turrets directly on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, like this: a pancake, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce, a handful of mozzarella and another slice of pancake. Repeat until you have a turret consisting of up to 4 pancakes. Complete the last layer by adding a little Parmesan cheese and cook in the oven for about ten minutes, or until the mozzarella has melted. Serve by adding a few basil leaves and enjoy them when they are still warm enough.
If we run out of ingredients? Butter-free pancakes, dairy-free pancakes, yeast-free pancakes
Sometimes it happens that you want to prepare something good, for breakfast or as a snack, but a key ingredient is missing. Don't worry, you can also make delicious pancakes by making some changes, especially if you have low-fat yogurt at home.
For example, if butter is missing, you can find different alternatives. The yogurt replaces him very well, but you have to increase the dose compared to about 25% of the butter : to replace 50 grams of butter you have to use 75 grams of yogurt.
Another alternative is seed oil , because it has a more delicate flavor than that of olive (which, however, you can use); in this case the doses must be decreased by 20%: for 50 grams of butter you will need to use 30 grams of oil.
For pancakes without milk, the substitution is more than simple: use water in the same quantities. Sure, the flavor will be slightly more delicate , but in terms of texture you won't feel the difference. Milk can also be substituted for other drinks, such as rice, soy or almond milk .
The pancakes without yeast can be prepared in a simple, enough to have a bit 'of baking soda in the house and combine it with other substances likely to activate the yeast, such as vinegar, lemon, yogurt and cream of tartar, the latter widely used in American pastry.
How to make gluten-free pancakes
Those who need to prepare pancakes without 00 flour can replace it with rice flour, obtaining a very delicate and light result. For this recipe the ingredients are; 100 g of rice flour, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt, 1 \ 2 tablespoon of sugar, 1 egg, 20 ml of milk, seed oil. Work the dry ingredients in a bowl, sifting them, and the wet ones in another. Pour the mixture with the eggs into the bowl with the flour and mix well. Lightly grease a pan, let it heat up and add a ladle of batter. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then turn and cook for a few minutes on the other side as well. Your pancakes are ready to be filled with fruit (such as bananas, oranges), honey, maple syrup and jam, or with some gluten-free cream.
Even the corn meal , especially in comic varieties, yields of soft pancakes. As for the yeast, you can replace it with baking soda , perhaps adding a little yogurt or apple cider vinegar.
PANCAKE CAKE
The pancake cake is a dessert that is prepared very greedy in the United States. For this dessert you will need about twenty medium-sized pancakes , to be prepared with the recipe of your choice. However, in this case, it is better not to make pancakes that are too tall.
Once the pancakes have been prepared, dedicate yourself to preparing the chocolate ganache : heat the cream with a little cinnamon in a saucepan, without boiling it, add some pieces of chocolate and turn off the heat. Mix well, until the ganacheit will not be homogeneous and the chocolate will have melted. Let it cool slightly, avoiding to harden it. Start arranging a pancake, spread a layer of ganache and continue to the last layer . Cover the entire surface (including the sides) with more ganache. A quick and easy dessert to prepare but very tasty and tasty.
