I. Love. Pancakes. Partly because I grew up eating them (Mom and Dad!), partly because I can think about pancakes and 15 minutes later be eating them and partly because they are infinitely customizable based on what's in the house.
Making pancakes from scratch isn't hard if you have a few things on hand and personally I think they are better then the ones from a box.
Makes 8-12 pancakes (enough for 2 adults, scale up as needed)
Dry ingredients
1 cup flour ( I like 1/2 cup each AP and whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
Wet ingredients
1 egg
1 cup milk (8 oz)
2 tbsp oil or melted butter
Mix the dry ingredients up in a big bowl (they should only fill it half way up or you'll have flour everywhere later, trust me . . i've swept up plenty of flour throughout the years). Mix up the wet ingredients in a different bowl then dump into the dry stuff and stir just a couple times. Lumps cook themselves out and chewy pancakes aren't good eats, so just mix enough to get everything incorporated.
Now crank that griddle up to a medium high heat. We use an electric one and depending on what's getting mixed in/added i'll go between 350 and 400. Now get a cup of coffee and walk away for 5 minutes or so, let the griddle get hot and let the batter rest.
After your 5 minute coffee break spoon batter onto the griddle in the size you like, I generally go for about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake but you could go crazy and make one giant pancake, just don't call me to help clean up the batter that flies everywhere when you try to flip it over. Once you see bubbles starting to form in the batter peak under one to see if it's browned the way you want and flip it over. A minute or so on the other side and you are ready to eat.
Mix ins
This is where things can get interesting. It takes a little extra time but is worth it in the long run. Here's a quick list of some popular mixins at my house.
Blueberries - I just throw a handful of frozen ones onto the cakes as soon as they get onto the griddle, they defrost but don't break up that way.
Chocolate chips - add on the griddle or into the mix when stirring it up
Banana nut - Mash a banana up and mix into the wet ingredients, chop a handful of walnuts, almonds or pecans up and mix into the batter. A sprinkle of cinnamon doesn't hurt either.
Bacon - Cook up some bacon on the griddle to your liking before starting on the batter. Lay a cooked strip into the batter after you pour onto the griddle. Don't give my name to the cardiologist.
What are your favorite mix ins for pancakes?
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