03 Mar Carpe Diem (Fluffy Pancake Recipe)

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Valentine’s Day are all wonderful times of the year to celebrate life, love, family, friends and society at large. However we (read I) somehow have a tendency to “over-do” the doing and “under-do” the being…being present. For that reason I seem to enjoy more the quiet Saturday mornings that I can celebrate family and friends…with no expectations and with an element of surprise, a little effort goes a long way in building some quality time…in enjoying and in being present.

In our home,  very few things brighten up a quiet Saturday morning like fluffy pancakes with a rich texture, drizzled with syrup and topped with freshly whipped cream and sliced strawberries!

I have for years been looking for, and experimenting with, recipes for my idea of a perfect pancake…and recently I have stumbled upon a perfect recipe for buttermilk pancakes which would really be a shame not to share!  

The key to these fluffy pancakes is to use both baking powder and baking soda and not over-mix!!!

The acidity in buttermilk activates the baking soda to give a little more rise to the pancakes. If you don’t have buttermilk, in a 1 cup measuring cup pour 1 Tbsp of vinegar and fill with milk to the top. Give it a little stir and it will soon curdle to make buttermilk.

Meanwhile melt the butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds. I put a paper towel on top of the dish in case it splutters.

Mix the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla (optional) and beat well. (Its important to beat the wet ingredients well at this point since we will only be doing minimal mixing later.) 

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl and create a well in the center.

Pour the melted butter first into the well followed by egg and buttermilk mixture.

Mix carefully by scrapping the bottom and folding over till all you see is lumps and little specks of flour. Batter will be thick and lumpy! It’s tempting to keep mixing till all the little specks of flour disappear…DON’T!!!

Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat an electric griddle (which is really useful for quick meals!!) to 300 degrees F (149 degrees C) or heat a skillet on medium high.

When the griddle/skillet is hot and the batter has rested for 5 minutes, melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter per pancake.

Pour 1/3 cup full batter and gently spread to a five inch round. Let it cook for 5 mts or until the bottom is nicely browned and edges are dry.

Flip them and cook another 2 minutes or until the second side is also nicely browned.

Serve warm with whipped cream, strawberries and syrup and watch them disappear!!

If you can’t serve them right away, stack them and cover with a kitchen towel.

As for me…I stay off of carbs and eat a large omelette as I enjoy watching  the smiles and listening to the banter around the table…Carpe Diem!

Servings: 6     Serving size: 1 pancake

Dry ingredients

1 1/2 Cup All purpose  flour

4 Tbsp granulated sugar

1  1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

6 Tbsp butter, melted

2 egg

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp vinegar+ milk= 1 cup)

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

For Frying

3 Tbsp butter

To serve

1/2 cup Heavy whipping cream and  2 Tbsp granulated sugar whipped together

2 cups sliced strawberries

Maple or pancake syrup

Method

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat the eggs and buttermilk well in a separate bowl.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the melted butter first, followed by the egg-buttermilk mixture.
4. With minimal number of turns mix by folding in the dry ingredients. (Do not over-mix. You will see some specks of flour and that is OK)
5. Let it rest for 5 minutes
6. Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F (149 degrees C) or skillet on medium high heat.
7. Melt 1/2Tbsp butter per pancake.
8. Pour 1/3 cup full batter on to the griddle/skillet per pan cake and gently spread around to make a 5 inch round. 
9. When the edges are dry and the bottom is browned (about 5 minutes), flip over and cook for about another 2 minutes till the second side is well browned too.
10. Serve warm with a side of whipped cream, syrup and strawberries.