Make a pancake!

I haven't been out for breakfast in at least five weeks, but with a Sunday morning with no munching companions, I decided to make my own pancakes. I'm really bad at making pancakes [shakes first at universe] but I do believe I have found an out. I rummaged through my file of recipes clipped from magazines and found "Pancakes 101" from Martha Stewart Living. These pancakes were so good that I ate most of them as they came off the stove, plain, no syrup or jam, yelling "Mmmmmm! Yummmmy! Pancakes good! Coffee good!" (My grapefruit was tough and a little bland, so I didn't yell about it.) I think the trick is butter. My family always made pancakes with oil, and these are so much better (sorry, parents).

Portions of the article are on the website here, but the recipe I used doesn't seem to be included. So here is my new favorite pancake recipe: Martha's "best quick pancakes," as tested by an entry-level cook who nevertheless hoardes recipes that scare her. It makes about 9 4" pancakes, and the recipe can be doubled.

It's a well known but little discussed fact that singing while you cook makes everything taste better. To that end, watch this before you head to the kitchen.

I do not endorse Aunt Jemima, though. I'm an honourary Canadian and I go pure maple. Your pancakes deserve better than corn syrup.

Heat griddle to 375 or pan over medium-high heat. When ready to use, test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. When they bounce and splatter off, it's ready. (I should note that I didn't get this phenomenon - when I sprinkled water on the pan, the drops sizzled away. But never one to be bound by recipes or instructions, I figured what the heck. But when I put the butter in the pan, it turned brown really fast, so I turned down the heat to the border on my dial between medium and medium-high.)

Whisk 1 C flour, 2 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt, and 2 T sugar. Add 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 C milk, and 2 T melted unsalted butter. Combine with whisk. Batter should have small or medium-sized lumps.

Brush about 1/2 t melted butter on griddle. (I hate washing my pastry brush, so I just put a few little dabs of butter on the pan and swirled them around to coat.) Put 1/4 C scoops of batter on griddle, about 2" apart. Turn pancakes over when bubbles form on the top and the batter is slightly dry around the edges. (This happened a lot faster than I anticipated - don't leave the stove!) Cook about 1 minute more, until golden on the bottom.

Also good is Martha's article on "Pancakes around the World." I cut this article out and plan to frame the pictures and put them up in the kitchen.

Update to post (November 24, 2007): inspired by Thanskgiving flavors and having half a can of pumpkin puree in the fridge, I swapped out 1 1/2 T of the melted butter for 2 T pumpkin puree and added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Yum!