Pancakes of the Past and Future

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Way back when my girls were little I wrote this recipe down for simple pancakes. I think I got the original recipe out of an Andy Griffith Show-themed cookbook. This was largely before the World Wide Web. We were still on physical books.

I pull this little piece of notepaper out every time I make pancakes. You’d think I could commit this to memory. I suppose I could. I do not care to. I like looking at it. When I’m done, I put it back in the spice cabinet.

The original recipe used buttermilk, which I rarely have on hand. So this version uses lemon juice to kind of curdle the milk, and it simulates the acidity of buttermilk so that the amounts of baking soda and baking powder are correct.

Today I tried making these pancakes a new way: with spelt flour that I’d been asked to review. They were yummy and fluffy. I’ve heard spelt flour is more heathy than other flour… I’m skeptical, but this white spelt flour was flavorful and produced a tender pancake.

Recipe (or see my cooked.wiki entry):

Pancakes for Kit and Mattie

Yield

• 4 × 8-inch pancakes
  or ≈ 10 × 5-inch pancakes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup buttermilk – or – 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp sugar

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Directions:

1. Make soured milk (if needed). Stir the lemon juice into the milk and let it stand ≈ 10 min.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk or sift the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Beat the egg.
4. Add liquids. Mix the egg, oil, and buttermilk (or soured milk).
5. Bring batter together. Pour wet into dry; stir just until the flour is moistened—small lumps are fine.
6. Cook. Drop batter onto a lightly-greased, 375 °F griddle/pan in your preferred size.
7. Flip. Turn when bubbles appear but before the top dries out.
8. Finish. Cook about 1 min more, until both sides are golden brown.
9. Serve hot with butter and real maple syrup.

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Nutrition (per 2-pancake serving, ≈ 150 g)

Nutrient	Amount	% Daily Value*
Calories	213 kcal	11 %
Protein	7 g	14 %
Fat	6 g	9 %
Carbs	34 g	12 %
Sugars	10 g	19 %
Fiber	1 g	3 %
Sodium	456 mg	20 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet.

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Notes

• Avoid over-mixing—extra stirring develops gluten and makes pancakes tough.
• Let the batter rest 5–10 min for even lighter, fluffier cakes.
• A squeeze bottle or ladle gives consistent-sized rounds when you’re after those 5-inch minis.