Thursday, May 9, 2013

Pancake FAQ's


Interesting/Funny Facts About This Food

-Pancakes are often made on a griddle because it is a tradition that has been around for a long time.

-They are often eaten on Easter in Europe.

-A man once ran a marathon while tossing a pancake for 3 hours.

-"Pancake Sandwiches" are becoming more and more popular. The are like traditional breakfast sandwiches but with pancakes on as ends (as seen on right).

-Before baking soda was invented, bakers would often use freshly fallen snow and the pancakes came out very soft.


-First pancake recipe was listen in an old 15th
century English cookbook.

-William Shakespeare often mentioned pancakes in his play.

-The pancake flipping world record is 349 flips in 2 minutes.

-In France it is tradition to touch the handle of the prying pan and make a wish while the pancake is turned and to hold a coin in the other hand.

-The largest pancake made was 15 meters in diameter and weighted 3 tons (seen below).


Feel free to add any facts you know about pancakes in the comments section below!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Recipes

Here are a few recipes of my favorite pancake variations!


BANANA PANCAKES (American)
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 ripe bananas, sliced
Directions: 
1.In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients.
2.In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until the egg is broken up.
3.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and add the sliced bananas. Gently stir until you stop seeing flour. Be careful not to overmix, that will make the batter tough. Leave a few lumps for tender pancakes.
4. Place your a large non-stick pan over a medium-high flame and let the surface get hot. It's hot enough when you sprinkle a few droplets of water over the surface and they evaporate.
5.Moisten a paper towel with vegetable oil and lightly wipe the bottom of the pan. This will keep the pancakes from sticking.
6.For each pancake, gently pour 1/2 cup of batter into the pan, using a ladle or a measuring cup. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into a circle.
7.Bubbles will form in the batter. When they begin to pop, the pancakes are ready to be flipped. Turn over gently with the spatula and cook for about one minute on the flip side.
CREPES
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

How to make crepes:
Process the flour, milk, water, butter, sugar, eggs and salt in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk 1/3 cup at a time, until the batter is a liquid consistency. Set batter aside for 20 minutes.
Melt a little butter in a crepe pan or large skillet over low-medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Loosen the edges of the crepe, slide the spatula under it, and then gently flip it upside down into the pan. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the cooked crepe to a plate to keep warm.

This crepes recipe makes 8 to 12 servings.
BELGIAN PANCAKES
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:1. Beat the eggs and add to the milk, vanilla, and water beating either by hand or mixing in electric blender.
2. Sift the flour with salt and gradually add to the egg and milk mixture.
3. Add the melted butter and blend thoroughly.
4. If mixing by hand, strain the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps.
5. Allow to stand for at least an hour before using. If too thick, add a little more water and mix well.
6. Pour one or two tablespoons of the batter (depending on the size of the pan) in the center of a hot, lightly oiled frypan. Tip the pan to spread the batter and cook until the top is dry. Turn over and cook for 15 seconds on the other side.
7. Serve with butter, brown sugar, and or powdered sugar.
8. Prep time includes 1 hour resting.

Watch this video below to lean how to make pancakes from scratch!

Have you ever made pancakes? I would love to hear about your experience
Do you know any good pancake recipes? Please share!!!!(:

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The History of Pancakes

     Pancakes were first invented by Ancient Greeks. Ever since the 700's, pancakes have been in important part of a Greek breakfast. Pancakes are called taginites in Greece. 
     Pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday which is the day before Ash Wednesday, or the start day of lent. This day is called "Pancake Day" in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. It is known as "Pancake Tuesday" also in Ireland and in Scotland. In the US its known as Mardi Gras. It is even known as "Fatty Tuesday" because it is the day before the fast of lent and people traditionally loaded up on pancakes. 
Do you or anyone you know celebrate Shrove Tuesday?

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Welcome to Pancakes

     Pancakes are a favorite breakfast food of people around the globe. All over pancakes are being eaten, and not just for breakfast. Many restaurants such as IHOP are famous solely for their delish pancakes. Do you know any good pancake restaurants? This extremely yummy food can be eaten in a variety of ways. Different toppings and fillings can be used and they can be eaten warm or cold. Personally my favorite is blueberry pancakes warm with strawberries, whipped cream, and syrup on top. Whats yours? On the left is a picture of some scrumptious customized pancakes.
     I chose to blog about pancakes because they are one of my favorite foods. Do you have a favorite food? If so, what is it? My dad makes pancakes for my family every Saturday morning and usually a day during the week. Do you have a food tradition like this? Occasionally, I will even eat them for dinner! When I wake up on Saturdays and smell the aroma of pancakes I rush downstairs with the excitement of eating the best breakfast food in the world (in my opinion). I also think there are some very interesting facts about pancakes that I will be sharing with you throughout this blog. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!(: