Pancakes from Scratch

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Pancakes were a winter weekend staple on West Park Drive, typically made from the Aunt Jemima box mix and served with Mrs. Butterworth syrup. As we got older, Therese and Susan started making crepes and pancakes from scratch, thanks to a beat up old hardcover cookbook in mom’s cupboard written by Amy Vanderbilt. We knew the Vanderbilt name from Gloria’s famous denim jeans, but it would be many years later when we finally took note of the the name of the illustrator…Andy Warhol! It was also many years later, while attending UMASS Amherst, that Therese would introduce us to actual Vermont Maple syrup, beginning her lifelong obsession with the real stuff.

When Luis and Antonio were very young, Therese made pancakes almost every morning before school. She would keep the batter in the fridge for a few days to expedite the morning process. Toño got a special version, with a scoop of Amazing Grass powder and a handful of mini chocolate chips to mask the flavor, cooked silver dollar size in an inordinate amount of butter. I always preferred them with a handful of fresh blueberries.

It’s kind of ridiculous we ever use the boxed mix when it’s so dang easy to make pancakes from scratch! And using corn syrup toppings is simply inexcusable.

Pancakes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • butter

Instructions

  • Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla and milk.
  • Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and combine into a smooth batter. Add milk if needed to get the consistency you prefer.
  • Melt a little butter in a skillet to just coat the pan.
  • Pour or spoon the batter and rock gently to spread into a perfect circle. Place blueberries into the pancake if desired.
  • Do not flip or lift the batter until the top is full of bubbles and the batter is set.
  • Carefully lift the edge of the pancake to ensure the color is perfectly golden, then flip to brown the other side.
  • Stack pancakes on a plate in a warm oven until you are ready to serve.
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