Basic Pancake Recipe

It is a pleasant Sunday morning…the sun rays gently sift through your curtains as you snuggle in your bed listening to the birds chirping and thinking how wonderful it is to wake up without an alarm clock on a nice Sunday morning. You wake up lazily and walk into the kitchen wondering what you could possibly have for breakfast. Something that is healthy, appetizing and most of all easy to make! What better than pancakes?

Known as a Hotcake in Mexico, the Pannenkoeken in Netherlands, a Palatschinken in Austria, or the humble Pancake in America – this preparation remains to be one of the simplest and most delicious recipes. Although the pancakes are labeled as the perfect breakfast recipe, many people enjoy this preparation during any meal of the day be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A Pancake is a simple flat bread preparation, which is usually made with sweet batter, cooked until golden brown and served with different syrups and toppings. Every cuisine around the world has their own version of the pancakes that make use of different flours in the recipes. The ones in America usually contain eggs flour milk (or sometimes buttermilk) and baking powder. A simple pancake loaded with some easily available toppings can make for a wholesome breakfast! Here is the basic pan-cake recipe that you can try out at home. It is fun, easy and it is quick. Give it a shot!

The Classic Pancake
Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour - 2 cups, ( Sift before measuring)
• Salt - ½ Teaspoon
• Baking Powder - 2½ teaspoons
• Milk - 1 ½ Cups
• Egg - 1
• Melted Butter - 2 ½ tablespoons

Making the Perfect Pancake

Making a perfect and delicious pancake requires three basic elements, which are:

• Preparing the perfect pancake batter
Cooking the pancake flawlessly
• Adding the perfect toppings for your pancake

Preparing the Perfect Pancake Batter

Always remember than while making pancakes, all the cry ingredients and all the wet ingredients should be separately mixed. This ensures that all the ingredients have been homogeneously mixed and you final batter will have a uniform texture without any lumps. Here are simple and easy steps to make the perfect basic pancake batter:

1. Take a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients namely the sifted flour, salt and the baking powder.
2. Now take a second bowl for combining the wet ingredients that is the egg and milk.
3. Now slowly add the egg and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and keep on stirring until you get a smooth homogeneous mixture.
4. Now add the melted butter to this mixture to give a creamier texture to the batter.

Cooking the Pancake Flawlessly

The pancakes need to be cooked with great care. A half-baked or an over-done pancake will dampen your breakfast enthusiasm. The pancake should be cooked just enough to get that perfect golden crisp base and the right amount of fluff on top. Here are some easy steps which will help you cook your pancake just right:

Cook on a hot griddle. Make sure you grease the griddle well before you start cooking.
1. Start making the pancakes, using about 1/4 cup of batter for a single pancake.
2. Make sure there is sufficient distance between two pancakes so that you can remove them comfortably.
3. Cook the pancake until it turns brown on one side and also around edges
4. Now turn the pancake onto the other side and wait until the other side turns crispy brown.

Adding the Perfect Topping

A perfect pancake can never be complete without a tempting topping which not just makes the pancake look appetizing but also titillates the taste buds. Topping can range from honey, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, maple syrup, peanut butter, jams and jellies to an assortment of fresh fruits and nuts. In case you are looking for something more interesting try sprinkling your pancakes with cinnamon or even some yummy choco-chips. Although all of these toppings go well with your pancakes, try and combine two or three of these to get the perfect combination. For example a layer of chocolate syrup with a sprinkle of nuts and slices of fresh fruit can make the breakfast table seem like heaven.

Read about Home-made Pancake Mix Recipes