Cakes of the Pan

Listening to A Prairie Home Companion this week, Garrison interviewed an elderly meteorologist who lives in northern Minnesota. Needless to say, most of the conversation revolved around the stoicism that subzero temperatures breed. It made me wonder if a stack of pancakes and bacon would have made the man a little more cheerful. I mean, is there a problem in the world that thick-cut smoked bacon can't solve? Seeing as eating only bacon for breakfast is generally frowned upon, I wanted to share with you the recipe I use for tangy and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Don't be intimidated; if you can make pancakes from Bisquick, then you can master this recipe. The key is combining the ingredients in stages and then, at the end, mixing the wet and dry ingredients until just combined--I repeat DON'T OVERMIX! You want your batter to harbor pea-sized pockets of flour and leavening that, upon cooking, burst open and give your pancake lift.

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

My favorite tool for cooking these pancakes is a cast iron skillet. It holds heat very well and, when treated properly, will be the best piece of non-stick cookware in your kitchen.  During cooking, rub 1/2 tsp. of oil inside the skillet every 2-3 pancakes. After a few, the residual oil in the towel will be sufficient to coat the surface. To clean cast iron, simply wipe out any cooked flecks of batter or oil with a paper towel -- never use soap! 

Makes 4-5 pancakes 

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk (plus an extra tablespoon or so if batter is too thick)
1 large egg , separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
vegetable oil (for brushing griddle)

Preheat oven to warm and heat griddle or cast iron skillet over strong medium-heat. 

Mix dry ingredients (flour through baking soda) in medium bowl. Pour buttermilk and milk into 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in egg white; mix yolk with melted butter, then stir into milk mixture. Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once; whisk until just mixed.

Brush griddle generously with oil. When water splashed on surface confidently sizzles, pour batter, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time, onto griddle. When pancake bottoms are brown and top surface starts to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes, flip cakes and cook until remaining side has browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Hold pancakes in oven till ready to serve. Re-oil the skillet periodically.