Pancakes on the Griddle

This recipe is a major reason River Run Restaurant became known as a serious breakfast spot. The pancakes received a lot of accolades, including from The New York Times. The batter lasts for a few days, and they are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner or road snacks. Follow the recipe closely and always use pure maple syrup, preferably made in Vermont. One of my favorite ways to use leftover pancakes makes the best hiking, boating or stand snack. Spread peanut butter and jelly on one half of the pancake and top with sliced bananas, then roll the pancake onto itself forming a tasty “roll-up” that’s good for the road or anywhere else.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and allowed to cool slightly

Directions

1. Put the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir with a whisk to mix and break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
2. Separate the eggs; set the yolks aside and refrigerate the whites until ready to use (cold egg whites will whip better).
3. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and use a large spoon to combine. Add the melted, cooled butter and stir some more. The batter should be fairly smooth but don’t overwork it.
4. Whip the chilled egg whites until very, very stiff and scrape them on top of the batter. Using a poking motion with a large spoon, incorporate the whites into the batter. They should not be totally mixed in; you should still be able to see a bit of egg white here and there. The batter will be thick and gooey.
5. To cook, heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of butter and swirl to coat the bottom of your pan. When good and hot, but before the butter starts to burn, spoon a generous amount of batter onto the skillet to form a pancake about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Cook until the bottom is browned and bubbles start to form on top (about 3 to 4 minutes). If you want to make fruit pancakes, add some sliced fruit at this point, just before you flip it over.
6. Put the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir with a whisk to mix and break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
7. Separate the eggs; set the yolks aside and refrigerate the whites until ready to use (cold egg whites will whip better).
8. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and use a large spoon to combine. Add the melted, cooled butter and stir some more. The batter should be fairly smooth but don’t overwork it.
9. Whip the chilled egg whites until very, very stiff and scrape them on top of the batter. Using a poking motion with a large spoon, incorporate the whites into the batter. They should not be totally mixed in; you should still be able to see a bit of egg white here and there. The batter will be thick and gooey.
10. To cook, heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of butter and swirl to coat the bottom of your pan. When good and hot, but before the butter starts to burn, spoon a generous amount of batter onto the skillet to form a pancake about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Cook until the bottom is browned and bubbles start to form on top (about 3 to 4 minutes). If you want to make fruit pancakes, add some sliced fruit at this point, just before you flip it over.

Note: To make the heart shapes for Valentine’s Day, or any other time, grease a heart-shaped cookie cutter and place on the griddle. Ladle enough pancake batter into the cutter to come up about halfway and let cook for a few minutes or until you start to see bubbles. Before you flip the pancake over, remove the cookie cutter. Flip and let cook until done. Alternatively, you can easily use a spoon to make a pretty decent heart shape. Make one side then the other and move the batter around until you have a heart.

Enjoy and Go Outside!