Pancakes
20100613:
Today I decided to make pancakes.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of flour
2.5 tsp baking powder (The first recipe called for 3.5 tsp, but the packet I opened was 2.5. The second recipe which makes more pancakes only uses 2.5 tsp. So I was content with 2.5 tsp baking powder.) Note: The Wikipedia article has a section for substituting in recipes (e.g. baking soda and vinegar or baking soda and lemon).
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1.25 cups milk
1 egg
little under 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Steps:
I melted butter in a pan. I thought this way the pan would be buttered for the cooking. But it was too buttered and next time I should just melt the butter in the microwave.
I sifted together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. I honestly didn't know what the term "sift" meant. But you just use a sifter or something with a fine mesh does alright. I used a mesh strainer. I only sifted the ingredients two (or perhaps one and a half) times. But the strainer wasn't that fine, and I probably should have thrown away the large chunks immediately and resifted the ingredients two or three more times..
I whisked together the eggs and the milk in a separate bowl. Note, if you want your pancakes fluffy, you should beat the egg whites separately. You can find recipes for fluffy pancakes online, for example find a fluffy pancakes recipe at About.com.
I made a well in the center and poured in the milk, egg and melted butter. The instructions were mix until smooth and stirring only until smooth (on the two websites respectively). I made it as smooth as I felt I could. There were clumps in a few places which I thought were probably from my failure to sift the ingredients well.
I thought the consistency was alright to pour. The instructions indicated that "if the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk."
I cooked on a buttered pan over medium high heat. I used about 1/4 cup for each pancake. The first pancake I made I cooked a little under. And the second pancake I made I cooked a little over. Partially because I didn't butter the pan between the first and second pancake. After that, my mom took over and said I should think the batter and make the pancakes thinner and gave me other tips and advice. I let her proceed and watched to see how things would turn out. She made thin pancakes and it was interesting to watch, but I was pleased with how my own pancakes had turned out.
The instructions were to "Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; turn and brown the other side." I basically did that.
[20100613]
Thoughts:
I was able to taste the egg in the first bite of the first pancake I made. But afterwards the pancakes tasted more or less like regular pancakes. It could have been a little softer, but I was satisfied with making pancakes from scratch. They're easy to make, and the steps you can take to make good pancakes should also be simple. The reduced amount of baking soda might have made them a little bit thicker than soft. But texture aside, the taste was good. Good meaning one can happily eat it. Where as I use the word great to mean something you want more of.
[20100615]
Relevant Links:
Check out a Good Old Fashioned Pancakes recipe at AllRecipes.com.
Check out a Basic Pancakes recipe at About.com.
Today I decided to make pancakes.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of flour
2.5 tsp baking powder (The first recipe called for 3.5 tsp, but the packet I opened was 2.5. The second recipe which makes more pancakes only uses 2.5 tsp. So I was content with 2.5 tsp baking powder.) Note: The Wikipedia article has a section for substituting in recipes (e.g. baking soda and vinegar or baking soda and lemon).
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1.25 cups milk
1 egg
little under 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Steps:
I melted butter in a pan. I thought this way the pan would be buttered for the cooking. But it was too buttered and next time I should just melt the butter in the microwave.
I sifted together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. I honestly didn't know what the term "sift" meant. But you just use a sifter or something with a fine mesh does alright. I used a mesh strainer. I only sifted the ingredients two (or perhaps one and a half) times. But the strainer wasn't that fine, and I probably should have thrown away the large chunks immediately and resifted the ingredients two or three more times..
I whisked together the eggs and the milk in a separate bowl. Note, if you want your pancakes fluffy, you should beat the egg whites separately. You can find recipes for fluffy pancakes online, for example find a fluffy pancakes recipe at About.com.
I made a well in the center and poured in the milk, egg and melted butter. The instructions were mix until smooth and stirring only until smooth (on the two websites respectively). I made it as smooth as I felt I could. There were clumps in a few places which I thought were probably from my failure to sift the ingredients well.
I thought the consistency was alright to pour. The instructions indicated that "if the batter seems too thick to pour, add a little more milk."
I cooked on a buttered pan over medium high heat. I used about 1/4 cup for each pancake. The first pancake I made I cooked a little under. And the second pancake I made I cooked a little over. Partially because I didn't butter the pan between the first and second pancake. After that, my mom took over and said I should think the batter and make the pancakes thinner and gave me other tips and advice. I let her proceed and watched to see how things would turn out. She made thin pancakes and it was interesting to watch, but I was pleased with how my own pancakes had turned out.
The instructions were to "Cook until bubbly, a little dry around the edges, and lightly browned on the bottom; turn and brown the other side." I basically did that.
[20100613]
Thoughts:
I was able to taste the egg in the first bite of the first pancake I made. But afterwards the pancakes tasted more or less like regular pancakes. It could have been a little softer, but I was satisfied with making pancakes from scratch. They're easy to make, and the steps you can take to make good pancakes should also be simple. The reduced amount of baking soda might have made them a little bit thicker than soft. But texture aside, the taste was good. Good meaning one can happily eat it. Where as I use the word great to mean something you want more of.
[20100615]
Relevant Links:
Check out a Good Old Fashioned Pancakes recipe at AllRecipes.com.
Check out a Basic Pancakes recipe at About.com.
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