Sunday Morning Pancakes for Two

I grew up using pancake mix and for years never even contemplated making my own. Somehow I thought homemade pancakes would require too much thinking first thing in the morning. Boy was I wrong. And other than yeast pancakes (which require overnight resting and are a different animal altogether) these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had. Fluffy, tender, not too sweet, and can be made with very little fuss while you are still in your pajamas (as I was this morning).

First, let me say that the recipe really makes just five pancakes, the perfect amount for feeding my husband and me. He gets three, I get two, we’re both happy. Feel free to double/triple the recipe as you need.

Ingredients
3/4 cups cake flour – you can use All-Purpose but they won’t be as light and tender
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tblsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
butter for pan/griddle

Start by melting your butter. I put it in my cast iron skillet to melt and prepare the pan all in one step.

In a bowl, place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Many recipes say to sift the flour, I have no energy to take out a sieve, so I always just dump it in the bowl then mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. This aerates the mixture and gets rid of any lumps, works for me.

In a smaller bowl (I use a small pyrex measuring cup) whisk together your milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

Get rid of your whisk, you need a spoon or spatula for the next step.

Dump your wet ingredients onto your dry, and gently stir to combine. You aren’t looking for a perfectly smooth batter, so hold yourself back, leave some lumps. Once it’s almost there, add your melted butter. Let the mixture sit while you preheat your pan and turn your oven to 200 F, with a plate or sheet pan inside.

Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan (I use my cast iron, and it’s already got a light coating of butter in it from melting the original 2 tblsp) over medium/medium high heat. I use an ice cream disher to scoop the batter (so my pancakes are relatively the same size) and place it on the pan. When you see it begin to bubble and the bottom is brown, flip over. The second side goes faster, so once it is brown, pop the pancake in the oven to stay warm while you finish the rest. Serve with maple syrup or, even better, blueberry sauce. See my recipe below.

Ingredients
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tblsp water
2 tblsp maple syrup
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in a small pot or saucepan, turn the heat to medium high, to get the liquid bubbling, and cook just until the fruit softens, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on whether you start with fresh or frozen fruit. Frozen goes way faster. Serve on pankcakes, waffles, ice cream, whatever, and enjoy!