Flipping Flapjacks

Whether it is mid-summer when the sun rises early and the morning air is warm, or one of those winter mornings when it is too cold to stand outside at all, pancakes are a great way to begin the day at a campground. They symbolize warmth and happiness any time of the year.

Pancakes, in one form or another, are among the oldest and most instantly satisfying of foods. They were invented thousands of years ago when women first learned that mixing grains with water and heating them on a hot rock made them taste better.

Later, honey and leavening were added, and today’s pancake was born.

The word, pancake, comes from the German pfannkuchen. It became “pancake” in the 15th century. English and French settlers celebrated Shrove Tuesday by consuming great stacks of pancakes and considered the rich buttered cakes a last bite of pure pleasure before the sobering days of Lent. U.S. Indians shaped a soft batter containing cornmeal in their hands, and cornmeal pancakes were called Indian cakes by settlers as early as 1607.
Here’s a delicious thin cornmeal pancake recipe from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Cross Creek Cookery cookbook:

THIN CORNMEAL PANCAKES
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 cup of boiling water

Mix above ingredients slowly, beating well, and then add in order:
1/2 cup of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of melted shortening
1 well-beaten egg

Cook these pancakes more slowly than flour pancakes, as they have a tendency to brown before being done. Serves three. Try adding a cup of blueberries for an extra treat.
For centuries these flat cakes cooked on a greased griddle and browned on both sides have been known by many colorful names—hoe cakes (because they sometimes were cooked on a flat hoe blade), batter cakes, stack of hots, griddle cakes, stack o’wheats, a string of flats, johnnycakes, flapjacks, slapjacks, flannel cakes, hot cakes, batter cakes, and flatcars. A breakfast favorite of the lumberjacks of the north frontier was “sweat pads” —pancakes spread with bacon grease or molasses and topped with sausages and sometimes a spiced prune sauce.

Not only are pancakes quick to make, they are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed morning, noon and night. There are Swedish pancakes—thin cakes traditionally served with lingonberry preserves—and apple pancakes, baked in a cast-iron skillet, and topped with sautéed apple slices, apricot jam and toasted sliced almonds.

APPLE PANCAKES
3 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1/3 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix in blender until smooth. Let batter stand an hour.

Sprinkle juice of half a lemon over 2 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced.

In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter; when bubbly, pour in batter. Cover with apple slices and bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 30 minutes.

There are buttermilk pancakes and potato pancakes, and then there’s Henry Thiele’s German pancakes—a Northwest tradition oven-baked in a skillet. These were the specialty at the Henry Thiele Restaurant, a landmark in Portland for more than 40 years until it closed in 1986. They’re flatter than Dutch Babies, made famous at Manca’s Café in Seattle and served there between 1905 and the restaurant’s closure in 1955. These are served with a sprinkling of sugar and lemon juice. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast-iron skillet and roll it around. Use a fork to mix in a bowl 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of milk and a dash of nutmeg, but leave it lumpy. Pour into the middle of a skillet and bake in the oven 15 minutes; serve immediately.

WHOLE WHEAT GINGERBREAD PANCAKES
2 cups of whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons each of baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
12-oz. can of frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of butter, melted
2 eggs

Whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a large bowl to blend. Whisk apple juice concentrate, water, butter and eggs in bowl to blend. Add to dry ingredients; whisk batter just until blended.

Heat griddle over medium-high heat; brush with butter. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle, spacing 2 inches apart. Cook pancakes until golden brown, about 30 seconds per side. Serve immediately with apple butter and maple syrup. Makes about 14.

Consistency of batter is crucial and is affected by how accurately you measure and how long the batter sits. A runny batter will yield thin, flat pancakes; a too-thick batter will make doughy pancakes. To thin batter, gently stir in a little milk or water; to thicken, add a little more mix. It will thicken as it stands. Don’t over mix—that will produce heavy, tough pancakes. The pan has to be exactly the right temperature. The griddle should be hot enough so that when a few drops of water are sprinkled on it, it will sizzle and bounce. They are baked, not cooked, so go easy on the amount of butter you use on the griddle. Turn when tops are bubbly all over and edges look dry, second side takes only about half the cooking time of the first side.

Simple, rich and satisfying—pancakes can be as easy as batter poured on a heated rock, or as fancy as a French crepe. And pancakes always symbolize warmth and happiness any time of the year.

HINT OF THE MONTH: For the lightest pancakes ever, replace liquid in pancakes with club soda. Use up all the batter; do not store, as it will go flat.

- - - - - - -

Marian Platt's regional narrative cookbook of Washington’s Sequim Valley, From My Kitchen Window, can be ordered by sending cash, check or money order for $25 (includes tax and handling/mailing costs) to Marian Platt, 434 Chicken Coop Rd., Sequim, WA 98382. Phone (360) 683-4691