Whether your kids want to “help Mommy cook” or they are
eager to learn how to make something they love to eat, pancakes are good place
to start.
At their most basic, they simply are mixtures of flour,
eggs, and milk (sometimes sugar). Once the batter is mixed—and little hands can easily do this with a
large enough spoon or a whisk—an adult or older child must step in the heat the
pan and monitor the cooking.
Pancake Love
Once made, the pancakes can be topped with traditional
butter and maple (or maple-flavored) syrup, sliced fruit, berries, honey, jam,
brown sugar and so on. Deciding on the topping is often a favorite task.
Pancakes are best right out of the skillet or off the
griddle. Piping hot and stacked one on top of another, butter melts oozingly,
syrup glides gloriously, and sugar softens sweetly. With some sliced
bananas or peaches, a few blueberries and strawberries…who can resist?
Mixing the Batter
Set out two bowls and whisk together the flour and any other
dry ingredients (baking powder, salt, sugar) in one. In the other bowl, whisk
the eggs as you would for scrambled eggs and add the milk (or another liquid if
the recipe calls for it). When blended, dump the wet mixture into the dry.
Using a wooden or large metal spoon, stir the ingredients
until blended. Don’t let the kids overmix the batter or the pancakes will be a
little tough. Just stir until the flour is moist and almost smooth.
Cooking
Heat a large skillet or better yet, a griddle, over
medium-high heat and when it’s hot, melt a good-sized pat of butter or heat a
tablespoon of flavorless vegetable oil (canola, for instance). Tip the pan or
griddle so the fat spreads over the pan.
Using a ladle, handled cup, or similar container, pour
batter onto the hot surface, leaving about two inches between each pancake. The
ladle (or whatever) should hold about a quarter cup (4 tablespoons) or a little
more. With the back of a spoon, smooth the batter so the cakes are nice and
round.
Clearly, an adult or older child should handle this part of
the pancake-making process.
When little bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes
and they are golden brown on the bottom, use a pancake turner (flat metal
spatula) to flip the pancakes. If the pan is hot enough, this should take only
about a minute or maybe a little longer. Thick pancakes need more time; thinner
ones, less.
As they finish cooking, transfer the pancakes directly to
waiting plates. Or, if the family is eagerly waiting at the table, syrup at the
ready, stack them on a platter to put in the middle of the table for self serve.
Dig in!
Pancake Satisfaction
Your kids will love how easy it is to make pancakes “from
scratch.” They will be proud of themselves, too, for making such a delicious
and beloved breakfast for the whole family—or maybe for Mom when she deserves
breakfast in bed!
FINAL NOTE: While products such as Bisquick are great for
pancakes, they are not necessary. Nor are pancake mixes when it is so easy and
relatively cheap to make them from flour, eggs, and milk