Pancakes

"What`s for breakfast?

"Pancakes"

"I love you."

People always thought that making other people around you adore you is hard. That`s so untrue! No one can hate you if the first thing they see in the morning (or no matter what time of the day) is a pile of warm pancakes which you made. 

This is the perfect way of saying "I love you-here`s a tower of pancakes to show that.". I have made lots of versions of this fabulous dish and none came out so tall, fluffy and perfect. They are truly tasteful, not only good looking. It`s the kind of thing you could surprise your family with in the morning. They are sure to ask for some more.

This recipe is so easy (like any other pancake recipes) and it uses a "secret" ingredient(it`s not so secret because I`m going to tell you which it is...just...read on and don`t mind me, okay?) to get their rise&taste. 

Are you ready? The ingredient that took a plain pancake and turned it into the best breakfast I had in my life, is...

Wild Strawberry cider (ALC 4,5% VOL)

Although it is an alcoholic beverage (so you wouldn`t want to serve this to kids, despite the fact that the alcohol will evaporate because of the heat...I just don`t recommend you treat your 3-year old to this recipe) it is what gave my pancakes all the goodness. You can taste the cider just slightly (more the wild strawberry).

If you are indeed going to serve this to children or you don`t have cider in your pantry, the best substitutions for the cider are: buttermilk/sour milk, mineral water or 100% natural apple juice. These ingredients contain a form of acid in them which causes the baking soda to activate perfectly and make your pancakes tall&fluffy. Ain`t Chemistry interesting?

Please don`t be upset with me if this post if full of pictures. I just love taking shots while baking/cooking.

Moving on, there are a lot of people who end up either their pancakes or tearing them apart just because they don`t know when it is ready. 

You know your pancake is ready to be flipped when bubbles form around the edges and when they pop, they`ll leave a hole behind them.

I hope the following picture speaks for itself:

There aren`t many bubbles, but you get the idea.

Now, turn it on the other side and let it cook 1 more minute or so. Put it on a plate and serve immediately.

It`s 3:00 p.m and I just had lunch. I still want pancakes, `tho.

Now tell me...are you sick and tired of so may pictures? I haven`t finished yet.

Yeah, the "syrup-shot" as I call it. Pretty darn awsome, right? I just never get bored of taking pictures of pouring sauces/syrups over anything.

So, some pictures are really nice. I have to admit it. I`m usually the worst photographer, but who thought that pancakes could be so...photogenic? Sounds awkward.

Oh, and in case you ever wondered how my "photo studio" looks like, underneath is a picture of it. It`s just where the light shines best in the morning and where I use the "landscape" mode. The colors I get are just how I like them.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

1 large egg

150 ml cider/buttermilk/mineral water

3 Tbsp oil

additional: butter for greasing the pan/skillet/griddle

Directions:

1. Preheat your pan/griddle/skillet over low flame while you are preparing the pancake batter.

2.In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt. Stir and set aside.

3. In another medium bowl, beat the egg. Pour in the cider and whisk more until it is pale in color. Add the oil and vanilla extract. Combine everything very well.

4. Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the egg-cider mixture over it. With the help of a spatula, incorporate them all together. DON`T OVER-MIX! If you do so, you`ll develop the gluten in the flour and you`ll end up with tough pancakes.

5. Take about 1/4 of a cup of the batter and put it in the greased pan. Cook the pancake about 2 minutes on one side or until bubbles form around the edges and leave a hole after they pop. Flip the pancake and allow it to cook 1 more minute. You can lift it a bit to check: it should be golden brown. 

*It`s ok if the first pancake doesn`t turn out right, keep on making more and you`ll notice you`ll get them better*

Serve immediately, they are at their best if they are warm.