When my wife and I听have friends visiting with kids or grandkids in tow, we often serve pancakes. They appeal to all ages and are just one of those foods that make people happy, especially when richly topped with butter and maple syrup.
They are also easy to make. But it does help to have a reliable recipe that will yield light and tender pancakes each time.
My wife got the recipe we use听eons ago from our friend Devereux (Dev) Hodgson. It鈥檚 written on a piece of paper that has become weathered over time.听But听it鈥檚 still in pretty good condition, considering how often it鈥檚 been used.
Dev鈥檚 family had used that recipe for decades before we got a hold of it and it has been used to make pancakes for some interesting people over the years.
Dev said she first started eating the pancakes when she was kid growing up on the sprawling and picturesque Onward Ranch, just south of Williams Lake.
鈥淭he Onward was a cattle ranch, owned by my family [Cowan] for 45 years. My mother, granny and aunt Sonia hosted a constant stream of guests from literally all around the world. It was an especially attractive place for artists to visit,鈥� Dev said.
鈥淭he Group of Seven artist A.Y.听Jackson came for several summers to paint plein air sketches, always arriving with 40听wood panels to paint.鈥�
Ranch hands also enjoyed those pancakes.
鈥淲e always called pancakes with eggs and bacon a cowboy breakfast, which was a change from the usual English-style breakfast with eggs, marmalade and toast. Breakfast was served in the large ranch house kitchen that had an industrial-size wood stove from a logging camp,鈥� Dev said.
Included here is a recipe for Onward Ranch pancakes and you鈥檒l note that there鈥檚 nothing complex about it, as it contains the flour, sugar, eggs, milk and baking powder found in other batters. But it鈥檚 the amount of baking powder and how the batter is mixed that results in lovely, light and tender pancakes.
The recipe calls for two scant tablespoons of baking powder, which may seem like a lot. But one must remember that unlike baking soda, which is pure sodium bicarbonate, baking powder is a blend of ingredients, including that leavener, baking soda, a drying agent 鈥� usually cornstarch 鈥攁nd cream of tartar. It has about a听fourth of the leavening power of baking soda and the cream of tartar enables it to be used in recipes that have no other acidic ingredient, something that鈥檚 required when only baking soda is used.
When mixing the dry and wet ingredients together for the pancakes, the method asks you to mix lightly and leave the batter a little lumpy. You then let the batter rest five minutes, which softens those lumps. The resting and easy mixing ensures the gluten in the flour is not overly developed, resulting in tender pancakes.
These pancakes would make a great Father鈥檚 Day breakfast and if Dad is a hearty eater, you could make that 鈥渃owboy breakfast鈥� described above by serving them with eggs and bacon. You could, as听I did recently, also serve them with local strawberries and homemade pork sausage patties. A recipe for the latter is below.
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Onward Ranch Pancakes
These tender pancakes taste even better when topped with butter and maple syrup. You could also serve them with fruit, such as local strawberries and a meat, such as bacon or the pork sausage patties below. If you are serving a听large group, the pancakes and sausage patty recipes could be doubled.
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Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: About four to five minutes per batch of pancakes
Makes: 12 to 14 (4- to 5-inch) pancakes
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
鈥� scant 2 Tbsp (about 5 tsp) baking powder
鈥� pinch salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
鈥� soft butter, for the grill
听
Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Place milk and eggs in a second bowl and beat to combine.
Mix dry and wet ingredients, mixing lightly and leaving the batter a little lumpy. Let batter rest approximately five minutes.
Preheat a non-stick, electric griddle to 350 F, or set a large non-stick skillet or cast iron griddle over medium heat. When hot, lightly butter the cooking surface.
Cook the pancakes, in batches, by pouring on the batter in four- to five-inch rounds, leaving a two-inch space between each pancake. Flip the pancakes when many bubbles appear on the surface. Cook for two minutes more, or until the centre of the pancake springs back when gently touched.
听
Pork Breakfast Sausage Patties
The ground pork used in these oval-shaped, succulent sausage patties is sold in the meat section of most supermarkets. You could try making these with extra-lean ground turkey.
听
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: Six to eight minutes
Makes: Eight patties
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1 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp dried ground sage
1/2 tsp paprika
2 green onions, very thinly sliced
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
听
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl and gently mix until just combined. Divide the mixture into eight equal balls. Dampen your hands lightly with cold-water moistened hands (this will help prevent the meat from sticking to them). Shape each ball of pork into a half-inch thick oval patty and set on the baking sheet. (Patties can be made to this point hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.)
When ready to cook, heat oil in a large skillet set over medium, medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for three to four minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.