Pancakes

Goodness gracious, it's kicking into strawberry season here in sunny Queensland.  Spring has certainly arrived with a bang, and with the 30 degrees I experienced up here in North Queensland, it certainly seems like summer is truly around the corner.

Strawberries are now selling for punnets upon punnets at ridiculous prices ($5 for 4 250g punnets anyone?) and being such a versatile fruit, I just want to eat it with EVERYTHING. Which brings me to a very classic dish that every recipe collector should have filed away - pancakes.

Pancakes are one of those recipes where everyone has tried a few. There were those that were painfully flat and dejected looking, and those that were beautifully thick and fluffy. I am happy to advise that this recipe, my friends, falls in the latter.

I stumbled across this pancake recipe a while ago by chance, and while it does not require any oil or butter per se, I must say that butter is one of those magic ingredients that just adds a little oomph to your recipe, pancakes included. So if you are a butter fiend like me, just add 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the batter (and put some aside to fry the batter in to give that lovely buttery crust that all pancakes should have!)

With school holidays in full swing, my boys have been going mad over pancakes.  As a result, I usually have to make a double batch - I am cringing thinking how much I will need to make when they become teenagers!

Ingredients :

1 cup of plain flour

3/4 cup of milk

2 tablespoon of vinegar

2 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

dash of salt

1 egg

*Note: The milk and vinegar are combined to create a buttermilk substitute.  You are more than welcome to replace the milk and vinegar with actual buttermilk if you have it lying around or prefer using buttermilk.  I just prefer using milk and vinegar because I usually have these items already and don't have to go out to buy buttermilk specifically and have any leftovers to figure out how else to use.

Steps :

In a cup, mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside for 5 mins. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together. When the milk is ready, add the egg and milk into the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined.  Make sure that there are no lumps in the batter.

Heat a non stick pan over a low heat and add a ladle of batter. Wait for it to bubble on one side then turn it over. Remove from pan after 1 minute. Repeat until batter is finished.

The beauty of pancakes is that it is such a great vehicle for a variety of toppings.  If you prefer it more on the savoury side, go with grilled bananas and crispy bacon. If you have a sweet tooth, top with fresh strawberries, a dollop of cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  But most importantly, don't forget the maple syrup!  (I also won't judge if you have pancakes for dinner, because breakfast for dinner is a winner!) 

What are your favourite toppings for pancakes, and is there anything I am missing out on? (Because let's face it, any excuse to eat more pancakes is a win in my books...!)