American Breakfast Pancakes
American breakfast pancakes have been a staple for hundreds of years. History shows that pancakes in one form or another have been around since the Neolithic times, but I suspect those pancakes weren’t nearly as tasty as what we make today!
Pancakes, in some variation are eaten around the world– from savoury to sweet, most pancakes use the basic ingredients of egg, flour, butter and milk. This recipe adds wheat germ or milled linseed as an added nutrient for healthier american breakfast pancakes.
It is quite possible that the first ever food recipe was pancakes. Though the ingredients will have changed down the centuries it is clear that pancakes have played a huge part in the evolution of humans and their diets.
Quick History:
Archaeologists examining 30,000 year old grinding tools found evidence that our distant ancestors were grinding various plants to make flour which would have been mixed with water to form a batter and cooked on a flat stone placed in the middle of a fire.
Human remains found in the Italian Alps in 1991 and dubbed ‘Otzil the Iceman’ has given us proof that our ancestors ate pancakes. Otzil who perished 5,300 years ago had traces of einkorn wheat and charcoal in his stomach, which suggests that he was eating a wheat based preparation that was cooked over an open fire.
The first recording of a pancake recipe comes from China from the 4th century BC, there is also evidence that the ancient Greeks and Romans were eating fried cakes flavoured with either spices for a savoury dish or honey for a sweet dish from around the same period.
Americans first discovered pancakes as soon as they began settling in their new land. The Native Americans would fry a wheat based batter over an open fire, and before long the first American settlers started making Hoecakes. Hoecakes called for Milk, Indian Meal, and Molasses. Amelia Simmons’s ‘American Cookery’ was published in 1796 and is thought to be the first ever all American cookbook, it contains a recipe for Hoecakes, and also a recipe for ‘Indian Slapjack’ which was similar to the Hoecake but replaced the molasses with eggs.
The humble pancake is still a breakfast delight; this is no surprise of course as the breakfast pancake is tasty, filling, and easy to make, and each time you make pancakes you are maintaining the continuity of one of the planets oldest and most loved foods.
American breakfast pancakes can be served with butter and maple syrup (as pictured), or loads of different ways- try topping with fruit, jam, yoghurt or applesauce. Or for a savoury option try topping with a fried egg with crumbled bacon- the possibilities are endless. My favourite way to eat pancakes is slathered in crunchy peanut butter and drowning in pure maple syrup ..
American Breakfast Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 Electronic digital scales
- 1 Heavy bottomed fry pan
- Large Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Pastry Brush optional
- Ladle optional
Ingredients
- 1 Large Egg
- 385 ml Milk [13.5 ounces ]
- 55 gram Butter, melted [ 2 ounces ]
- 225 gram All Purpose Flour [ 8 ounces ]
- 2 Tablespoon Wheat Germ or Milled Linseed
- 1 tsp Baking Powder [note 1]
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- Gather and weigh your ingredients
- Sift the flour with the baking powder add the pinch of salt and the Wheat Germ and set aside
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg, then add the milk and the cooled butter and whisk.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mix and whisk to mix thoroughly. You will not need to over mix this
- Heat a heavy bottom fry pan over medium/medium high heat. Lightly oil the bottom [Note 2 ]
- Using a ladle, pour the mix into the pan when the pan is nice and hot - I tend to cook one pancake per "batch" as they are about 6+ inches in diameter
- Cook on both sides until golden. Keep warm on a plate with a tea towel on top whilst you cook off all the pancakes.
