How to Make 5 Different Varieties of Pancake House Specialties

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By amecar
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Breakfast is one of the cheapest meals to make at home. Yet you would never know that from the prices at many breakfast restaurants. Recently, a group of three of us left a well-known pancake house with a bill of $35! Forget the Bisquick: homemade pancakes from scratch are quick and easy. And you can doctor them up so easily into restaurant-style delicacies. Here are five ideas:

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Use a standard recipe of 2 c. flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 eggs, and 1 1/2 cups milk. Mix together until slightly lumpy. If you like thicker pancakes, cut some milk. If you like crepes, add another egg and another 1/2 cup milk. You can add flavorings or spices to this basic recipe to add interest: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, orange peel, etc. Fry on a griddle using non-stick spray.
Step 2

Another great basic recipe is yeast-raised pancakes. These take a little more prep, but are wonderful!
Warm 1 1/2 cups milk for 2 minutes in microwave, and add 2 T. sugar and 1 tsp. dry yeast (one packet). Set aside five minutes until the mixture has thickened. add 1 1/2 c. flour, 3 eggs, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Again, you can add spices and flavorings too. let dough rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours). Cook on griddle using non-stick spray.
Step 3

To make specialty pancakes, I use a 10-inch skillet and make one large pancake at a time. For chocolate chip, add 2 T. chocolate chips to the pancake right after pouring out the batter. After it is done, dollop on freshly whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup.
Step 4

For Hawaiian pancakes, add 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped pineapple (or frozen tidbits: Trader Joe's has these very cheaply) and 2 T. coconut, and 1 T. macademia nuts right after pouring the batter into the skillet. Top with more coconut and serve with tropical syrup (orange/pineapple juice heated with sugar and cooked until thick).
Step 5

Blueberry pancakes are wonderful, especially with fresh berries. I especially like them in late summer topped with fresh raspberries, powdered sugar and a dollop of butter.
Step 6

Apple pancakes are a treat we are really enjoying right now, during peak apple season. Use apple cider instead of milk in the pancake mix, along with 2 tsp. cinnamon and an extra 2 T. sugar. Cook pancakes and top with one chopped apple, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 T. sugar microwaved for 3 minutes to make a chunky applesauce. You also can top with a dollop of freshly-whipped cream.
Step 7

Another fall favorite are pumpkin pancakes. Reduce the milk to 1/2 cup and add 1 c. pumpkin puree, 1/4 c. sugar, and 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Serve with warmed real maple syrup.

Comments

each1teach1 said

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on 1/11/2010 Great article on How to Make 5 Different Varieties of Pancake House Specialties. The Hawiian variety sounds delicious. I'll have to try that one soon.