Pancakes

I have been making these pancakes for a while. Originally I got the recipe from Nigella Lawson cookbook. I made a few changes to it to make it healthier. It is a very nice recipe. I also make a syrup from maple syrup for two reasons. I can make a lot of syrup out of not that much expensive maple syrup and the syrup dilutes the sweetness of the maple syrup. Oh yea, it tastes great too.

Don't be concerned when I say whisk the batter until it is smooth. All pancake recipes that I ever saw say that you should have some lumps, but with this recipe you don't worry about it. Just whisk until smooth!

Pancakes
Pancake mix
2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a air tight jar. Do the 'shake-shake-shake' to blend the ingredients together.

Batter
1 cup pancake mix
1 large egg
1 cup milk, any fat
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat a dry cast iron skillet over very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. You want it to be nice and hot so that the pancakes do not stick. Place a teaspoon of butter and with a pastry brush or scrunched up paper towel grease the skillet. Fat should not be floating around.

Combine all the ingredients for the batter and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter on the skillet and flip when tiny bubbles appear on the surface.

Makes 9 pancakes

Syrup
1 cup apple juice, plus 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons arrowroot
1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon maple extract

Combine juice, syrup and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Blend arrowroot with 1 tablespoon of juice and stir until smooth. Slowly whisk in the arrowroot mixture into the saucepan. The syrup will thicken up fast. Just when it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. Add the extracts and store in a refrigerator container for up to 3 days. The syrup will thicken up. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.