Whether You Observe Lent Or Not

Some things are too good to eat just once a year and pancakes are one of them. Shrove Tuesday this year falls on 4 March. It's the one day of the year when I'm definitely not allowed to forget pancakes have to be on the menu. Shrove Tuesday was the day when the faithful were "shriven" - granted absolution after confession and penance. It's was also the last day on which foods proscribed by the Church, such as butter and eggs, could be consumed before the annual Lenten fast began.

Perhaps it was the thought of the righteously austere 40 days to come that made the day a celebratory one. Whether you observe Lent or not, you'll probably be mixing up a pancake batter this week. I've already posted the basic unleavened recipe I normally use on 'Pancake Day'. To be honest, it's the one I'm most likely to use on Tuesday. It's the least rich of any pancake recipe I know and also the one my family insist on, maybe more for nostalgic reasons than anything else.

You may prefer this leavened version which I make at other times of the year. It produces a light but more spongy textured pancake. This is the result of bicarbonate of soda reacting with the acidity of buttermilk to produce carbon dioxide. First, a word about buttermilk. It is not always what it seems.

Buttermilk is a by-product of butter-making. It is the low-fat, white, milky liquid which separates off during the process. Traditionally this is allowed to ripen, thickening and developing in flavour over a day or two. What you'll find on most supermarket shelves is "cultured buttermilk" which is made by adding lactic bacterial cultures to milk.

Combine dry ingredients and gently whisk through to mix. Mix together buttermilk, butter and eggs. Gently combine wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Heat griddle over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cup scoops of batter onto griddle. Top with a touch of butter while still piping hot. Serve hot with your favorite maple or pancake syrup. Simply place cooled pancakes in a zip top bag, mark them with the date prepared, and place them in your freezer. When ready to cook, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them for about 30 seconds. I’m off celebrating Little Buddy being nine!

Pancakes have always been a breakfast staple in our house, but they used to be reserved as a weekend treat. But ever since Sloan's embraced them (and insists on sitting on the counter to "help"), we now make them throughout the week. While it takes just a little longer now to get out the door, I love how weekday mornings now feel indulgent, which has also given me the opportunity to hone my technique to a science.

I prefer not to use plain milk in my pancakes but rarely have a carton of buttermilk in my fridge (a trick for making them light and fluffy), so I just make it at home. I put one tablespoon of lemon juice into a measuring cup and fill the rest of it with milk to the 1 cup measuring line. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and you'll notice the milk will have thickened a bit, which in turn will make the batter thicker and pancakes tastier (buttermilk has a covetable tanginess to it).

I often see 'don't overmix' in recipes but truthfully don't always know what that means. I remember reading a pancake recipe that actually spelled it out by writing 'ten stirs only' so I've faithfully followed that instruction ever since. Ten stirs results in a lumpy batter with just the right amount of air bubbles in it, for fluffier but still thick pancakes (versus an overmixed batter which leads to rubbery and tough pancakes). To be honest, I didn't remember why I let my batter sit until I looked it up.

Similar to what happens when you overmix, gluten in the batter can overdevelop and yield a more chewy pancake whereas letting the batter rest allows time for the gluten to relax and yield tender pancakes. This ten-minute interlude is when I usually take the time to wash berries for the topping, make some orange juice, clean up, or simply sip my coffee. Trust me, it's worth the wait.

Pancakes get high marks for being one of the most comforting of comfort foods. What this means is that everybody has their family favorite, resulting in thousands of recipes to choose from. But here's one with a unique twist, a shortcut actually, that hands-down produces the best pancakes I have ever made. In many pancake recipes you separate the egg white from the yolk, beat the white until peaks form and then gently fold the white into the batter.

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