Butter Pancakes

Growing up, my dad was normally the one who would make breakfasts on Sundays. He'd make us waffles, or sometimes (rarely) something he called mexican pizza, which was basically a tex-mex scramble. My mom would sometimes make biscuits and eggs and such, but she didn't make as many breakfasts.

But I remember there came to be a point in time where she made butter pancakes. And I just wanted them every time she made breakfast. I wanted to wake up and eat these buttery delights, that are slightly crisp and so tasty.

I remember visiting her in Chicago when she was on contract there, and the first thing I asked for in the morning was butter pancakes. I did the same thing in conneticut. I think any time I woke up and was sad by something (or, in most cases in high school, I stayed up all night and was sad over something) my mom would make me these.

There's nothing all that special to making butter pancakes, really. It's just making pancakes, then cooking them in a ton of butter. You can see above the butter cooking away on the edges of the pancakes. I think the butter gives them a crispy edging, as well as a lot of greasy flavor, of course. And who can say no to that?

When I make these I take a stick of butter and just rrub it around the hot pan until there's a nice coating. It tends to pool once you pour the batter in.

I think it may have actually been the first time I ever made these. In college I started eating better and usually when I make food I tend to stay away frorm cooking them in loads of butter (though I obviously do use butter and love it). So I was worried I'd burn them, or blacken them too much.

The recipe I used was a pretty generic pancake recipe. It first came out a bit thick so I mixed in a bit more liquids, but I was worried about overmixing it. According to Mr. Brown that's the number one pancake problem.

But in the end they were really good! They were super soft inside, thick, and fluffy, with a crispy and buttery exterior. No need to butter these babies up (Id hope), and with a little dab of syrup on the side they were deleeectable. The recipe I used made 2 batches, which was perfect for us (I kept the rest in the freezer and they were still tasty, though less crispy, when we reheated them.)

I loved the butter too because, as you can see, the outsides browned so nicely. They look almost like sand dollars-- the edges are all a nice color and the centers are perfectly golden brown. You can even see the crispness. Just typing this makes me wish I had more (but I'm glad I don't, in a way, because eating too many of these would be hazardous to your health).

Making these and eating them was so nice, it was a page out of my childhood, and it was nice to shrae it with Jeff. It almost makes me excited to have children so I could make them butter pancakes on the special occasion, letting them delve into buttery heart attack heaven. Then I'd make them eat salads for lunch.


Butter Pancakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 stick of butter

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the milk, egg and melted butter and stir (gently) for a few minutes until well encorporated then just a few stirs longer.
Heat a pan over medium heat and grease it with the stick of butter, using it liberally. Pour in about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, try not to crowd the pancakes. Brown on both sides (flip the first side when bubbles start to form and the opposing side seems golden) and serve.




Note

Also, look! I hit 10000 and I missed it. :) That's okay, expect a special post soon anyway. I know I'm behind but I have a lot of goodies to share!!