Pancakes from Scratch

Making pancakes from scratch really is no more complicated than making them from a boxed mix. They just taste so much better!

Okay, I admit it! For me, pancakes are really just an excuse to get my fill of a local specialty, maple syrup. Most years, by late March, the typical spring thaw in southern parts of Ontario and Quebec is characterized by daytime highs that are a little above the freezing point and nights just below it.  This creates the ideal condition to start the sap running in the sugar maples that thrive here.  There are a number of commercial and family-run sugar bush operations in the area and I enjoy taking a ride out to sample their offerings of the sweet stuff. Brunches at a rustic sugar shack or cabane à sucre are a spring ritual that celebrates one of Canada’s food treasures.

Choose your Maple Syrup

There are categories of maple syrup ranging from light to dark.  Similar to how olive oil is graded, the extra-light is the first to be produced and is considered by the aficionados to be the finest grade.  It is very smooth going down and has no after taste.  As the season progresses, the syrup turns amber, and the taste is a little heavier. At the end of the run, the syrup gets dark, and the taste is harsher.  This grade is not so common and could be described as a bit like a woody molasses.

If you’re looking to buy some locally produced syrup or visit a maple sugar operation, Sweet Ontario and Bonjour Quebec are excellent resources.

Since we are going all natural with the syrup, it would only be fitting to do the same with the pancakes.  Here is a variation of a recipe inspired by an old Five Roses Flour cookbook published back in the 1950s. While boxed pancake mixes have been around for over a hundred years, I soon realized that making pancakes from scratch was really no big hassle. Try this recipe and you be the judge.

Print Recipe

Pancakes from Scratch

Making them from scratch really is no more complicated than making them from a boxed mix.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Servings: 3

Author: Kevin Lamoureux

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 1¼ cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ⅓ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar

Wet Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• ½ tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Mix the dry ingredients
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg, milk and mix well.
• Stir into the dry ingredients until smooth
• Stir in the melted butter and vanilla
• Add a little lard or oil to a large frying pan and heat to medium
• Ladle out portions into pan and fry until bubbles form. Flip over
• Cook for about a minute on the other side.

Notes

Thicker batter yields thicker pancakes. If you like them thin, add a little more milk to the batter. This recipe makes about 6, 6-inch diameter pancakes.

Blueberry Pancakes

After you have made the pancake batter above, rinse and dry 1 cup of blueberries (preferably wild ones), coat with a little flour, then stir them into your batter.

More maple syrup recipes