Plain Pancakes

I know, we all want to see the fanciest, most elaborate form of pancakes out there, but for once, I just want a plain, generic, here you go kind of pancake (like the typical comedian doing a parody of a trip to starbucks. Too many types of coffee. Can’t even get a plain cup of coffee anymore) Well, If you want the Plain Jane pancake, le voila!

And honestly, you cannot go wrong with this pancake. Actually. I make these pancakes every Saturday morning, and they have never turned out less than perfect. (Tasting. They sometimes form funky shapes. Sometimes too big, sometimes too small, but always delicious.) It uses my favorite baking technique: souring your own milk. It makes everything so nice and fluffy, it’s just great! I think it’s because I never have sour milk on hand. My dad’s mom is Danish, and apparently in Denmark, no one is lactose intolerant. Everyone there drinks milk. My dad actually grew up drinking buttermilk which I found really weird, but he loves it. I’m not such a fan of buttermilk, so I have never bought it. Souring my own milk is the closest I will get to buttermilk I think. Maybe on a special occasion, I’ll buy a little carton of buttermilk. You know, to see what all the hype is about.

What you’ll need:

-3/4 cup milk
-2 tablespoons white vinegar
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-2 tablespoons white sugar
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 egg
-2 tablespoons butter, melted
+cooking spray

Directions:

    1.   In a medium bowl, combine the milk and the vinegar, and let stand for at least 5 minutes to “sour”
    2.   In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into the “soured” milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and whisk it together until the batter is smooth.
    3.   Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, and flip when bubbles are covering the surface of the pancake. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden.