Childlike Cakes from the Pan
Pancakes for breakfast…what could be more fun and childlike on a Saturday morning? After a much welcomed sleep in, I posed my favourite weekend question to Ben…what did he feel like for breakfast? I was silently willing him to shun his usual craving for eggs and share in my desire for little golden cakes from the pan… and he did.
Weekend breakfasts are really special for me. I cherish being able to cook and eat together, as during the week our morning schedules don't align. I also revel in the fact that I have the time to play with recipes, whether it be a new endeavour or an old favourite. Those precious and glorious few morning hours on Saturday and Sunday encourage me to make something that may require a little more preparation and effort. To me, weekend breakfasts mean food made with love and anticipation, and dishes that are luxurious and indulgent, yet wholesome. Pancakes perfectly epitomise this ideal.
Upon realising that both our tummies were lusting after the same flavours, I gleefully jumped out of bed, threw on some comfy weekend attire, and bounded to the shops for my missing ingredients. I then popped on some music and danced around my kitchen; sifting and whisking, pouring and folding. Making pancakes as an adult is such fun. You get to experience the best of both worlds – creating a childhood favourite of cute, circular, fluffy delights, which you then flip in your Kitchen Aid non-stick pan ;)
The perfect pancake should be just that – fluffy and delightful. There is nothing worse than lead-like pancakes that sit heavy in your tummy for the rest of the morning. You should feel uplifted and inspired after eating pancakes. Each perfectly golden morsel should fill you with joy, and provide you energy to run and skip and jump, as it did when you were a child.
My favourite pancake recipe belongs to another Heidi. Her name is Heidi Swanson, of 101 cookbooks, and she is a goddess. Her recipes are wholesome, inspired, vibrant and luxurious. Her photos are real and tender. I adore her site. I tried her 'Favourite Pancake Recipe' about 6months ago, and have never looked back. The use of buttermilk makes for a lovely, velvety texture. In my experience, using buttermilk always creates a great pancake – whether oatmeal pancakes or the regular kind. I appreciate the opportunity to use wholemeal flavour, to allow for a more nutritious breakfast.
Heidi also provides a recipe for her Blueberry Maple Syrup, which she serves alongside her pancakes. I have made the syrup twice, and while it produces a beautifully rich and intensely blueberry flavoured sauce, it is really very sweet. So, I tend to stick to a fresher accompaniment. I love to use fresh berries and finish with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Some natural yoghurt also adds a nice freshness.
Today I made banana pancakes, by pressing thin slices of banana into one side of the pancake whilst it is cooking. Upon flipping the pancake and allowing the fruit to greet the hot pan, the banana begins to caramelise. I love to do this with blueberries also. The batter is meant to be quite lumpy, so don't overmix.
We enjoyed these pancakes more than I can attempt to convey. Our taste buds danced as we devoured these light, heavenly, golden cakes with sweet, caramelised banana and fresh, plump strawberries. We also cherished the time spent together preparing and cooking these little joyful creations - trying to flip them juuuuuust right, like when we were kids. Then there was that first bite, after eager anticipation and countless tummy grumbles as we waited for all the pancakes to cook…so satisfying, so savoured, so special.
Do you have a favourite special, weekend breakfast? Although I do adore pancakes, I love to try new things. And no matter how delightful they may be, I cannot always persuade Ben in the direction of little golden cakes from the pan.