The Pancake Queen

My daughter Alison once told me that she would always think of me standing at the kitchen counter in my bathrobe making pancakes. As legacies go, I guess that's not a bad way to be remembered. The recipe for the pancakes she had in mind was found in the Midwestern Junior League Cookbook, which I acquired early in my marriage. I've made them so many times I don't even have to look at the recipe.  Recently, two dozen went with my daughter Hannah on a trip to Galveston with her two kids and nephew Booker. Another batch went on the griddle for breakfast just this morning.

My little grandson Noah adores any kind of pancake, but he especially loves these, often saying "These are yummy, Grandma." Music to my ears. So here's the recipe for Ephraim Pancakes. Your family will love them!

Ephraim Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups of low-fat buttermilk, shaken
1 t. baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water
4 T. melted butter (do not use margarine)

In a large bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until combined and stir in the buttermilk. Place the baking soda in a 1 cup measure and add the 1/2 cup boiling water, stirring a little until it's dissolved. Add this to the buttermilk mixture and stir. Then add this mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Swirl in the melted butter.

Preheat a griddle to 375 degrees. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to drop batter onto the griddle. Bake until the top of each pancake is covered with tiny bubbles and edges are a little dry. Then flip over. Bake until that side is light brown. Serve pancakes with syrup, fresh fruit, and jam. They really don't need any additional butter. The pancakes are also excellent with blueberries or chocolate chips mixed into the batter. Any leftovers freeze beautifully.

Note: Sometimes I substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour to give the pancakes a little more body. To save time in the morning, measure the dry ingredients into a zip-lock bag. You can also get out the bowls, measuring spoons and griddle the night before. The secret to this recipe is the baking soda dissolved in boiling water which makes the pancakes fluffy. Make sure your baking soda is fresh, as well as the baking powder. 

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