Pancakes, Y'all...

[Sundae]

Just had another stack, courtesy of the marvellous J&J.
Mum cooked bacon and sausages (links) although I have to state, her attempt at American-style bacon was pretty rubbish. She blames the fact I was already using the top oven (where the grill is) to keep the pancakes warm, and you can't get bacon crispy on a George Foreman grill. Probably true.

ANYWAY.

We're 2/3 of the way through our buttermilk pancake mix. Apart from Mum & me, I've also cooked them for Dad, then tonight for the three of us, and the other afternoon for Mum, Dad and Mum's friend Maureen.

What we want to know is, what are buckwheat pancakes? How different are they? The buttermilk ones taste like the pancakes we recognise from trips to the States (New York, San Francisco, Vegas).

Help would be helpful.
As would bacon recommendations.
Mum says she will NOT fry it.
I suggested baking it and she pooh-poohed the idea.
All I know is something has to be better than the soggy offerings tonight

Oh, and I'm apparently cooking them on Boxing Day too. Big E likes them, and I bet once she has one the kids will clamour for them too. I'll use the buttermilk mix (we are all pancaked out for a while anyway) if there is a significant difference.

Cheers!

[wolf]

You should be frying the bacon. Any other method is inferior. You can save the grease and use if for other cooking, adding cholesterol into foods nature never intended!

Start bacon in a cold skillet on medium heat. {Place individual strips into the pan and then watch it like a hawk. Don't wander out of the kitchen. Only do a few slices at a time. It starts clumping and sticking to itself if you overcrowd the pan. Cook it until it looks almost done. If you wait until it looks done, it will be burnt. Move cooked strips onto a paper towel to drain.

[jinx]

Bake you bacon on a broiler pan at 400 american degrees... guaranteed crispy, even, doneness after 15-20 mins. The grease will be in the bottom of the broiler, not all over your walls, and you can make the whole batch at once.

I would say buckwheat are to wheat bread when buttermilks are to white bread.

You're having eggs too, right? And coffee and OJ?

[Juniper]

I sometimes make bacon on a George Foreman grill. It turns out OK. Not as good as baking or frying, but perfectly acceptable for a sandwich.

Actually, I take that back -- I haven't had as much luck cooking *anything* with the GF grill as I did with my Hamilton Beach knockoff. I had to get rid of the old one 'cause I literally wore the thing out. I don't think the GF grill gets as hot, or heats as evenly. Maybe because the grills come off for washing; the old one didn't.

Pancakes aren't rocket science. I make them from scratch sometimes. Or if you get Bisquick, that makes good pancakes too.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

What we want to know is, what are buckwheat pancakes? How different are they? The buttermilk ones taste like the pancakes we recognise from trips to the States (New York, San Francisco, Vegas).

Buckwheat is an entirely different grain, and not actually wheat at all. (It's gluten-free, as a matter of fact.) I have never had it in pancake form, but it is one of the better baking flours when it comes to taste and texture, so I imagine they'd be good, just different.

[monster]

just grill the bacon, SG. It'll be just fine. When the smoke alarm goes off, it's done. Now you are using smoked streaky bacon, right?

[DanaC]

I had pancakes yesterday. In fact I've had pancakes every time i've been to uni for about the last 6 weeks. The German Christmas market in the civic quarter of Leeds has a little stall that does pancakes (crepes) with all sorts of different toppings. I have had the same one each time: sugar and lemon That ol' standby. delicious and really fascinating to watch them being made.

[TheMercenary]

crepes not the same as American Pancakes...

[DanaC]

I know. We get both over here: American style (or 'scotch' which seem to be similar but much smaller) and English/European style (crepes). That's why I specified that these were of the 'crepe' variety

Generally speaking, if we say 'pancakes' we mean crepes.

[lumberjim]

buckwheat is otay

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Generally speaking, if we say 'pancakes' we mean crepes.

Are they generally the same ingredients, just made on the other side of the pan?

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

buckwheat is otay

No, he's not. He was shot.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by jinx

Bake you bacon on a broiler pan at 400 american degrees... guaranteed crispy, even, doneness after 15-20 mins.

Monster, translation - stat!
This is grilling it in UK terms isn't it?

You're having eggs too, right? And coffee and OJ?

We weren't, but there is egg in the pancake already, so I daren't push it with the borrowing from the store cupboard We've not had them for breakfast, mostly because we breakfast at different times. I might suggest to Mum that she cooks Dad an American breakfast - she's got the pancake side of things sorted anyway.

Originally Posted by monster

just grill the bacon, SG. It'll be just fine. When the smoke alarm goes off, it's done. Now you are using smoked streaky bacon, right?

I think that's what we'll have to do - it was just that I was hogging (!) the part of the oven where the grill is. And it's a lot more cleaning up than using the GF. Mum's oven is only a few years old and she waited so long to get it she is still very precious about it. She had the previous one for about 20 years and wants this one to last as long again.

Thanks for the advice peoples.
I'll try the buckwheat ones next and save what's left of the buttermilk for the others on Boxing Day.

[limey]

I'm following this thread with interest ... just not had the time for culinary experimentation as I'm too busy going out and playing carols ... (lah lah lah!) ...

[DanaC]

Hmmm. I doubt they're the same. Let me check

135g/4¾oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
130ml/4½fl oz milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking

To serve
maple syrup
butter

110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter

To serve:

caster sugar
lemon juice
lemon wedges

Thought so. No the main difference is the use of baking powder. The last thing you want with anEnglish pancake is for it to rise or go at all fluffy: hence the phrase 'flat as a pancake' :P The other big difference is we don't sweeten the pancake mix. The sugar is added as a topping afterwards. Without the sweet topping the finished pancake is actually completely savoury. Also the ratio of egg to flour is different, as is the quantity of milk.