tropit

I have chickens and in the winter time, there are no eggs. Winter is also a wonderful time to make pancakes, so this recipe is a natural go-to for me on frosty mornings. They're really good! It's not my own. I got this recipe from the cookbook Isa Does It, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. "Puffy Pillow Pancakes". I'm going to shorten it up and put in a few of my own words and variations for sake of this message board.

1 1/2 Cups White, all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Cup almond milk
2 teaspoons white, or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground *flaxseed
1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons canola, or other light oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon **Garam Masala, or pumpkin pie spice (optional)

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

Measure milk into a large measuring cup. Add the vinegar and ground flaxseed to the milk and stir vigorously for a couple of minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes more.

Pour milk mixture and water into the well of the flour mixture and hand stir all ingredients together, just until all parts are moistened. Do not over stir. There will still be some small lumps in the batter. Let batter sit for about 10 minutes while you heat up the pan, or griddle to about medium-high. (Too high and the pancakes will burn, too low and they won't brown. Y'all know this already, I'm sure.) Make sure that you wait the full 10 minutes before you use the batter to allow the vinegar and baking powder to react with one another.

Pour a little cooking oil into the hot pan and them wipe most of it off the pan with a rag. Ladle the batter into the hot pan and cook the pancake until the cake has risen significantly and the bubbles begin to burst. Turn the pancake and brown the other side. Repeat the process until you have a stack of heavenly pancakes.

*This recipe replaces eggs with ground flaxseed, which acts as a binder. It can be found in most grocery stores, or health food stores. I believe Bob's Red Mill offers it. Be sure to grind it fresh yourself. Don't buy pre-ground flaxseed because it goes rancid and loses its viscosity once ground.

**Garam Masala is a spice-blend that is widely used in Indian cooking. It is similar to our American pumpkin pie spice blend, but has a couple of other ingredients in it that make it uniquely Indian. There are many variations of Garam Masala and each Indian family has their own favorite. You can make it yourself, (lots of recipes online,) or buy it in the spice section, or bulk area of your grocery store. You can also order it online. Pumpkin pie spice-blend works well too. The original recipe doesn't call for this. It's my own variation.

My family thinks that sliced bananas and walnuts added to the pancakes while cooking are also a nice addition.

~ C