Zephyr Pancakes

Next in the running is "Zephyr Pancakes" (page 4 in the KAF book). The KAF refers to these pancakes as: "These pancakes come from the Midwest and are a true celebration of what dairy products can do. They are incredibly light and tender and literally melt in your mouth."

Yum. I'll preface this by saying these were delicious. Rave reviews from my testers (and myself for that matter)

First, mix the dry ingredients together (make sure you don't skip this step!)

Then mix the wet ingredients (ohhh buttermilk this time and heavy cream)

Everything all mixed together. Notice how thick the batter is.

These pancakes fluff up when cooked, hence the name of course

And the final product. Volia!

Zephry pancakes are a breeze to whip up and the results are fantastic. Just note that you'll need buttermilk and heavy cream to make the batter; items not everyone always has on hand.

As I am away next weekend, "gingerbread pancakes" will have to wait until Halloweend weekend.

Until then-

Erin

The Simple but Perfect Pancake

Yum, nothing like pancakes on a Sunday morning. I set out to bake the first recipe in the KAF book: the simple but perfect pancake (page 3 if you have the book or HERE at the KAF website.

Begin by mixing the wet ingredients together until it becomes frothy like so:

Nice and frothy...

Then add the butter and all the dry ingredients. An aside, make sure to mix the dry ingredients. I used to take shortcuts and not bother to do so, but if you don't mix it, you'll get an uneven distribution.

All together now and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken

I let the batter thicken while the frying pan heated up ( I don't have a griddle), but I was surprised when I went to make the first pancake...crepe-thin. I wanted pancakes, not crepes. I think the pan wasn't hot enough so it spread out much too far as the remainder of the pancakes turned out nice.

Once bubbles form and begin to pop, the pancake can be turned over

The batter made a lot of pancakes. Simple to whip up, but it lacked that fluffiness I desire in pancakes. I think the next recipe "Zephyr Pancakes" will satisfy that desire.

The completed batch

Until next Sunday,

-Erin

Rising beginnings

Perhaps Julie and Julia has inspired a new wave of bloggers cooking their ways through texts and to be honest it certainly has inspired me as well. A blog that would serve as a record of activities, provide a place for dialogue and communication, and even learn a thing or two, is mighty appealing. But what to blog about? I've tried blogging about frugality, which was been time-consuming and lacked the fun necessary for keeping a blog going.

So what to blog about along the lines of Julie and Julia? Luckily a recent birthday gift answered that question for me: baking. I LOVE to bake. I wouldn't say I'm a good baker, but I'm certainly competent in the kitchen. I'm also a stress baker as I find the process meditative. Baking is a lost art, I fear. Since I live in Vermont, I've started taking classes at King Arthur Flour. A hand's on approach cannot beat reading a recipe.

Yeast Knead and Rise is my exploration into baking by baking my way through The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. The ultimate goal is to work up to the elusive croissant. Although to be honest, I'm more afraid of the fried dough chapter than anything else. Dangerous and smelly. Hmm.

I'll begin my first recipe "Simply Perfect Pancakes" on Sunday.

'Til then

-Erin