My Grandpa Jensen cooking his famous flapjacks!
Every family has that one recipe that they go to again and again. Maybe its a magically moist meatloaf or a favorite birthday cake. In my house it has always been the Waffle and Pancake recipe from The Doubleday Cookbook!
I’m sure there were other recipes in this cookbook that my mother used at some point, but for years its sole purpose has been reminding us of the correct proportions for the best breakfast on earth.
As soon as you pull it off the shelf it falls open to the waffle page, with measurements for halving the recipe scrawled in pencil by my mother many years ago. There are dried patches of batter and spots of grease, reminding me of countless birthday breakfasts and sleepover mornings.
In more recent years we’ve stuck to the pancakes rather than waffles, since we’ve only ever owned a single waffle iron. It’s easier to get a large batch of pancakes on the griddle so everyone can start eating at once than to make everyone wait for their individual waffle.
Doubleday Basic Pancake Recipe:
1 dozen
Electric griddles or skillets are ideal for cooking pancakes because they maintain a constant heat. Follow manufacturer's directions for greasing and preheating. Batters containing fat or oil can usually be cooked in an ungreased skillet.
- 1 cup sifted flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 TLB sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 TLB cooking oil or melted butter
Preheat griddle over moderate heat while you mix batter or, if using an electric griddle, preheat as manufacturer directs. Sift flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a bowl or wide-mouthed pitcher. Combine egg, milk, and oil, slowly stir into dry ingredients, and mix until dampened-
batter should be lumpy.
When a drop of cold water will dance on the griddle, begin cooking pancakes, using about 3 TLB batter for each, allowing plenty of space between them and spreading each until about 4" across. Cook until bubbles form over surface, turn gently and brown flip side.
Note: I love these because they turn out super thick and fluffy, but watch to see how your first batch turns out. You may need to add a little extra milk to avoid raw centers in your flapjacks.
What recipe does your family cherish above all others?
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Comments (3)
We all have our favorites, but the dish my grandma used to cook for dinner that I loved was Chinese steamed pork ribs, such as found at dim sum restaurants. I liked it served over steamed white rice, cooking juices poured over. My husband loved his grandma's stroganoff. (We had working mothers who cooked, but didn't really cultivate any new family favorites.) I work, too, but I hope to start new family traditions with family favorite recipes.
@babybug329@xanga - Totally! It inspires me to ensure that I try every recipe in my cookbooks :)
@RachelR - Well, I'm not about to cook every recipe I've come into contact with, especially considering I like to collect old cookbooks. I do like to take a recipe I've tried and improve on it if I didn't think it was the most delicious thing ever. Or, I might take a recipe I really like and try a few variations on it. For example, chocolate cake. I've made mocha, raspberry and orange- chocolate cakes with great success.