Shrovetide: 15 secrets of perfect pancakes

Secret №1

Sift the flour just before kneading. The point is not even that it becomes crystal clear and does not contain lumps and impurities, but to saturate it with air as much as possible and thereby give the dough splendor and lightness. If you are making a dough with baking powder, it should also be sieved with flour. And some culinary experts advise sifting flour, having previously added not only baking powder, but also salt to it.

Secret number 2

Milk (kefir, whey, water – any liquid on which you make pancakes) and eggs should be at room temperature by the time you decide to start the dough. Therefore, you should get the eggs out of the refrigerator in advance, and warm the milk a little. Or, if there is no time at all, add some hot water to the milk. But don’t overdo it, or the egg white will curdle.

Secret number 3

First you need to mix the liquid ingredients – beat eggs with sugar and salt, add milk. And only then gradually add the sifted flour, each time thoroughly mixing the dough so that there are no lumps. Leave the finished dough to rest for 10 – 15 minutes, during this time the remaining lumps will disperse. And if you beat the dough until then. until the lumps dissolve, the pancakes will be dense, “hammered”.

The Secret No. 4

Before baking the pancakes, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the dough and mix well. The dough will be more elastic due to the fact that the butter dissolves the flour, and the pancakes will not stick to the pan.

The Secret No. 5

The dough should not be too thin or too thick. In terms of its consistency, an ideal pancake dough is most similar to liquid sour cream. It turned out too thick – add liquids. Too liquid – add a couple of tablespoons of flour and stir gently.

The Secret No. 6

The best friend of ruddy, well-baked pancakes is a cast iron frying pan: it heats up evenly and keeps it warm for a long time. Modern pancake pans have also worked well, but over time they deform: the thin bottom bends.

The Secret No. 7

Lubricate a skillet with a little oil. This is important: there should be very little butter, otherwise the pancakes will turn out to be too greasy, and the dough will not be poured into a thin circle, but a torn pancake. Use a silicone cooking brush or even a cotton pad to avoid overshooting. The inner surface of the pan must be completely lubricated, but there should be no oil drips.

The Secret No. 8

How much dough you pour into the pan determines how thin and tender the pancakes will turn out. So find the perfect ladle pan pair and always use them for frying pancakes. Pour some dough into the center of the skillet and tilt it from side to side several times so that it spreads evenly over the entire surface.

The Secret No. 9

Bake the pancakes in a very hot skillet. The first pancake is often lumpy, just because the pan does not have time to warm up properly and the dough sticks.

The Secret No. 10

In order not to overdry the pancakes, do not wait for a chocolate-colored crust to appear on the bottom: turn the pancake as soon as it becomes golden. A sure sign that it’s time: the edges of the pancake have moved away from the sides of the pan, and the surface has dried up and has ceased to be liquid.

The Secret No. 11

Use a thin wooden spatula; unlike a metal spatula, it will not tear thin pancakes or damage the coating of the pan. But you shouldn’t use plastic blades – even heat-resistant ones can sometimes “float”. In addition, as scientists have found out, such utensils begin to release carcinogens during heating.

The Secret No. 12

Do not leave fried pancakes unattended! With each new pancake, the pan will heat up more and more, and the time for each will take less and less. It is worth looking away for a second, and the pancake will instantly burn.

The Secret No. 13

For speed, use two pans at once – the sooner you finish cooking, the more chances your guests have to eat fresh hot pancakes in the heat.

The Secret No. 14

Put the finished pancakes on a plate in a stack, lightly greasing each with butter.

The Secret No. 15

Don’t be afraid to experiment with fillings! Feijoa and sour cream, apples and cinnamon, banana and lemon – come up with new options and enjoy different pancakes every day of Pancake Week.

By the way

Nutritionists have their own opinion about harmful and healthy additives to pancakes. Sour cream, caviar, jam, oil are considered harmful. Yogurt, honey, cottage cheese with herbs or dried fruits, berries are relatively healthy.

Doctors advise eating no more than two or three pancakes a day. And do not try to bake every day. Doctors recommend eating baked goods no more than two to three times a week. Otherwise, you will have to work out what you eat in the gym for another month.

Dessert crepes pancakes recipe

Ingredients

• 100 g flour

• 1 / 2 hours. L. salt

• 3 whole eggs and one protein

• 175 ml of milk

• 75 ml of water 

• 20 g sugar

• 30 g melted butter 

How to cook

1. Sift flour mixed with salt into a bowl.

2. Mix eggs, milk and water separately.

3. Gradually pour the liquid mixture into the flour, mix.

4. Add melted butter. Important – the oil should not be hot!

5. Beat a homogeneous dough.

6. Beat the protein into a foam, gradually add sugar, beat until the mixture starts to shine. Gently add foam to the dough in parts.

7. We leave the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour, otherwise it will bubble a lot in the pan. If the dough thickens, dilute it with milk.

8. Fry pancakes in a small pan, serve with chocolate topping.

And unusual recipes for pancakes and variations on a pancake theme can be found HERE.