Last night while Greg, Sonja, Jason and I were playing The Farming Game, I started looking at my shelf of cookbooks and wondering how I could pare some of them out. I remembered a project I’d wanted to start before, of going through each cookbook and making every recipe that looked good, thus “using it up”. I could take out what worked, and then give the book to a friend, freeing up shelf space and hopefully eating better along the way.
While my game-mates were rolling to see how much cash they got for their wheat harvest, I leaned over and grabbed Dreena Burton’s Vive Le Vegan!, and started flipping through the chapter on Breakfasts. The Apple Oat Pancakes and Banana Bliss Pancakes seemed especially yummy, so this morning I attempted them. Unfortunately, it didn’t go so well.
The Apple Oat Pancakes look yummy….
…but I couldn’t get them to cook all the way through without burning them. I don’t know if this was a problem with my pan (a Le Creuset cast iron skillet) or if I just wasn’t getting the burner set at the right temperature. The oaty and apple flavors went great together, but both pancake recipes call for a whole tablespoon of baking powder, and I think that might be responsible for the metallic aftertaste that I seem to be so sensitive to. I’ve tasted it before in recipes that have a lot of baking powder, like some cornbreads. Maybe I just have weird taste buds?
I managed to get about three okay-looking pancakes out of this batch, and I gave a couple to Miles, my six-year-old. He loved them.
Since we were all still hungry, I cleaned out my bowl and dove right into the Banana Bliss Pancakes:
These cooked up a lot better, but I still had problems with burning (you can see the uneven color), and the taste was pretty awful. The banana flavor was, for me, drowned out by the taste of the baking powder, and they weren’t sweet at all. Jason suggested I add some honey, so I put two tablespoons in the remaining batter, but it didn’t seem to improve things. The household declared them “Hippy Pancakes”, and they got a thumbs-down.
I’m disappointed they didn’t work, but I think this might have something to do with my Vegan Pancake Curse. Almost every single vegan pancake or french toast recipe I’ve tried has been awful, and I don’t know why. The one exception to this rule is the recipe we tried for Easy Weekend Pancakes, from VeganYumYum. Those are DELICIOUS, I mean crazy-delicious, the kind of pancakes that are hard to get to the table because we keep wanting to eat them right out of the pan.They were immune to the curse, maybe because they go through the Vita-Mix, and since I’m a whiz with the Vita-Mix, my mojo with that appliance might be canceling out the curse.
I will keep trying. I will fight the curse!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
(Replicated for ease of use from LJ):
We find an electric griddle practically essential to proper pancakes–it’s just too damn hard to keep a skillet or stovetop griddle at a consistent, correct temperature.
M. makes a sourdough pancake that needs less baking soda, but also requires starting the sponge the night before. We find that straight sourdough pancakes are a bit tough, but if you add blueberries, they are tasty and tender.
I have sourdough starter, I should try using that! I’ve heard that before about griddles vs. skillets, too. What stops me from getting one is the large number of appliances I already have, can’t live without, and don’t have room for.
Have you considered taking the Easy Weekend Pancakes recipe and modifying with the fruit and other flavors you want to add? You could probably check on-line for some varying pancake recipes that use oats, bananas, apples, and other fruits and flavors, see how those are made, ingredient wise, then modify the Easy Weekend Pancakes to match. It might be worth a try since those pancakes seem to be free from the curse.
Yup, I was actually wondering if I could just sneak some apples into the Easy Weekend Pancakes. It doesn’t seem like it would be a problem, does it? It will be a bit moister, but I can add a smidge more flour if I need to.
For vegan pancakes, we just use the Joy of Cooking recipe, but with soymilk and Earth Balance margarine for the milk and butter. Eggs we replace with just an extra teaspoon of baking powder…I’m not sure if you would taste that or not….
i have some issues with things like pancakes burning in cast iron. I have the best luck with pancakes on something non-stick, or close to non-stick. I think it has to do with the fact that if you use lubricant the lubricant burns at those temps, so you’re best off using a pan that doesn’t require lubricant. Or something.
Vegan Pancakes:
Our kids are respectively allergic to 1) milk, 2) eggs. This dooms nearly all pancake recepies. Yet both kids love pancakes, so I end up making them a lot. My wife occasionally tries to make weird vegan pancakes that replace eggs with applesauce or whatever, but they never come out well. Raw in the middle, burned on the outside. I use this recipe, which I don’t even have to look up anymore because I’ve made it so often:
2 cups AP flour
1 scant cup water
1 scant cup oat milk (we use the Pacific Natural Foods organic kind. Note: for my money, oat milk is the best ever substitute for milk in baking. I’ve never found a recipe where it didn’t work well. You can even reduce it to replace condensed milk in custard recipes)
4 tablespoons canola oil (or safflower or whatever light, hi-temp oil you use)
4 teaspoons baking powder (we use the Rumford non-aluminum kind, which Bob’s Red Mill sells in bulk-er quantities)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Some sugar (I rarely bother to measure the sugar. Call it 2 to 4 tablespoons, however you like it.)
splash vanilla
Mix and cook in a lightly oiled skillet. We use a cast iron one these days, and so long as you re-apply oil between sets you’re good to go. On our stove, I have to start with the burner on about ‘5′ (out of ten) and I let the pan warm up while I’m finishing the last of the measuring and mixing. As I cook each set of three or four pancakes, I lower the heat because the pan keeps getting hotter for a while. By the time I’m done, the burner is down to ‘3′ or thereabouts and things seem to have leveled out.
Anyway, these pancakes come out great, they’re easy to make, and they freeze well. I usually do a batch, feed the kids, and freeze the rest for two more breakfasts’ worth of kid meals.
What kind of baking powder do you use? Some of them have Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, that results in a metallic taste for some people. It’s not bad for you, that I know of, but if you look at the labels, you can choose a baking powder without it. Things may not be as fluffy, though. Try Rumford.
Also, it sounds strange, but baking powder does go bad, and when it does, it gets that metallic taste…happened to some buttermilk biscuits of mine a while back. ick.
So check the expiration date.
BTW, I’m a bit jealous of your skillet.
I’ve tasted it before in recipes that have a lot of baking powder, like some cornbreads. Maybe I just have weird taste buds?
I bet that is because of the aluminum (dangerous) compounds in your baking soda. I just learned this and threw mine out and bought Rumsford that does not have aluminum in it.
- Joe
Ahhhhhhhhh! Thank you! I will definitely go look for some!