Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

How to slap together a perfect pancake holiday

MCT

Sunday, Sept. 26 may seem like any other day, but, in fact, it marks one of the greatest – and least known – holidays, National Pancake Day. The special occasion is an ode to all those who love breakfast. So put your bacon, eggs and cheese away, and go get some pancake ingredients.

You must be thinking, why is there a whole day dedicated to pancakes? It’s time to think out of the box and really look inside yourself to dig out your deepest wishes pertaining to this treat.  Everyone loves waking up Sunday morning and smelling the sweet sent of batter being whisked around in the bowl, while you sit there awaiting the time when the batter hits the griddle and begins to sizzle. 

All over the world people attempt to make the perfect pancake, simple but enjoyable. Today, widen your eyes with the excitement of learning about new recipes to make your cakes much more delicious.

Whether you have lots of experience in the kitchen or are an amateur, these recipes can be prepared by anyone willing to learn.

Buy a box of Aunt Jemima, Bisquik or start from scratch. Add the appropriate amount of eggs and milk to your batter, and whisk away. To step it up a notch, take some all-natural maple syrup – none of that fake substance – and add one or two tablespoons of it to the mix. Once the cakes are cooked, your taste buds should be screaming for one more bite.

Funky Fruity Fun

For those of you who want to go that extra mile and include fruit, this next concoction is right up your alley. Refer to the above instructions, and don’t forget the syrup. This time one more ingredient will be added to the batter before your ready to cook. The syrup is in the blend, now include a dash of cinnamon, and poof; you now have taken your pancakes from the sweet, to the sweet and slightly spicy. The next step is simple, take some blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, whichever you prefer and split them into two groups. Drop the first group of berries into a bowl and proceed to mash them up with a spoon or a fork. After that thrilling experience, add the fruit to the batter and cook away. Your pancakes should cook on each side not more than four minutes.

When the top of the cake is nearly covered in bubbles, turn it over carefully. Make sure that you keep track of roughly how long it took to cook the first side, and cook the second side for the same amount of time. Stack them on your plate, take a second handful of fruit and drizzle it all over your plate for a tasteful presentation. Sit back, grab your fork and knife, and enjoy the bliss. 

The Anti-Crêpe

Last, but certainly not least; how to make those pancakes much fluffier. Many people think that it is all about how long you cook pancakes for. The true secret is in the steps leading up to the skillet. Whisk in one hand, bowl in the other, add the eggs and milk slowly; the combination of the wet ingredients slowly blending with the dry ingredients is the key to creating fluffiness. Keep stirring the batter. All the bubbles and bumps may be gone, but fear not, keep going. The extra time you spend mixing will ensure optimum fluff for your cakes. After that, the hard part is done. Turn your burner on low heat, spray the pan and pour the batter. Now, you must watch them because you don’t want bubbles popping up quite as soon. Be patient and before you know it, within two minutes flip that sucker and poof; golden, brown fluffy, goodness and ready for your tasting! So go now and take a plunge into these scrumptious recipes and succeed on making your pancakes that much more fluffy in honor of National Pancake Day.

Leslie Rosenfield can be reached at [email protected].

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  • B

    BrettSep 26, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    My friend says pancake day is in February!

    Reply
  • S

    smilinggreenmomSep 24, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    Our kids love it when I make pancakes and their favorite is this really healthy recipe I make using Kamut whole wheat! It is so tasty and they can’t seem to get enough of it!

    Reply