Such Pretty Faces

Primarily, I want you to know that my father is an excellent pancake chef.

He is also a visionary at how to eat said pancakes.

When I was small, he excelled at both. I remember that we had a metal griddle (which I absolutely found in a pile headed to goodwill on their porch and liberated so I could always remember the glory days) and it felt like every weekend he would make me pancakes. He has a keen eye for the perfect flip and he is a man who is not afraid of syrup. He also slides a fried egg, over easy, right in between the stack of pancakes. The result is a fork and knife pancake breakfast sandwich which is truly delicious. He does the entire pancake thing up right.

For this recipe, it’s important that you not ‘pack’ the measuring cup with flour. Just spoon your flour in and level it off at the top. If you add too much flour, you’ll struggle to get your pancakes to cook on the inside, and the texture will be more dense and less like an angel wing. Don’t say I didn’t tell you the secret.

The other secret to the perfect pancake is vanilla. Here’s where I give you options: If you’re jonesing for a diner style flavor, the secret is Imitation Vanilla. We can thank 2020, grocery delivery, and the Global Pandemic for this knowledge. Without a weird grocery substitution, I would never have learned this.

If you want a more refined flavor, your best bet is to stick with traditional Vanilla extract.

Lastly, if you hate vanilla, no horrible things will happen if you just leave it out. I don’t understand you, but we live in a world of possibilities. So, do you.

This is an excellent recipe to double and store in the freezer. In fact, this is my MO every time I make Pancakes. My oldest child is a pancake addict, and it feels somehow better to give him one that I made as opposed to some freezer food pre fab garbage.

If you’re feeling fancy, might I recommend a pancake charcuterie board? This is a fun easy way to make breakfast feel like a fancy ordeal. Some ideas for your pancake board are: