A Simple Cake: Pancake

On the weekend brunches, our eyes seek alternatives to bread to accompany jam.

It might be either a nice pogacha just like our moms baked for us, a bazlama as soft as cotton, a fresh crispy gevrek (İzmir’s word for simit), or piping hot pişi; but beware it doesn't burn your tongue if you intend to eat it quickly.

But if you’d like to make a change, you might also give the pancake a try as well!

 

A Pan in Her Hand at the Church

"Pancake" which has a seemingly obvious derivation for its name, actually has a rather unusual story for its origins.

The tale dates way back to one “Shrove Tuesday” when everyone was getting ready for Lent; a time during which people did not consume eggs nor butter. A woman named Olney who was in her kitchen making some sweet batter for pancakes, heard the bells tolling for church and upon this immediately left the kitchen to be at church on time to pray, and in her haste she forgot to leave the "pan" in the kitchen and the batter was baked, or rather "caked" into the pan.

This gave a rise to a tradition called “Pancake Day” which still continues after 600 years have passed!!!

People in England and the U.S. have started to consume pancakes not just on Tuesdays but all throughout the week. This staple ingredient for breakfast has recently begun to be adopted by Turkish cuisine as well.

Although "pancakes" might be called “gözleme” in Turkish subtitles, they are not even similar.  Although they have been confused with the French crêpe because of their outward appearance, what really sets them apart is the baking soda used in pancakes.

 

Ingredients

(I generally mean American cup size when I say cup. For those who might confuse it with other kinds of cups, 1 cup basically equals to 240 ml.)

Flour, 1.5 cup (360 ml)

Sugar, 0.5 cup (120 ml)

Butter, 60 gr

An egg

Baking soda, 1 pack

Milk

A pinch of salt

Home-made vanilla extract or 1 pack of vanilla up to your preferences

 

After you scramble the egg, combine it with melted butter. Then add all the other dry ingredients into the mixture and mix it pouring in the milk little by little until it turns into a smooth cake batter.When you pour the batter into the pan with a Teflon-coated spoon or a ceramic spoon, flip it with a spatula as some small holes form across its surface.

 

I think maple syrup is the greatest accompaniment for pancakes. Faux maple syrups are called pancaked syrups in the markets, so avoid them and go for the real ones. If you’d like, you can also use some honey, grape molasses or any kind of home-made jam. But for most people of course, Nutella is the real deal when it comes to pancakes!

 

You can also call one of your days a “Pancake Day” with this simple-to-do cake that has all these different accompaniments for everyone’s taste just to complement it!..

 

 

 

 

 

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life…