"Amish" Pancakes

Every other recipe now has the Amish Friendship Bread Starter in it. I told you, I might as well be an Amish Friendship Bread Starter blog. As soon as I come up with a shorter name. Anyway, my six bags of starter are now down to just two and I have several in the freezer for future use. I'm just keeping a couple going still because I actually do enjoy it (as long as it stays just two bags). I like discovering the different ways I can use this versatile starter. I had been thinking about pancakes for breakfast recently and of course I looked for way to incorporate the starter, so here are the results.





I couldn't flip the pancakes very well this morning. I blame my spatula.





My previous go-to pancakes recipe were easy to make but didn't quite deliver in the fluffy department. These sure do. Despite no additional sugar in this recipe, these pancakes are not at all bland. The sugar from the starter adds just enough sweetness and, if you top it off with syrup, then you'll have a perfect balance of sweet. This recipe is also easy to put together and uses basic ingredients that you should definitely have on hand. Besides the starter, of course, but that has become somewhat of a staple in my kitchen now. Enjoy these on your weekend morning with your family. It makes more than enough for a family of four, especially if served with other dishes such as eggs and bacon.

"Amish" Pancakes
From Friendship Bread Kitchen

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp oil
2 cups Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Set a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.

In a smaller bowl, combine oil, Amish Friendship Bread starter, milk, and egg.

Add ingredients of smaller bowl to the ingredients of larger bowl and mix on medium speed.

Spoon batter onto skillet or a greased griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook until browned on the other side.

Kimchi Pancakes (김치전)

Growing up, I didn't eat the kind of pancakes that are considered the norm around here. Instead of the sweet, maybe fruit- or chocolate-filled, fluffy, Sunday-morning-brunch pancakes, my mom made us savory pancakes. There were two kinds that she always made: chives and kimchi. For some reason, I never was and still am not a fan of the chive pancakes. I was turned off by them as a kid and I guess I've just stuck with that feeling. It's probably also because kimchi pancakes are the best. Spicy and crunchy from the kimchi with crispy edges from pan-frying in oil. Actually, I remember sometimes eating just the edges and leaving the middle for my mom to finish. Teehe.



The batter sure doesn't look appetizing, but I promise it's great. This makes for a great side dish to your meat and rice dishes. Serve whole or cut them into pieces for easier picking and eating.



It's not often that I have kimchi in my fridge, so whenever I do, I always make this dish. I was sorely disappointed when I wanted to make kimchi a few weeks ago, but when I went to the market, I was greeted with signs saying that a freeze had caused a vegetable shortage. So I waited until last weekend to visit the market again. This time, they had the napa cabbage! They were smaller than before but it was better than nothing. My mom tasted my last batch and told me I was probably using too little salt and too little seasoning so I amped it up for this batch and it turned out so much better. Still haven't tried making homemade kimchi? Interested? Check out my post!



Kimchi Pancakes (김치전) 
From Maangchi

1 cup chopped kimchi
3 tbsp kimchi juice
2 tbsp chopped onion [I left this out]
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients.

In a 12-inch pan, heat 2 tbsp oil at medium-high heat. Place the kimchi batter in the pan and spread the batter evenly and thinly. Let it cook for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is golden and crispy. Flip the pancake and let the other side cook for 2 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Serve!

Buttermilk Pancakes

Did you know you could freeze buttermilk?

I didn't either. I bought half a gallon of buttermilk to make Buttermilk Pie for Thanksgiving, but it had been sitting in my fridge not being used. I really hate to see food go to waste, so I Googled if freezing it would be possible at all and it's actually quite commonly done. I froze about half of what was left and used the other half to make buttermilk pancakes. Breakfast for dinner, anyone?



Searching for buttermilk pancake recipes, I came across this one. It's from Gwyneth Paltrow, of whom I'm not a big fan, but once in a while, I like some of the recipes she has to offer. These are so soft, but a different kind of soft that sour cream pancakes have (see here). These are thin and not-so-fluffy-but-just-really-tender pancakes. As I was making them for myself, the pancakes were still hot when I was ready to eat. Serving these immediately is probably the best. I also opted to do without the strawberry sauce because I love syrup and I didn't have strawberries on hand.



Speaking of pancakes, you should visit this site. It's hilarious and the food looks delicious.

Buttermilk Pancakes
From Sweet Tarte

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
Heaping 1/2 tsp baking powder
Heaping 1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
Milk or water for thinning batter

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.

In a medium pan or cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Pour the melted butter into a small bowl, and return the pan to the stove. Once the butter has cooled slightly, whisk in the buttermilk and the egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined. If your batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of two or milk or water to thin it out (the thinner the batter, the more delicate the pancakes).

Ladle batter into greased pan or skillet working in batches of 2 to 3 pancakes at a time. When the top of the pancakes are covered with bubbles (after about 2 to 3 minutes), flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or so, until pancakes are cooked through and golden. Transfer to a plate and keep warm until it's time to serve.

To make the strawberry sauce, puree the strawberry mixture in a food processor or blender. Heat the puree in a small saucepan before serving.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Happy Father's Day to all the men out there :)

My mom, my sister, and I put our money together to get my dad an awesome birthday gift, but as it was only two weeks ago, we ended up making it a birthday/Father's Day gift. So this morning, I surprised my dad with pancakes. He doesn't leave for work until 9 a.m. on Sundays, so I woke up earlier than usual to make them. Normally, my dad has Korean food for breakfast, but it's a special day, after all! He likes pancakes so I knew he wouldn't mind eating these for a change.

Rather than making the pancakes I always do, I decided to change it up. There are a lot of sour cream pancake recipes floating around on the Internet and since I had sour cream already, why not use it? Actually, the question I should really be asking myself is why HAVEN'T I used it before?! The addition of sour cream makes the pancakes fluffier. And thicker. And softer.

My parents ate these without the bananas, but I gave it a try. I've had banana pancakes before where mashed bananas are mixed into the batter, but as I'm not a fan of banana bread, I knew I wouldn't like that either. But with these pancakes, as only pieces are sprinkled on top, the banana doesn't overpower everything else.



I would make these for special occasions. I don't always have sour cream in the fridge and the other pancake recipe is enough to satiate my craving or to accompany any late night shenanigans.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes [Makes 12 pancakes]
From The Urban Spork

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp milk
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- Unsalted butter
- 2 ripe bananas diced, plus extra for serving
- Pure maple syrup

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
2. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan (I use a 1/4 cup measure per pancake). Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until browned. Wipe the pan with a paper towel, add more butter and continue cooking the pancakes until all of the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Hodduk (호떡)

Spring Break started last week and I drove back home on Saturday. I couldn't have chosen a better day to drive for 7 hours. Rain, rain, and more rain. Oh, and some wind. I'm surprised I even survived that trip, but I'm alive and I arrived home safely. So far, my break has been decent. Yesterday, I went on a shopping spree because I was in desperate need of new clothes and new shoes since the bottom of my 80/20 pair is ripping open. I also made crepes for breakfast for me and my sister (recipe soon!). Today, besides watching Nikita and memorizing Shakespeare, I made these stuffed pancakes for my parents. I've made these for my friends before and they were a huge hit!



This is the kind of dessert that my family and I bought from either the street carts or the supermarkets. But considering how easy it is to make at home, I will always opt for homemade now. Very minimal amount of kneading is necessary for this dough. It's quite sticky to work with, so make sure you have a whole lot of flour ready. The dough is fluffy once fried and the cinnamon brown sugar becomes a syrupy gooey delicious filling. These are best eaten right after they've been cooked: when it's too hot to hold that you toss it from one hand to the other and when it's too hot to eat that you inhale a bit of air to cool it down.



Hodduk (호떡) [Makes 8 pancakes]
From Maangchi

- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, add warm water, sugar, yeast, salt, and oil. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. Add flour and mix with a spoon until flour is well incorporated.
2. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for an hour at room temperature.
3. Knead the dough to remove gas bubbles. Cover and let sit again for 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Place a handful of flour on a cutting board. Place the dough on the cutting board and knead. Pat into a ball and divide into 8 equal-sized pieces.
5. Take one, flatten it, place some filling into the center and bring up the sides to the center and seal it to make a ball. Repeat with the remaining.
6. Heat a pan to medium and add 1 or 2 tbsp oil. Place a pancake in the pan and cook on one side until golden brown. Flip. Flatten the pancake with the spatula. Cook until golden brown. Let cool for a bit and serve.

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

Amongst my roommates, I am the only one that seems to use scallions. I buy a bag at Wal-Mart and am never able to finish the whole thing before they start to go bad. I feel awful throwing it away so I try to come up with ways to use it up fast. Whenever I have stir-fry, which was quite often last year, I would sprinkle some on top. Still a lot left! I considered making Pajeon, Korean scallion pancakes, but it would involve calling my mom and getting the recipe. I don't think I was in the mood for that. I instead turned to Chinese Scallion Pancakes. Other times, I bought Pillsbury's crescent dough and sprinkled chopped scallions on them before rolling it up and baking them! Just as good.

Chinese Scallion Pancakes
From Delish Food

- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1. Mix flour and water until they come together to form a dough ball. Let it rest for 30 minutes in a bowl covered with a damp towel.
2. Form a flattened dome with the dough ball. Cut into 6 equal parts. Roll out part into a circle as thinly as you can. Brush a bit of oil on top of the pancake and then sprinkle on salt and 1 or 2 tablespoons of chopped scallions evenly.
3. Roll the pancake from one side to the other and form into a spiral, pinching ends together. Then flatten it out into a circle about 1/8" inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 5 parts of dough.
4. Heat a tablespoon of oil on skillet over medium heat. Set pancake in skillet and fry until bottom is crispy and golden. Flip to fry the other side. Remove from heat and serve immediately or reheat in the oven. Repeat with rest of the pancakes.



I made these two nights ago on Sunday to accompany my General Tso's Chicken. I tried to be healthier and used less oil to fry these, but I think that was a bad choice. I even kinda burnt a few because I was all over the kitchen trying to finish that dinner on time. You can serve it with any dipping sauce that you wish. My family has a favorite that we use for everything. My mom never measures anything, so I found this recipe on Recipezaar if you are interested.

Pancakes on the 4th

Happy July 4th, everyone! Hope you all are enjoying this day. The weather is super hot here (almost 100 degrees F!) so I am staying inside... The whole family is home today. My sister came down from New York for the weekend. My mom usually works on Sundays, but since the 4th falls on a Sunday this year, she's got a day off. I decided to let her rest and make pancakes for the family in the morning. I went for the traditional recipe from Allrecipes rather than something with sour cream or bananas or other flavors that my dad might end up not enjoying as much. Better safe than sorry? I wanted to use flaxseed meal in place of the eggs, but I had written down the wrong ratio and I guess it was too early in the morning for me to recognize how to fix it so I just used eggs. Next time! This time, I also used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup white flour. I have so much that I want to use up and plus all the better for my parents! Of course, I had to double this recipe for four people or three people and one person with a really big appetite (cough--my sister--cough). This is a very simple and basic recipe that you could probably use as a base for fancier pancakes, but sometimes basic pancakes with just maple syrup is all that you need.

Pancakes [Makes about 18 pancakes]
Adapted from Allrecipes

- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp oil

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg and add milk and oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well.
2. Heat pan to medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and pour 1/4 cup of batter onto pan.
3. When bubbles start to form on top and the edges are dry, flip the pancake and cook for 2 more minutes. Continue same method until you are out of batter.



This one turned out pretty flat, but I intentionally made some that way as I am always afraid the center will not be cooked. There were a lot of fluffy ones though.