Chez Ma Tante’s Pancakes

- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1large egg
- 1egg yolk
- 2½tablespoons baking powder
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼cups whole milk
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons clarified butter (or store-bought), melted
- Salted butter, for serving (optional)
- Maple syrup, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Whisk egg and yolk together in a medium bowl. Add baking powder, sugar and salt; whisk until smooth and fluffy. Pour in half the milk, then half the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine. Add the remaining milk and flour plus 2 tablespoons clarified butter and stir briefly just until batter comes together but is still somewhat lumpy.
- Step 2
Heat a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high for at least 5 minutes. Pour about ¼ cup clarified butter into the pan. When the surface of the clarified butter starts to shimmer, ladle about ⅓ cup of the batter into the skillet for each pancake, leaving a couple of inches between each pancake. Add more clarified butter as pancakes cook to keep about ⅛ inch of fat in the bottom of the pan at all times.
- Step 3
Cook until the top of the pancake starts to bubble and edges turn browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip each pancake. The cooked surface should be very crispy, with a dark ring around the edge. Cook until the second side is browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat to cook the remaining pancakes, adding more clarified butter as needed.
- Step 4
Serve immediately with pats of salted butter, if desired, and maple syrup. If making a large batch, cooked pancakes can be kept warm on a wire rack set in a rimmed metal baking sheet in a 300-degree oven.
- The batter can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight. You might need to increase cook time on the pancakes by 1 minute or so on each side.
Private Notes
Comments
Melt butter, more than the recipe calls for and put in in the refrigerator. As it cools, the fat solids will rise to the top. Remove the top layer of fat and the remainder is clarified butter. Also called Ghee in the grocery store.
For anyone trying these out and turned off by all the pearl-clutchers with the "TOO GREASY AND SALTY OMG MY STARS AND GARTERS": make sure your pan is nice and hot before adding the clarified butter, then make sure the butter is hot before adding the batter. I bet their pans/butter weren't hot enough, which would indeed give you a heavy, greasy pancake. If, on the other hand, you just don't like butter and salt then don't make these, make a different pancake. Good lord.
You are never going to make really great pancakes until you get the right flour ! Not all purpose and heaven forbid not bread flour. You need soft wheat flour - biscuit flour. Try it you will taste the difference.
Hi! Wondering if this batter would work for waffles? Has anyone tried it, made this recipe but put in a waffle iron? Wonder if batter too thin? Or did it/would it work? Happy to hear any experiences/suggestions. Thanks!
I love this recipe. Easy to make (compared to "easy" recipes that make chewy cakes). I don't have a professional kitchen, used just a normal pan and also regular butter. Still creates just the right crispy but light and delicate pancake. I use less baking powder, 2 tablespoons instead of 2 1/2, because I don't like a chunky pancake. I make sure to spread the batter out on the pan so it cooks evenly, In this case it is 2 minutes per side, and slightly less when flipping.
These didn't really work for me. They tasted good and we enjoyed them, but when I used the suggested amount of clarified butter, the pancakes sort of deep-fried, which you would think would be amazing, but it wasn't very satisfying. But too little butter and they were rubbery and anemic. I think this recipe might work in restaurant conditions better than in home kitchens? Also when the headnote says plate sized but the recipe says 1/3 cup, you know something's off.