Personally, I am not a pancake lover. My family, however, is nuts for them. They could eat the same basic ones over and over. And they have, given my lack of enthusiasm. They even invite friends over just for weekend pancake breakfasts. For me, it’s a big shrug. But… given my curiosity about food in general and my interest in satisfying the gluten-free, I’ve been looking into a few alternative pancakes. This one’s not GF but I know I can make that work once I understand how the ingredients interact. Pumpkin and winter squash are forgiving ingredients.
I clip or copy recipes from all over the place and typically lose them. But this one I taped to the wall since I’d just cooked a kuri squash and knew I would make it within a week. However, unlike me, I failed to clip the name of the author, so I’m attributing it to the newspaper. As usual, I rewrote the recipe to be clearer and made some minor adjustments.
These pancakes are cake-like, colorful, and delicious. Served with maple syrup brought by a friend from the Adirondacks, they made a satisfying winter breakfast. Even I liked them, and that’s a high compliment.
Squash (or Pumpkin) Pancakes, adapted from a recipe in the Princeton Packet
1½ c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/3 c vegetable oil like canola
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
½ c packed puree of full-bodied squash or canned pumpkin
1¼ c milk
Butter
Heat a griddle over medium-low heat.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and add the vegetable oil, sugar, squash or pumpkin and milk, stirring to combine well. Add the dry ingredients, stirring just to combine. Do not over-mix.
Add a little butter to the heated griddle and wipe it off. Spoon the pancake batter onto the griddle and cook slowly until bubbles pop, about two minutes or so. Flip and cook the other side for about two minutes.
Makes about 24 pancakes about 3-3½ inches.
PROSPECT THE PANTRY 