Sunday Morning Pancakes - Make It a Family Tradition

We have a tradition in my family. Most every Sunday we sit down to a scratch pancake and sausage breakfast. Well, I don't exactly make the sausage from scratch but you get the picture . I say most every Sunday because there are some Sundays when I, for some reason, don't whip up a batch of hotcakes and links and I almost always hear about it. Traditions are very important to us and this one ranks right up there with the Elf on the Shelf. Well, almost. Nevertheless, sitting down to breakfast with your family doesn't have to be an event. In fact, breakfast is relatively easy to prepare. And why not breakfast? Isn't it most important meal of the day?

If you've read this far, then your probably interested in my TTPs. My tools, techniques, and procedures. So I won't make you wait another minute.

First, by a griddle. I have a Westbend and it works very well for my family of four. You need a griddle because it offers a large cooking surface. If you have a large family, then consider purchasing two griddles.

Next, you need to find a recipe that you and your family like. I've memorized a pancake recipe I obtained from the cookbook Joy of Cooking which I'll share with you in a moment.

Third, figure out what sort of sausage your family likes to eat. And don't limit yourself to the heat-and-serve variety you find in your standard grocery store. I happen to like Bass Farm brand sausage but my boys are still young so we stick to Johnsonville brand links because they're mild.

So now you have a griddle or two, a pancake recipe, and sausage. Let's get started. Set up your griddle and set it to 350 degrees. While the griddle heats up combine your wet and dry ingredients separately. For about 10-12 pancakes, 6-8 inches in diameter combine

Dry:

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt

Wet:

1 1/4 cup of whole milk
1 egg, beaten lightly
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons of sugar

Whisk together the dry ingredients for a few minutes until blended. Then warm the milk, melt the butter, and combine. Whisk the eggs and sugar together and temper the egg mixture by pouring a little of the warm milk mixture in the eggs to bring the temperature up slowly.

Now that you combined the the wet and dry ingredients pour the wet into the dry and mix together with a spatula. Use as few strokes as possible to avoid overbeating the mixture. If you overbeat, you encourage glutin, which results is tough pancakes. You'll have a few lumps but no 'knead' to worry. Get it? No. Anyway, let the batter sit for about 10 minutes to give the baking powder an opportunity to do its thing.

This is about the time I start the sausage. Follow the instruction on the package. Avoid cooking sausage on high heat or it'll burn before it cooks through.

I use a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Make your pancakes as small or as large as you like but be prepared to live with the consequences of your decision. I can usually get about 4-6 pancakes on at a time. pour the batter and cook until the top of the pancakes bubbles and pits. Take a look at the underside to be sure it's browned before you flip. Once you flip the pancakes, cook for about another minute and set them aside on a plate and cover with a clean dishtowel. Finish up the rest of the batter and serve the pancakes with syrup and butter.

If it's Strawberry or Blueberry season, then kick it up a notch and make a seasonal syrup.