Edna Mae Pancakes My Way

Earlier I posted a recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook.  In it she has a recipe for sour cream pancakes from her husband's grandmother, Edna Mae.  It only has a bit of flour and they are very good with a bit of a sour bite.  Just delicious.

   


Back when the kids were little (and even now when they visit) I would make banana pancakes by smashing up a ripe banana or two into the Bisquick batter.  An easy and delicious breakfast.  Especially if you make faces in the pancakes with chocolate chips!  I wondered whether bananas would taste good in Edna Mae's recipe for sour cream pancakes.

You can scroll down to find the earlier directions for the original recipe.  I will repeat the ingredients here and add fruit so I can pretend I am eating healthily.

   
   
Sour Cream Pancakes with Bananas...oh, and Strawberries!

1 cup sour cream
7 (yes, only 7) Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 mashed banana
1 cup sliced strawberries
butter
syrup

Heat a griddle over medium low heat.

Slice the strawberries and set aside in a small bowl.

   

Use a fork and smash a ripe banana in a large bowl until kind of mushy.  Add the eggs and whip them around with the same fork.  Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix it in.  Keep using the fork.

Just dump all the dry ingredients ( flour, sugar, baking soda and salt) on top of the mixture and give them a good mix. You made need a bigger spoon at this point.  It is okay to have lumps.  Don't over mix.

   

Place a pat of butter on the griddle and when it is melted pour about 1/4 cup of the batter on top of the melted butter.  When the top starts to turn dry around the edges, about 1 1/2 minutes, flip it over.  Cook the other side and prepare to plate.  I like the griddle because you can cook enough for one person at a time.  Serve with a sprinkling of sliced strawberries and the syrup of your choice.

This recipe made enough for 3 people.  I left out the chocolate chip faces, no kids to spoil, but feel free to indulge!

Sour Cream Pancakes

   

I have been craving sourdough pancakes.  Not just any ones, but the thin and very sour ones made with a sourdough starter that has been souring for years.  I used to keep a sourdough starter for pancakes and it was pretty good.  But they are a lot of work if you don't use them often.  You have to take some out and add fresh ingredients every week or so.  I thought about making a starter and trying out sourdough bread.  The real sourdough bread, like you get in San Francisco.  But we don't eat that much bread any more and so I gave that idea up.

I was wondering if Greek yogurt would make a good sour pancake and started checking the Internet for recipe ideas.  It seems EVERYBODY is raving about the Pioneer Woman's version of sour cream pancakes.  (In case you don't know her and her blog, they all refer to her with the initials of PW and she is wonderful.)  It was even on Smitten Kitchen, another favorite foodie blog.  I decided I needed to try it out.  I have the Pioneer Woman cookbook and yet I have never made the pancakes. No time like the present.  These are named after PW's grandmother-in-law, Edna Mae, who gave her the recipe.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 Tablespoons flour (yes, that is accurate, just 7 Tablespoons)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
butter

   

Heat up a griddle or cast iron pan over medium low heat. 

   

Put the eggs and vanilla in a bowl and whisk together.  Add the cup of sour cream and whisk again.  Remove the whisk and stick it in the sink.  Get a spoon.

   

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the sour cream mixture.  Stir together gently.  It is not necessary or even desirable to get all the lumps out.  Just make sure the flour is moistened.

   

Melt a bit of butter in the pan or griddle and pour about 1/4 cup of the batter on top of it.  Now you are back to every pancake recipe you ever made. 

   

Just make sure the top has made and then popped some air bubbles before you try to turn the pancake over. Then cook the other side until browned and serve immediately with the syrup of choice.

   

I don't like to drown pancakes in puddles of syrup.  I like a pancake to retain a modicum of texture.  No gloppy pancakes for me.  My preferred pancake eating style is with a bit of syrup on the side.  I call it a dipping puddle.  Cut a bite, dip and consume.

   

Feel free to eat your pancakes your way.

These pancakes are truly worth the hype.  They are easy to make with ingredients on hand and made just the right amount for two people.  They are light and have a delicious sour bite to them.  I recommend them highly.  Next time I may try them with Greek yogurt and maybe strawberries on top.