Country Inn Pancakes

Here's a recipe from Michael Smith's Chef at Home cookbook. I used half of the recipe as the whole recipe is too much for us.

This is my gold-standard pancake recipe. When I was a country inn chef I tinkered with it every morning. I tried adding everything under the sun but always come back to this simple base recipe with blueberries. The secret? A preheated skillet.

One and a half cups of all-purpose flour
A cup of whole-wheat flour
One-half spoonful of salt
Two spoonfuls of brown sugar
One spoonful of baking powder
Several large pinches of grated nutmeg
Two eggs
Two sticks of melted butter, eight ounces
Two cups of milk
A splash of vanilla extract
A cup of blueberries (optional)

Preheat your griddle or skillet over a medium-low heat while you mix the batter.

Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg together in a large bowl until they’re evenly combined. In a separate bowl use the same whisk to beat the eggs then whisk in the butter, milk and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and switch to a wooden spoon. Combine with a few quick strokes. Leave the batter a bit lumpy so the flour doesn’t over-mix and get tough. Let the batter rest for a few minutes; the flour will absorb the milk and the batter will stiffen.

For each batch add a splash of vegetable oil to the pan then spoon in the batter. Bake until the bottom of each pancake is browned and bubbles break on the top surface. Carefully flip then bake a few moments more. Drench with butter and maple syrup then start your day with a big smile!

Feel free to try: For a less decadent variation, you can substitute any vegetable oil for the melted butter. For a richer, earthy flavour, replace some or all of the white flour with whole wheat flour. For an apple-pie version, substitute cinnamon for the nutmeg and add a finely diced apple. For a treat, stir in sliced bananas and chocolate chips.

Hints: Your skillet is perfectly preheated when water drops dance on it without evaporating. Adjust the temperature if the drops evaporate (too hot) or just sit and simmer (too cool). Find that magical sweet spot on your stove.