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Pancakes with Buttered Maple Pecan Syrup

Source of Recipe

From "The Back in the Day Bakery: Made with Love" by Cheryl Day


Recipe Introduction

"Sunday is my favorite day of the week. You'd think Griff and I wouldn't cook then, but I love to make a relaxing brunch at home on our day off. I always keep a big jar of my homemade pancake mix in the pantry, so I can fix pancakes at any time—I only need to add the wet ingredients when it's time to cook. I like to make small pancakes so I can stack them up tall on my plate and top them with warm Buttered Maple Pecan Syrup."

List of Ingredients

For the pancake mix:
â—¦ 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 3 tablespoons baking powder
â—¦ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

For each 1 cup pancake mix:
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ 1 cup buttermilk
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
â—¦ Unsalted butter for cooking
â—¦ Buttered Maple Pecan Syrup (recipe follows)


Recipe

To make the pancake mix: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. The mix can be stored in an airtight jar for up to 3 months.

Preheat the oven to 200° F. Heat an electric griddle to 375° F or heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat. You can check to make sure the griddle is hot enough by flicking a few drops of water onto it: if the water bounces and sizzles, you are ready to go.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Scoop 1 cup of the pancake mix into a medium mixing bowl and whisk in the liquid ingredients. It is important not to overmix the batter: you want to mix just until the ingredients are incorporated. The idea is to leave some small lumps in the batter, which will make for light and fluffy pancakes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on the griddle. Spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake and cook until the edges begin to set and small bubbles appear on top. Peek underneath one to make sure the bottom is golden. Flip and cook for about another minute. Transfer to a heatproof platter and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the pancakes.

Serve the pancakes warm with the maple pecan syrup.

Each batch makes 14 to 16 small pancakes




Buttered Maple Pecan Syrup:

â—¦ 1 cup pecans
â—¦ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 2 cups pure maple syrup
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.

Spread the nuts out in a single layer in a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the edges of the nuts begin to darken. Transfer to a plate and let cool, then finely chop.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the syrup, ginger, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Add the toasted pecans and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm. The syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat over low heat before serving.

Makes about 2 cups