pancakes

so i was all set to make myself pancakes this past sunday, as i've done just about every sunday since i was 13 (i know, i'm such a creature of habit), only to discover i was all out of mix and i needed to make more...

yes, make more... i'm not talking about some store bought crap, there's been a general purpose mixture (not unlike bisquick in it's ability to be used for lots of things) recipe used by my family for many moons and i needed to make more..

and as is often the case, my memory failed me... so i'm going to write it down for posterity...

9 cups of flour
1 cup + 2 tablespoons of milk powder
1/3 cup of baking powder
4 teaspoons of salt
1 3/4 cups of vegetable oil

you mix them all up thoroughly - you don't want any chunks (at least nothing bigger than a pea)...

pretty simple, i just couldn't remember whether it was 1/3 cups of baking powder or 2/3 cups...

and then i made my pancakes... people seem to like my pancakes - and i don't mean crepe-style pancakes either, i'm talking about pancakes that rise like bread, that are at least a half inch think and light and fluffy... pancakes that emphasize the cake part... they're also simple to make...

1 egg
~1/2 cup of milk
~1 cup of the aforementioned mix

the measurments are approximate because i like to tweak it to get just the right consistency (like a really thick milkshake, only this isn't something you'd want to slurp up through a straw - well you could do it, i suppose, the batter tastes fine the way it is)... i also double everything because i really can eat a tower of pancakes all by myself...

anyways, you mix it thoroughly (again, you don't want lumps) and you drop 1/4 cup amounts in a non-stick pre-heated frying pan (sorry, you'll have to experiment with temperature - 6 1/2 on my stove is probably something entirely different on yours) and cook till several bubbles rise to the top and then flip.. you should be looking at a nice golden brown pancake at this point (though only half cooked) and if not that's your cue to adjust the temperature... if, at this point, your pancake rises so much that the already cooked side splits open then you've got yourself a really good pancake...

if you want you can throw some apple slivers into the mix too, but i'd suggest making the batter more watery for that.. thicker batter doesn't cook as easily when apple chunks get in the way...