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Baking Expert
Catherine Christiansen
Pancakes and Waffles
The magic thing about these raised waffles and pancakes is when they fill the morning with the evocative, rich and earthy smell of yeast. I made them with my mom last weekend and together we stood over her vintage waffle iron and breathed it all in. Memories of Sunday mornings going back 40 years bubbled up with the batter on the iron and that sweet smell hung around all day.
These raised waffles, adapted from a classic Fannie Farmer recipe, are crazy delicious. Brown and perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy and yeasty inside the grids. They’re best served straight off of the waffle iron, dotted with butter and drizzled with real maple syrup. Put a blueberry in each square it that’s your thing.
Raised buckwheat pancakes provide hearty, eastern European nourishment that marries perfectly with warm applesauce and cool sour cream or yogurt. The yeast in these lovely cakes provides complex flavor that stands up to the robust texture of buckwheat flour. They offer perfect staying power for a day spent outside in the late winter cold.
The last pancake, a downy basic recipe, can be shaped in diminutive silver dollars, plate-sized flapjacks or to look like Mickey Mouse’s head—your choice. The recipe is relatively foolproof and may well relegate the boxed stuff to the back of the cupboard. These babies rise up nicely and freeze just fine, if there are any left.
Serve any of these recipes with vanilla-scented plum compote, although the best match is with the fluffy classic pancakes. A whole lot of plump sweetness going on with that combination.
Warm up the griddle, grab the Sunday New York Times, and settle in for a blissful mmmorning.
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