<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Recently, I&amp;#039;ve grown fond of waking up on Saturday mornings and making pancakes for my wife and our son. The problem is they&amp;#039;re less than appetizing. Yes, I&amp;#039;ve been relying on box mixes \u2014 some would say for too long \u2014 and while my family would never send back their breakfast, deep down I knew that they were flawed. Thin, unflavorful things that rarely look like circles and lacked a certain fluff I knew should be there. I wanted to be better. Our wives, girlfriends and friends dropping in for a weekend expect and deserve better. Lo and behold, there&amp;#039;s a new cookbook simply titled Pancakes from A Cozy Kitchen&amp;#039;s Adrianna Adarme. My prayers had been answered. &amp;quot;Pancakes are really nostalgic,&amp;quot; Adarme says about the pancake&amp;#039;s wooing properties. &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s why they tend to be comforting. They&amp;#039;re one of the first things you eat as a kid for breakfast with your family.&amp;quot; If you&amp;#039;re thinking you too might have a pancake problem, Adarme broke down five ways that you can ramp up your pancakes, with a recipe, to boot:     This one in particular, Kate&amp;#039;s Homemade Buttermilk, is really good. -The Editors    1. Buttermilk Is Your Friend While you can use pretty much any milk when creating a pancake batter, buttermilk is the route to take. &amp;quot;Buttermilk gives this subtle tang,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;A lot of people don&amp;#039;t want to buy buttermilk because it usually has one sole purpose: to make pancakes.&amp;quot; Buy some buttermilk, put it in the fridge, and use the leftovers to make some Sunday-night fried chicken. 2. As Is the Cast-Iron Skillet    In the introduction to Pancakes, Adarme swears by the cast-iron. And this may seem obvious, but it&amp;#039;s worth mentioning: &amp;quot;You want to preheat your skillet,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;The baking powder reacts to the heat immediately. If you pour the pancake batter into the cold stove, it won&amp;#039;t rise the way it&amp;#039;s supposed to.&amp;quot; 3. Strong, Thick Batters Are a Good Thing     A few small to medium lumps are good, FYI.   A weak batter can be a problem, and to get a thick cake like you would order from your favorite diner, it&amp;#039;s important to get it just right. &amp;quot;The basic buttermilk pancake recipe is on the thicker side,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;Thick is good. To thicken pancake batter, you can take a sifter and add a tablespoon of flour at a time to make it thicker if its too runny. I see a lot of people stirring the batter until it&amp;#039;s completely smooth. But you have to have some finesse and not over-mix it. What you&amp;#039;re doing is overdeveloping the gluten so it becomes elastic, like pizza dough. That&amp;#039;s good when it comes to pizza dough, but not good when you&amp;#039;re making pancakes.&amp;quot; 4. As Are Your Own (Strong) Toppings     Like bourbon-spiked maple syrup.    It may sound like a lot of work, but you can do a few simple homemade toppings the day before that will not only accentuate your final product, but garner you points for going the extra mile. Try mixing maple syrup, unsalted butter, two tablespoons of bourbon and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. &amp;quot;It tastes a little like sweet whiskey,&amp;quot; Adarme says. &amp;quot;You have to skim off the butter because it separates. That&amp;#039;s the easiest.&amp;quot; 5. And Don&amp;#039;t Be Afraid to Go the Savory Route     Olive Oil and Italian Sausage Pancakes.    You&amp;#039;re probably familiar with a sweet on sweet pancake like chocolate chip pancakes. But there are many ways to interject a savory attitude into the sweetness of the pancake. For example, Adarme showcases cheddar bacon pancakes and a play on pigs in a blanket that infuses Italian sausage. &amp;quot;When you&amp;#039;re folding in bits of bacon and sausage, you should just do it gently,&amp;quot; she says. The only real thing that you should be concerned about is the weight of what you&amp;#039;re adding in. &amp;quot;If you wanted to riff of one of the recipes and use chorizo (that are still in their casing), I&amp;#039;d recommend adding them directly onto the pancake after you pour the batter into the skillet. Heavier mix-ins like sliced chorizo, fruit, berries, etc. tend to sink to the bottom of the bowl batter.&amp;quot; How to Make Cheddar Bacon Pancakes     Like these.    Makes 8 pancakes I&amp;#039;m a huge advocate of &amp;quot;brinner&amp;quot; a.k.a. breakfast for dinner. If you are, too, then these Cheddar Bacon Pancakes are just the thing. The salty bacon and sharp cheddar work great with a heavy pour of dreamy maple syrup. Dry Mix  1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tbsp cornmeal 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt  Wet Mix  1 cup plus 2 tbsps buttermilk, shaken 1 large egg  Mix-Ins  3 slices bacon, cooked and diced 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grate Butter or vegetable oil, for the skillet  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 2. Measure out the buttermilk in a measuring cup or small bowl. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly combined. 3. All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter should have some small to medium lumps. Gently fold in the diced bacon and cheddar cheese. 4. Preheat your skillet over medium heat and brush with 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter or a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Using a 1/4-cup measure, scoop the batter onto the warm skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until small bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes, and then flip. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook on the opposite sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. 5. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200\u00B0F oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve immediately. Adarme&amp;#039;s Pancakes: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack is out now on St. Martins. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/a22840/pancake-upgrades-recipe-15535000/>