Pumpkin Pancakes

These pumpkin pancakes are so tender and cake-y, you could almost frost them and serve them for dessert.  I often eat the leftovers plain, at room temperature or lightly toasted, no fork necessary, and I could swear I’m eating a pumpkin doughnut or muffin.  But give them the butter and syrup treatment when they’re fresh off the griddle and fragrant with warm autumn spices.

Some like their pancakes thick and fluffy, others prefer thin and flat.  I’m obviously in the thick and fluffy camp, so this batter is scoop-able, not pour-able.  If you prefer thinner pancakes, you can always add a little more milk.

And what about first pancake syndrome?  It’s widely known that the first batch of pancakes doesn’t come out as good as the ones that follow.  Since everyone seems to experience this, I always just accepted that I’d have to throw out the first batch as the cost of making pancakes.  But recently I decided to figure out why this happens and see if I could avoid it.  My first theory was that, if later batches were better, it must have something to do with time:  the griddle has more time to heat up evenly, or the batter has more time to sit and develop.  I do think both of those factors are important, but they’re not the entire answer.  It turns out it has to do with the fat (I prefer vegetable oil to butter, more on that later), which forms puddles on the griddle when you first add it.  When you drop pancake batter on top of those little pools of oil, the surface of the pancake will fry in the oil, forming a greasy crust, often with a pale center or uneven browning.  But after the first batch, the excess oil has been absorbed (by that unfortunate first pancake) and spread out into a very thin layer, effectively seasoning the pan.  The next pancake has just enough oil underneath it to keep it from sticking, but not so much that it fries.

To avoid having to throw away your first batch, do for yourself what the first batch used to do for you.  First, start with a heavy nonstick pan or griddle, and let it heat for longer than you think you need to:  I heat mine over medium or medium-low heat for 15 minutes while the batter is resting.  Leaving the pan on the heat for a longer time, rather than heating it up quickly at a high temperature, provides a more even, reliable heat for multiple batches of pancakes.

Then, drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil onto the griddle, maybe a tablespoon for a large griddle that spans multiple burners, less if you’re using a skillet.  (I don’t recommend butter in a hot pan unless you’re using clarified butter, which doesn’t burn as easily but is an awful lot of trouble to go to on a Sunday morning.)  Then, take a paper towel and wipe the oil off.  Yup.  Wipe the oil all over the griddle to spread it out and remove most of it, leaving just a thin film that you can barely see.  Repeat this process between each batch.

A few other pancake tips:

• After mixing the batter, let it sit for 15 minutes.  This allows time for the baking powder to activate and the flour to absorb some of the liquid, both of which lighten the batter.
• While the batter is resting and your nonstick griddle is slowly heating, heat the oven to 200 and put your serving plates in the oven in single layers (2 plates side by side on each of 2 racks if you’re serving 4).  As each pancake comes off the griddle, transfer it to one of the plates, going in order from one plate to the next.  That way once all the pancakes are cooked, each plate will have the same ratio of fresh-off-the-griddle vs. held-warm pancakes, and the freshest will be on top.
• Pancakes should be flipped when the edges look dry, bubbles start to appear in the top surface, and a careful peek at the bottom, by lifting an edge with a spatula, shows that it’s a nice golden brown.  Pancakes should only be flipped once, so don’t flip until you’re sure.

Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:

• To get a jump start, mix the dry ingredients the night before.  In the morning, add the wet ingredients and proceed as directed in the recipe.
• This recipe serves 4 generously.  I’m often making breakfast for 2, but this is not an easy recipe to halve, as it contains 1 egg.  So I cook up all the pancakes, let the extras cool, and then either store them at room temperature for a day or two or wrap each pancake individually and freeze them for up to a month.  Leftovers can be reheated in a low oven or toasted in a toaster, if you want to serve them with butter and syrup.  They’re also really good plain, eaten out of hand, for breakfast on the go or as a snack with coffee.

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