pancake
crêpe
palatschinken
pfannkuchen
plättar
blini injera
pita
galette

Waffles and French Toast (pain perdu) are not exactly pancakes but they are a pancake’’s closest cousins. And they certainly can warm our souls and hearts on a cold winter day - as well as our stomachs!

Did you know that waffles have their origins in the Middle Ages? “Waffle irons consisted of two metal plates connected by a hinge, with each plate connected to a wooden arm. Some plates had imprinted designs such as a coat-of-arms or landscape, while some had the now-familiar honeycomb/gridiron pattern”... (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle).

French Toast, or as the French call it, “pain perdu” is best made with some “forgotten bread” that is a few days old and stale. What better way to use up that bread that has been laying around? Add a topping of your choice and you are set!

French Toast (pain perdu)

Ingredients:
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
5-6 1-inch-thick slices of bread (slightly stale bread is best!)

In a shallow bowl beat together eggs, milk vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the tablespoon of flour and blend into the mixture until all is smooth.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat and lightly coat with butter or cooking oil. When the pan is hot, dip the bread into the mixture to coat it on both sides. For chewier breads, let the bread soak in the mixture for up to 30 seconds on each side. Lift out the bread and place onto the frying pan. Let cook for 2-3 minutes and then turn over with a spatula. Cook again for 2-3 minutes until both sides are a golden brown. Add more butter or cooking oil to the pan if necessary before cooking the next piece of dipped bread.

Traditional toppings in the US are a little melted butter and maple syrup or butter and powdered sugar. But the choices for toppings are endless. Do a bit of searching via the internet to see other ideas or do some experimentation on your own to see what you and your family like best!

Waffles

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks (don’t throw out the whites, see below)
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 egg whites

Start by turning on the waffle maker so that it will be ready when you have the batter done. Grease the waffle iron first if necessary.
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. In another bowl beat the egg yolks slightly and then beat in the milk and oil. Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture all at once. Stir until everything is just combined but still lumpy (don’t overmix!).
In a small bowl beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form (the tips should be standing straight) and then gently fold them into the flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. Remember, do not overmix!

Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups of batter onto the grids of the preheated waffle iron. Close the lid quickly and do not open again until the waffle is done. Back it according to the waffle maker’s instructions (some will take longer than others, some have a light to indicate when done). When the waffle is done, use a fork to lift it off the grids. Continue with the rest of the batter to make more waffles

Top with butter and maple syrup, butter and powdered sugar, whipped cream and berries, or your favorite topping. As with all of the recipies listed here - the choices are endless! Experiment!

ENJOY!

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