Almost Perfect Pancakes

There is nothing better than waking up to that first cool day after a long summer heat wave. Temps drop from the 90's and 100's down to a low 70 and the air is crisp. Not quite fall yet but a good relief from that dreaded heat. Finally it's cool enough to start cooking again. What's better than pancakes? They are perfect carriers of butter and syrup, or maybe even some fruit compote. You can even fill them with flavor by adding seasonal nuts or even jam. You just can't go wrong with them.

Yesterday was a crazy day, go to work, come home only to have to go back to work later that night. I needed something simple and filling that could feed an army and placate a two year old. (Don't get me wrong I love when family visits, but there is only so much picky, spoiled two year old I can take.) Breakfast is always my go to on days like this. Where the air is cool and it reminds me fall is almost here (most bakers favorite time ever!) and with everything going on what could be easier.

Most of you right now might be reaching for that box of pancake mix, ready to get flipping some flap jacks. Just wait a minute, from a box? Really? Why? Oh right because it's easy. Well let me tell you how easy it is to make that mix yourself. Trust me, it's not only super simple, and I bet you have everything you need on hand, but it has so much more flavor. (Yes pancakes do have their own flavor.)

Basic Pancakes:
 
2 Cups of all purpose flour
4 Tablespoons normal white sugar (you can change this for your own liking, but don't remove it, trust me it needs that little sweetness, and honestly, it's not as much as you think.)
1 Teaspoon salt, table or kosher, or even sea salt is fine, for this I personally prefer the plain old table
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 Cups Milk
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for frying

Directions:
Simply mix all dry ingredients together, then add in the wet and mix thoroughly. When you feel that your batter is mixed let it sit for 5 minuets then stir again. You want this batter to look more like actual cake batter than how that box stuff turns to almost a liquid. If it's a little too stiff, feel free to add more milk, one table spoon at a time. This batter also should be fairly smooth by the time you are done with it. Lumpy batter always confused me, who wants to bite into a clump of flour?!

In your frying pan heat up about 1/4 an inch of oil. Yes we are almost going to deep fry these, but trust me, the texture is amazing. Nice crisp outside, but so fluffy inside. Now that your oil is nice and hot (I would say just under medium heat, roughly a 3 or 4 for an electric stove.) If your oil starts smoking, stop right there, turn it off and let it cool before you go any further. That means the oil is too hot. So now your pancake is cooking, wait for it to start bubbling and the edges will start to look slightly dry, that is when you flip it. Be careful so that you don't splash that oil back at yourself. Cook a few more moments then it's done. Repeat with remaining batter and eat them however you want!

While these pancakes are not perfect, it will make any morning perfect. Weather if it's just with a cup of coffee or the whole family. They are so simple to make from scratch, really. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself, you won't be disappointed.