Crepe-Style Hotcake 3

Small success ~ crepe-pancake, our journey ends here.

You will remember our many problems with the previous batches. In focusing on obtaining a lacy pattern (which I thought was also indicative of the texture), I remembered a lacy Algerian pancake made with semolina ~ baghrir. Baghrir is leavened with yeast, which makes multiple holes while the pancake is cooked. Hmm… yeast… so I decided to give this a try, coming up with a cross between the recipe of baghrir and Liege waffles (which also use yeast as leavening).

I tried to use butter generously while frying, but although this gave the crepe-pancake its characteristic uneven edges, it neither formed a properly lacy patter nor crisp as much as when it was cooked in a lightly greased pan.

The crepe-pancakes smelled deliciously of waffle cones while on the stovetop. They were thin and soft, and especially delicate and lace-like on the edges. (Check out one of the pictures I took of the lacy edge! You can actually see through to the background.) I may add a tad of semolina to make the texture a bit denser next time.

Without further ado, here is the recipe.



Imitation Pamela’s Diner Crepe-Style Hotcake

2 t. Yeast
¼ c. Water, warm (the temperature of milk you’d bottle-feed to a small infant)
1/3 c. Sugar
2 c. Milk
2 c. Flour
4 pcs. Eggs
2 t. Vanilla
1/3 c. Butter, melted (plus extra for the pan)

In a large bowl that could hold more than twice the volume of the batter, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Leave it for 5-10 minutes. If it shows signs of life by frothing up a bit, proceed with the recipe; if not, throw it out and start anew with fresh yeast. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Whisk the batter until there are no more lumps. Cover and place in the fridge for about three hours or until double in volume. Whisk again to deflate the batter. Place back in the fridge until the volume doubles up once again (You’re better off leaving this overnight, so you could stop fretting while waiting for the batter to rise). The batter will be bubbly. See the montage.

Heat a pan until it is smoking, lightly grease this with butter. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of the batter and swirl the pan around so the batter spreads out to a thin crepe-pancake. Place this back on the stove. Tiny little bubbles will rise up on the pancake. When the edges turn golden-brown and the surface is dry, carefully flip the pancake. Cook the other side until it acquires a golden lacy pattern. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup or stuff with fillings like custard and fruit.