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.

Crepe-Style Hotcake 2

Oh my! So I couldn’t deep-fry the crepe-pancakes. The batter would not spread properly on the pan, but floated and slid along with the little lake of butter. (See the first picture from the left below.) The pancake turned out thick and completely soggy with grease ~ not at all crisp, as I’ve hoped it would be. Never mind that I turned up the heat really high; that did not help one bit.
Then, I went overboard ~ I did not grease the pan and turned the heat really low. What happened was the batter did spread beautifully thinly and crisped up to an even golden brown over the gentle heat, but they became like smooth crisp crepes, which is not what we are trying to do. But it’s a learning experience; and each time we learn something new. Just look at the third picture. I came up with a range of textures from a single batch of batter by progressively adjusting the quantity of butter and intensity of heat.



I realized that if I could meld qualities from the different batches, I could actually have something right; ergo,

Lacy pattern + Soft Center + Crisp Edges + Crisp Surface =
Hot Butter (but just a smidgen to froth up the bottom of the pan) + Swirl the batter in the pan so the edges are thinner than the center + Lower the heat for longer exposure to heat to crisp the crepe up without burning it (whew!)

What did I do differently from yesterday as far as the batter goes? As promised, I did not beat the egg white as much; by this, I mean I doubled the recipe, beat one egg white to stiff peaks, and left the other one to rest with the unleavened batter in the fridge. The pancakes were thinner this time, but still not as lacy as Pamela’s. I may actually add leavening next time or even club soda. But that would be AT LEAST one week from now. I am actually getting tired of crepe-pancakes for dinner.


Look at the pat of butter above. That is just about what you need to fry the batter in. Note the spread of the batter below. It is as messy as what Pamela's might have looked like ~ neater than a pan with too much butter; but messier than a pan without (consult the first two pictures in the second set of pictures above). The turned over crepe has a lacy pattern, but not as distinctive as what we might have liked. Also, I am not sure if it is my heating element that does not heat up evenly or my too small pan, but the browning on the crepe is not consistent. Overall, this batch was closer to the real deal than the last, so I am giving myself a pat on the back.



ECSH: Second Attempt

2/3 c. Flour
1 t. Salt
1 c. Milk
1 t. Vanilla
2 T. Butter (melted)
2 Eggs (1 separated)
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Butter

Mix flour, salt, milk, vanilla, butter, one whole egg, and one egg yolk until smooth. Chill for at least 2 hours. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, pour sugar slowly in a steady stream until egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold whites gently into the batter.

Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Add just enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. When the butter froths, pour about 1/3 c. of batter into the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low. Swirl the pan to spread the batter thinly. Cook until the top is dry and the edge starts to brown. Turn the crepe over. Cook for a further 1-2minutes. It should be golden on both sides. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter, melting a little butter each time before crepe batter is poured into the pan.

Be careful of heat control. It is almost a painful science. The butter, at first, has to be quite hot. After you swirl the pan of batter, it must not be placed on very high heat. Turn your stove to medium-low. Temperature adjustment could take some time if you are using an electric stove, so just leave your crepe on a neighboring hot plate, while your stove cools down a bit.

From left: 1. Stove too hot 2. Temperature and timing just right 3. Stove too low / turned over too soon

Crepe-Style Hotcake 1

We're not quite there, but we will be.

You will be seeing a lot of crepes / pancakes in The Makeshift Table in the next few days. My sister’s curiosity was piqued by crepe-style pancakes served at Pamela’s Diner in Pittsburgh. Not one of us has tasted it; but from its appearance, we had conjectured it to be quite thin, sweetish and soft on the inside, and with a crackly-crisp crust and edges. Working in reverse from this objective (the taste and texture we’re aiming for), I thought we’d need a very liquid batter, more than the usual quantity of eggs, lots of very hot butter to fry in (as opposed to the griddle gently brushed with butter used in cooking ordinary crepes and pancakes), and perhaps, stiffly beaten egg whites for a lacy pattern to form on the crepes’ surface.

This is my first attempt. I am happy to say that it is already a little bit different from ordinary crepes or hotcakes. The product is heady with butter, very tender and has a mildly sweet custard-y flavor; however, it is a little bit too fluffy for this specific project. I think, next time, I won’t beat the egg whites as much. I would also use more butter to sort of deep-fry the crepes and achieve a cracklier crispness. These crepe-pancakes were quite nice eaten while hot sprinkled with cinnamon and confectioner’ sugar. And oh, hold the extra butter!

Please do let me know if you have suggestions on how to bring the next batch closer to the goal. Your contribution would be much appreciated!



Evolution of the Crepe-Style Hotcake (ECSH): First Attempt

1/3 c. Flour
½ t. Salt
½ c. Milk
½ t. Vanilla
1 T. Butter (melted)
1 Egg yolk
1 Egg White
1 T. Sugar
2 T. Butter

Mix flour, salt, milk, vanilla, butter, and egg yolk until smooth. Chill for at least 2 hours. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, pour sugar slowly in a steady stream until egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold whites gently into the batter.

Heat non-stick pan until it is very hot. Add ½ T. butter. Swirl until the bottom of the pan is thoroughly coated. Heat butter until it sizzles, being careful not to burn it. Pour about 1/3 c. of batter into the hot pan. Swirl the pan to spread the batter thinly. Cook until the top is dry. Turn the crepe over. It should be golden on both sides. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter, melting and heating ½ T. of butter each time before crepe batter is poured into the pan. Serve hot sprinkled with cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar.

Makes about 4 8-inch diameter crepes