How to make Pancakes out of (almost) Anything

I'm reading Ratio by Michael Ruhlman and the idea behind the book is to teach basic ratios and techniques of foods to free yourself recipes. For example, ever wonder what is the difference between muffins and fritters?

A fritter batter is a muffin batter without butter (fat). How does pancake batter fit in? Right in the middle of the two because it use 1/2 part fat, but keeps the other core components the same.

These all fall under the quick bread family, which use baking powder or soda as a leavener. Now obviously people apply different ingredients to give them a signature taste, like fruits, vegetables, sugar, but these are really just flavoring variables. They aren't necessary for the actual structural construction of what makes a pancake a pancake or a muffin a muffin.

The Pancake Ratio - 2 parts Liquid : 1 part Egg : 1/2 part Fat : 2 parts Flour

NOTE: You will also need a leavener. Ruhlman suggests the following rule of 5 g of baking powder for every 110 g of flour (1 tsp for scant cup).

NOTE 2: The ratio works because it’s all based on weight, so you will need a scale to make these. If you don’t have a scale, I would pick one up, they are one of the most useful tools in the kitchen.

Basic Pancake Recipe

(from Ratio by Michael Ruhlman)

Wet Ingredients (metric & imperial):

  • 8 oz (227 g) milk - Liquid

  • 2 large eggs (~4 oz / 113 g) - Egg

  • 2 oz butter, melted (56 g) - Fat

  • 1 tsp vanilla

Dry Ingredients (metric & imperial):

  • 8 oz (227 g) all purpose flour - Flour

  • 2 (25 g) tablespoons sugar

  • 2 (10 g) teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp cinnamon (my addition)

Basic Pancake Method

(from Ratio by Michael Ruhlman)

Method:

  1. Combine and whisk the wet ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

  2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Sift out any big clumps.

  3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and stir until the batter is smooth and light, do not over mix it or the batter can become tough.

  4. Adjust the batter, if you want it thinner, add more milk.

  5. Add any whole ingredients like nuts, chocolate, or fruit at this stage.

  6. Cook the pancakes on an oiled griddle over medium heat.

Wanting to really test the limits of the ratio, I decided to make pancakes out of saltine crackers as the flour. The result? Actually not too bad…

Saltine Cracker Pancake Recipe

Wet Ingredients (metric & imperial):

  • 4 oz (113 g) milk - Liquid

  • 1 large eggs (2 oz / 56 g) - Egg

  • 1 oz (27 g) butter, melted - Fat

Dry Ingredients (metric & imperial):

  • 4 oz (113 g) blended saltine crackers - Flour

  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking powder

  • Pinch of salt (optional)

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

  • Pinch of paprika (optional)

Saltine Cracker Pancake Method

Method:

  1. Combine and whisk the wet ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

  2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Sift out any big clumps.

  3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and stir until the batter is smooth and light, do not over mix it or the batter can become tough.

  4. Adjust the batter, if you want it thinner, add more milk.

  5. Add any whole ingredients like nuts, chocolate, or fruit at this stage.

  6. Cook the pancakes on an oiled griddle over medium heat.

Ethan Chlebowski