Pancake ‘Secret Ingredient’ NOT Such A Secret To Me…

I’ll admit I chuckled to myself when I read the source story for today’s post. I thought everybody knew the ‘secret’ it purports to ‘expose’. But it may be one of those things just a few folks – and pro chefs – know, and the masses are unaware of…

There are some hacks that have always been ‘hacks’ and never considered or treated as ‘conventional wisdom’. These gems, therefore, aren’t often immortalized in cookbooks or culinary school course material…

One of my faves

The ‘pancake’ hack we’re talking abut today is one of my all-time favourites. And it extends well beyond the pancake niche, across the entire baking universe. Maybe even farther!

But it appears that source post author Ali Domrongchai only recently got the message. That’s okay. Judging by her photo in her official Apartment Therapy bio, she’s still young and will catch up, in time, with all the ‘unwritten hacks’.

Ali’s story…

“It was only a few years ago, when I was studying abroad in London — the peak time in my life when I would actively seek out all of almond-infused desserts I could find — that I found myself in a special-ty grocer and realized that I could be implementing it into my own everyday baking with one simple ingredient: almond paste. The distinct sweet-nuttiness of almond paste is now a constant fixture in my life; I add it to as many desserts and baked goods as I can, including pancakes.”

Bravo, Ali! You nailed the significance of almond flavouring on your first try!

Her recipe

Ali’s pancake recipe is in my recipe box, now. One reason beyond her endorsement of the almond flavouring hack is that she uses only 4 ingredients:

Alas! One of them is a store-bought pancake mix. But that’s alright. It takes almost no extra time to put together your own homemade ‘dry ingredients’ mix using flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Use AP flour (or a half-and-half blend of APF and Cake flour for best results!)

But if time is as crucial to you as the air you breathe, go ahead and use a mix. On the plus side, Ali recommends Bisquick. It’s been around for ages. And it’s what Mom (and Dad) always used for pancakes.

Bisquick Original is not materially different, nutritionally, than most store-bought baking mixes. It has all the usual additives and rings in high on salt, but it’s low on sugar and fat.

The almond angle…

One thing I find a little crazy about Ali’s recipe is, she calls for a big blob of Almond Paste. That’s a lot of paste! I can’t help but think it would affect the consistency of the pancakes, making them a little dense. But maybe not. She says she makes them all the time, and they always come out light and fluffy.

But I say we should not waste too much time worrying about Almond Paste issues. I suggest that we should use Almond Extract instead. It’s readily available, inexpensive (compared to Almond Paste, anyway!) and a drop or two will do you.

Almond vs. Vanilla

Here’s where the Almond Flavour hack discussion goes kitchen-wide. I’ve long used Almond Extract as a direct replacement for Vanilla, when I was out of Vanilla. Or judged that the dish I was making deserved something more, and more complementary than the ‘same old’ Vanilla.

There definitely are recipes in which Almond flavouring works better than Vanilla. Many baked goods, of course, will shine brighter with the lighter, more exotic accent of almond than they do with heavier, more forward vanilla. And there are, in my experience, certain fruits and other sweet teats that can benefit from the almond partnership.

But one of my absolute fave hack-on-hack tips is… Try using Almond Extract instead of Vanilla as a complement to chocolate! It makes dark or milk chocolate taste deeper and richer. And helps smooth the bitter edge off of Dark Chocolate or traditional baking squares.

My take

I have just a couple of additional nits to pick with Ali’s recipe…

First.: I’d use milk rather than water. Whole Milk and, in a pinch, 2 percent, will make your pancakes a much richer experience.

Second: I’d add the traditional beaten egg to the wet mix. Bisquick has no egg in it, but lots of chemical leavenings, so it doesn’t need it. But be sure to use the egg if you’re making the flour mix from scratch. Pancakes are just that, in essence: ‘cake’!

Nevertheless…

I really do think pancakes may be the best way to introduce Almond Flavouring as a new option to Vanilla in your culinary repertoire…

~ Maggie J.