It wasn’t until stranded a few years ago with friend and mentor Ed that I’d heard the adage that every man should have a pancake recipe tucked away in his wallet. (Ed added then and would again now “A recipe in your wallet, not on your damned smartphone.”)
We had been looking at a business property along the southeast shore of Flathead Lake and spent far too long touring some of the operation’s outbuildings and then bullshitting with the manager late that afternoon.
We knew ahead of time the storm was rolling in, one of those March heartbreakers than buries the spring-is-coming-early tease under a couple feet of wet spring snow. We’d planned to head back up to Bigfork and run down through the Swan on the way back to Bozeman, though blowing snow and darkness made the road invisible by the time we reached Seeley Lake.
Ed called a friend who lives there year round and we ended up bunking in their lakeside home waiting for the next morning’s daylight to dig out and get on down the road.
It was there that Ed pulled out a dog-eared slip of paper from his wallet and offered to make our surprised host and hostess a pancake dinner as a way of saying thanks. I have no idea where Ed harvested the recipe, though this does happen to make some of the lightest, fluffiest and most tasty pancakes we’ve ever wrestled at the breakfast (or dinner) table.
Of note, recently reading my Cook Like a Man cookbook published by no less than Esquire, I came across a pancake recipe couple with the admonition to carry it everywhere in your wallet for those just-in-case times.
Ed knows what he’s talking about.
2 cups AP flour (10 ounces)
1 tsp. baking powder (make sure it’s fresh)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 large eggs
5 tbsp. melted butter
2 cups buttermilk
Oil or butter for your griddle or pan
Get things ready. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar; whisk to stir really well. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until a bit frothy, then whisk in the butter in a slow stream. Finally add the buttermilk to the egg and butter mixture.
Make a batter. Pour the wet bowl ingredients over the dry bowl ingredients and just combine – it should be lumpy. Heat your griddle for 5 minutes or so over medium heat and smear a bit of butter or oil over the griddle.
Pancake time. You know the drill – ladle batter out in 1/4 cup portions; cook without doing a damn thing until the edges are set and bubbles are breaking the top surface (90-120 seconds). Turn carefully and cook on second side another 90-120 seconds until done.
Serve hot with a pat of butter and a drizzle of molasses or your favorite topping.
Enjoy.
