Went over to my elderly neighbour to gives her some figs. Ended up having pancake which she was cooking when I visited her. I ask her did she use any baking powder in her pancake. She said no need as the eggs will help it. She said whipped egg whites are a terrific substitute for baking powder because they add volume to the pancake batter vs. being added to the liquids whisked with the yolk (like the traditional method). They will provide your pancakes with a fluffy, airy, soufflé-like texture you’re going to love. If you completely omit the baking powder when following a traditional pancake recipe, you will have flat pancakes. To achieve fluffy pancakes without baking powder, you’ll need to separate the egg whites and whisk them separately before adding them to the batter.

Google: “A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan. It is a type of batter bread. The pancake’s shape and structure varies worldwide. In England, pancakes are often unleavened and resemble a crêpe. In Scotland and North America, a leavening agent is used (typically baking powder) creating a thick fluffy pancake. A crêpe is a thin pancake of Breton origin cooked on one or both sides in a special pan or crepe maker to achieve a lacelike network of fine bubbles. A well-known variation originating from southeast Europe is palatschinke, a thin moist pancake fried on both sides and filled with jam, cream cheese, chocolate, or ground walnuts, but many other fillings—sweet or savoury—can also be used.”

Here’s my experiment using my neighbour’s advice: whipped egg whites first, then fold into the batter. In addition to it, I am adding my home grown scallions instead of fruits like my neighbour did to hers. Mine didn’t turn out as fluffy as hers. Mine is a flat pancake and golden brown. Glad I did try it out, and it’s colourful, comforting, and delicious. I am grateful for her advice. Let’s bake and give her some to try!!!

Ingredients

3 large eggs
3-4 stalks scallion, green part only, thinly sliced
250 ml milk
280g self raising flour
1 Tbs melted butter
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tsp vanilla essence
oil or butter, for cooking

Method

Separate the yolks into a small bowl and put egg whites and sugar in a big metal bowl. You can use a hand mixer or your stand mixer. Beat the egg whites and sugar to a stiff peak. When you turned upside down the bowl and egg white does not run down. Then it’s stiff peak and leave to stand for 15 minutes.

In another bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the egg yolks, the milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat until there are no visible lumps and everything is combined. Slowly, add about ¼ of the egg whites to the batter bowl. Mix these completely to make a runnier batter.

Next, gently fold in half of the egg whites into the batter, just enough until the white disappears into the batter. Add the remaining egg whites and minimally fold them in with the spatula -just until the white disappears. The batter should be soft and airy.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and add a little butter. Then tilt the pan so the butter coats the surface. Pour in 1 ladle of batter and tilt again, so that the batter spreads all over the base and slightly set around the edges, but not yet bubbling on top, scatter some scallion over the top. Once bubbles appear on top, about 1 to 2 minutes, the bottoms lift easily and are golden brown.

Now flip the pancake over and cook for 1-2 further minutes, or until cooked through. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve straightaway with jam or honey or eat on its own. Enjoy!!!!

https://helenscchin.com/2017/03/06/scallion-pancake-without-baking-powder/

#helenscchinreccipes
#mainmeals
#cookingforthefun
#foodiesplus