Breakfast, Idyllwild Style (Recipe: Strawberry Creek Inn’s Puffed Pancakes)

Straight from the Strawberry Creek Inn B&B in Idyllwild, CA, comes a recipe that proves holiday dining doesn’t have to include plate after plate of over-indulgences.

Light, airy and capable of pairing seamlessly with any number of breakfast sides, the following recipe for Puffed Pancakes has become one of my favorites for serving overnight guests. Not only can it be prepared ahead and whipped up in a jiffy, it can also be baked in individual-sized servings and garnished to suit the tastes and preferences of any guest or family member. Enjoy!

Puffed Pancakes

(featured on Inn Cuisine, recipe courtesy Strawberry Creek Inn B&B)

Yield: 1 individual pancake (ingredients may be doubled, tripled and so forth as needed; simply multiply ingredient measurements by the number of guests you are feeding)

Cook’s note: to create the Puffed Pancake pictured above, the following recipe was tripled and baked in a 7-inch round casserole dish

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, chilled
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, chilled
• 1/4 teaspoon aromatic bitters (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

suggested toppings & garnishes

• 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• fresh fruit (any combination of strawberries, bananas, blueberries or whatever is in season and handy)
• powdered sugar
• toasted almonds (or any other toasted nut)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place butter in an ovenproof standard-size ramekin, small round baking dish or individual-sized skillet, and heat in oven until butter is melted (watch butter carefully; it will melt fast due to high heat). While butter melts, beat the egg in a food processor, blender, or bowl with a wire whisk until light and bright yellow. Gradually beat in the buttermilk and other liquid ingredients. Gently mix in the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the hot ramekin (or round baking dish/skillet) with melted butter and return to oven. Bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, approximately 12-15 minutes depending upon the accuracy of your oven. Serve at once, accompanied by selected toppings.

Additional notes: If doubling or tripling this recipe, you can bake larger pancakes in a skillet, paella pan or any other relatively shallow, round, ovenproof dish and cut into wedges to serve; baking times may be altered, so judge doneness by appearance (pancake should be puffed & golden). Temperature is very important in getting the pancake to puff since there is no chemical leavening. The batter should be ice cold and the oven very hot. For that reason, you can mix the dry ingredients the night before and freeze them to ensure the batter will remain as cold as possible when mixing dry & wet ingredients together. You could also prepare the batter, allowing it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes up to a few hours before baking.

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Tagged as: bed and breakfast recipes, Breakfast Recipes, brunch recipes, individual breakfast recipes, individual pancake recipes, pancake recipes, puffed pancake recipe, puffed pancakes, Strawberry Creek Inn Bed and Breakfast recipe cookbook