Pancakes are widespread throughout the world. In different cultures, they have specific and distinct characteristics. France is a gastronomical standard in this field. There, pancakes are served sweet and as thin as lace.
When making pancakes, the first crucial step is the making of the dough. French master chefs bet on this traditional recipe:
Pancake dough
Ingredients: 3 eggs, 4/5 cup flour, 3 1/3 tbsp butter, 2 cups milk, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt, oil.
Preparation: Using a mixer, successively beat the eggs, half the milk, the butter, pinch of salt, half the flour. After you get a homogeneous mixture, add the rest of the flour. If the dough is too thick, dilute it with the rest of the milk or some of it until you get the desired density. Fry the pancakes in a slightly oiled pan.
It sounds easy and pleasant to make. This is only so if you know the culinary tricks that the French use. First of all, the pancakes can be made with water, as well as milk. When using milk, they turn out more elastic and juicy, while with water they end up more stringy.
Before you even begin making the dough, sift the flour. This saturates it with air to the max, which will make the dough light and fluffy.
Whenever mixing the milk and eggs, it is mandatory that they be at room temperature. It is good to slightly heat the milk and take the eggs out of the refrigerator beforehand.
When making the dough, first mix the liquid ingredients - the milk and eggs that have been beaten with the sugar and salt. Only then should you add the pre-sifted flour while constantly stirring, in order not to have lumps. The resulting consistency should be like a runny full fat cream.
The perfect pancake has a golden color, is thin, with appetizingly crunchy edges. If you add oil to the dough, you will not need to constantly oil the pan.
One of the secrets to achieving thin French pancakes is to grease the frying pan with a little butter before frying. The amount must really be minimal and it is best if it is spread using a pastry brush.
The thickness and tenderness of the pancakes is regulated by the amount of dough that you will pour into the pan. Pour it using a spoon in the center of the pan, then spread it evenly while swirling out to the sides.
Flip the pancakes over while they are still golden. Do this using a thin, flat, wooden spatula - it will not tear the pancakes or ruin the frying pan's coating.
Stack the ready pancakes one atop the other, smearing each one with butter. The filling can be heterogeneous. In France, they prefer a light and sweet filling. They eat their pancakes with fruits with cream, apples with cinnamon, bananas with caramel, and all sorts of jams.
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