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Silver Dollar Pancakes

One and a Half Slices breakfast brunch thin pancake recipe
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Silver Dollar Pancakes

One and a Half Slices breakfast brunch thin pancake recipe

Growing up my dad – like everyone’s dads – made pancakes for breakfast. Left to my own devices, I would always select crispy waffles or French toast, but we all know that, of the three, pancakes are the simplest and quickest to churn out for restless pre-teen sleepovers. My dad always made what he called Silver Dollar Pancakes, or thin, almost crepe-esque pancakes – more Nordic than American. To this day, I find the inch-high fluffy restaurant pancake an insult to the morning, preferring crepes or crepe-style confections whenever possible. Stack a few of these beauties, drizzle in good quality maple syrup, and garnish with a few fresh (or stewed) berries.

🥞🍓🍁

Happy Easter Sunday!

what you need

1 cup flour

1 egg

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

how to make it

Whisk dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, then add two tablespoons of the butter (melted) and the milk. 

Combine the two mixtures until just incorporated (lumpy batter is totally cool at this point – do not overmix). 

Place pancake batter in fridge overnight or for at least an hour. When ready to cook, heat a skillet to medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Spoon batter onto skillet, spread out to desired thickness, and let rest until bubbles begin to form on the top. At this point, flip the pancake and cook through on the other side.  
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Sweet

Granola

OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Granola

A good granola is difficult to find and expensive when you do find it. It is also full of preservatives and overly sweet, usually with added sugars. Making your own granola is easier than you might think and a great way to ensure you get granola exactly as you like it… whichever nuts, whatever fruit, and resolution to the endless honey-versus-maple-syrup-debate. Serve over Greek Yogurt with a few slices of fresh fruit or make yourself a OneandahalfSlices signature Plate Parfait. A batch of granola will keep for 1-2 weeks in your pantry and quickly replace bagged granolas and cereal forever. And if you really want to have fun, try my gluten-free Amaranth Granola.

what you need

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 cups puffed kamut (I find puffed kamut makes the granola overall lighter, but if you don’t have any, just use 4 cups of rolled oats)

2 cups of nuts/seeds of choice, coarsely chopped (pecans, walnuts, almonds, pepitas | pictured here is 1 1/2 cups pecans and 1/2 cup pepitas)

3/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes

3/4 cup lightly melted coconut oil

1/2-3/4 cup maple syrup or honey 

Spices: cinnamon (be generous), nutmeg, turmeric, salt, 1 tablespoon vanilla (optional)

(optional) 3/4 cup dried fruit such as cranberries, blueberries, or golden raisins

(optional) 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Note: I use coconut oil because it is slightly sweeter. Your other options are butter/ghee (makes granola buttery), or olive oil (makes granola a bit more savory). Any of the three will work.

how to make it

Preheat oven to 300. Mix rolled oats, puffed kamut (if using), nuts/seeds, and coconut in a large mixing bowl. Stir until combined, then add spices on top.

Be generous with the cinnamon (several tablespoons), sparing with the nutmeg, add a pinch of salt, and use the turmeric only if it suits you. I feel it lends an unexpected exoticism to the spice profile, but to each his own. A dash of dried ginger would likely accomplish the same thing. 

Melt the coconut oil in a bowl (note: it will melt in the microwave in about 10 seconds, and then begin to spit, spat, and fizzle noisily. Do not over-microwave). 

Add the coconut oil and maple syrup to the dry ingredients and stir gently until all the grains are completely coated. 

Spread granola evenly on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir, pressing the granola down lightly afterwards. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Granola should be toasted golden (the coconut and nuts will brown) but still wet. 

Remove from the oven and cool completely (about 20 minutes). Mix in dried fruit and chocolate chips (if using). The granola will keep for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container. 
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Sweet

Biscuits

OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Basic Flaky Biscuits

My biscuit philosophy (because everyone has a biscuit philosophy, right?) is similar to my chili philosophy. Don’t try to make it fancy; just make it good. Well, these are good. No wait, really good. Flaky, buttery, salty perfection. 

I understand there to be about as much controversy over biscuits as there is over chili. Lots of different preferences and lots of this-is-how-my-grandmother-used-to-make-it lore. There is the traditionally Southern “cathead” biscuit; a dense biscuit made with buttermilk. Then there are drop biscuits, flakier styles, and dumplings. The American conceptualization of the biscuit dates back to the late 19th century, though the original biscuit came to being in the UK and first appeared in North America in a variation on the theme of biscuits and gravy.  

My personal preference is for super flaky, crispy-topped biscuits. In other words, not the cathead style. This recipe satisfies. Biscuits are not difficult to make, though they require  technique that, once mastered, becomes foolproof.

Makes around a half dozen biscuits. 

what you need

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold, salted butter

1 cup whole milk, very cold

(You can go through the trouble to purchase or make buttermilk if you wish, but I don’t personally find it necessary. To make buttermilk, simply let a cup of milk come to room temperature, then add a squeeze of lemon juice or a tablespoon of white or rice wine vinegar and let stand for a couple of hours. The acid will start to ferment the milk… buttermilk).

how to make it

Biscuits are not difficult.

They simply require a little technique.

  1. Keep cold ingredients cold. Like really cold.
  2. Do not overwork the dough.
  3. Do not ‘seal’ the biscuit when cutting.

Preheat oven to 425. 

Sift or mix together all dry ingredients. Dice butter and add to dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter (I use a fork). Or place it all in a food processor and pulse until pea-sized chunks remain.

The butter must be kept extremely cold! A friend once advised freezing the butter and grating it into the flour using a cheese grater. Works well.

Add the milk and combine until the dough just holds together (and no further). Again, you can do this with a fork, a spatula, or a food processor, but do not overmix this dough. 

Turn the dough out onto a surface with some flour and mold into a lumpy, shaggy pat (technical term). To create the flakes, you need to fold the dough over on itself several times, without overworking and without smashing it down too hard. You also want to do this quickly as your hands will begin to warm the butter – this will cause the dough to become easier to work with over time but you are making your biscuits more dense in the process. So, fold the dough on itself 5 or 6 times, pushing down lightly after each fold.

Press into pat and cut biscuits using a round cookie cutter or (my method) a glass cup. Do not twist the cup as you press down to cut the biscuit as this will ‘seal’ the sides and prevent the biscuit from rising. Press straight down and bring straight back up. If you prefer drop biscuits, you can do that as well.

Cook biscuits for ~15 minutes until golden brown. Observe the seraphic rise of the layers upon layers of glorious flakes that you have crafted, and serve with the liquid citrine nectar of the Gods that is local to your area – honey (in my case, orange blossom).  

🍯🍊
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Maple Dutch Baby

maple dutch baby pancake recipe oneandahalfslices
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Maple Dutch Baby

maple dutch baby pancake recipe oneandahalfslices

This recipe came to me verbally over a campfire and some slow-roasted shrimp and pineapple skewers. Two of the coolest people I know just moved out to Colorado and their parting gift to me was to tell me about the incredibly simple, unique beauty that is the breakfast Dutch Baby pancake. “Just whisk the milk, flour, and eggs, and make sure your pan is really, really hot.” Okay, fair enough. Thank you Mike and Sherry. 🥰

what you need

3 eggs

3 tablespoons butter, preferably salted

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar 

Cinnamon & nutmeg

Cast iron skillet

Topping options: powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit (stewed apples or berries), fresh whipped cream

A note on humidity: I make this all the time in Virginia and it comes out beautifully. But I have made it several times in Florida with little success (even during the winter months). Humidity has a huge impact on this dish. Cutting down on the sugar can help since sugar retains moisture. 

how to make it

Preheat oven to 425.

Blend all ingredients except the butter in a blender until smooth. 

Place butter in cast iron skillet and transfer to oven until the butter has just melted. 

Remove skillet from oven and slosh (technical term) the butter around until it coats most of the bottom of the skillet. Then pour in the batter and return to the oven. 

Cook for 20 minutes. The pancake should become puffy and golden. Then, lower the temperature to 300 and bake for 5-10 more minutes. During this entire process, try to avoid opening the oven at all. 

Remove, decorate, cut into slices, and serve. Drizzle with maple syrup and fruit. Or top with powdered sugar, fresh whipped cream, and a compote. Get creative!
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