Edna Lewis's Sour-Milk Griddle Cakes

I'm sorry I left so abruptly, without warning. I wanted to tell you about these pancakes before we left, I really did, but you know how it goes with these mid-season vacations: they creep up out of nowhere and smack you out of your tired routine with unexpected strength. Before I knew it, I was as far east as I've ever been, in Israel for a week with Ben and some of his family, and you spent two more weekends (two!) without knowing about these pancakes.

Excuse me, griddle cakes. There. Doesn't that sound even better?

The batter sturdy and thick, impossibly so, and tangy with buttermilk, the cakes cook up into fluffy, flavorful rounds. A mixture of whole wheat and regular flour gives them added heft. But what really makes them is a gentle dousing in warm berry sauce and cool-from-the-fridge maple syrup.

They're our new favorite breakfast. I should tell you that I particularly like them if I've gone to bed reading The Taste of Country Cooking (thanks to Molly for the recommendation) and imagining that I can hear little Virginia birds waking me and my growling tummy in the morning for breakfast. It's somewhat alarming to admit this, but we - the two of us - ate almost all the pancakes, save two, when we made them. So much for freezing leftovers. And for restraint and modesty. Ahem.

Sour-Milk Griddle Cakes
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder (see below)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups sour milk or buttermilk

1. Sift flours, salt, soda, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add beaten egg and melted butter. Mix well by stirring. Add milk and stir well. Do not over-mix or the cakes will be tough. The batter will be quite thick.

2. Pour on sizzling-hot greased griddle in largish spoonfuls. When the cakes become quite puffed and show tiny bubbles, turn and cook a few minutes more. Serve with stewed berries and maple syrup.

Stewed Berries

2 cups berries, fresh or frozen (blueberries are what Edna Lewis recommends; I used black raspberries, because they're what I had in the freezer)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

1. Place the berries, sugar, and water into a quart saucepan. Set the pan over a medium flame and bring to a boil. Turn the flame down, leaving the berries at a quiet, rather gentle boil for 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Turn the heat off until the pancakes are ready to serve. Then reheat the berries so they will be hot (do not let them boil) and spoon them onto the cakes. Leftover berry sauce keeps in the fridge and can be used to stir into yogurt or drizzle on ice cream.

Royal Baking Powder

Mix 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part baking soda (for example, 4 teaspoons cream of tartar with 2 teaspoons baking soda). Use quantity as directed in the recipe above. Store the remaining mixture in an airtight container indefinitely.

Comments

[curious]

\but what about Israel? Do tell!

[yulinka]

I agrew with Curious--tell us about Israel! I went to Israel last summer and had a great time. Unfortunately, since I went on a very structured tour with a group, I wasn't able to taste much local food. Did you have any good schwarma or falafel?

[lobstersquad]

It´s so funny that you can´t find Royal baking powder over there, when here it´s the only kind you´ll find. And the graphics on the box are so cool, I´d hate to have to make a home made version.
And thanks for the recipe, I´ve just received a huge box of cultured buttermilk from Lydia and was casting around for some buttermilk pancake recipes.

[EB]

Not only do I now crave pan.. sorry.. griddle cakes... but I adore your dishware! What a great blue! Welcome Home.

[Lydia]

Hi Luisa,

I just stumbled upon your blog and am so happy I did!

I've really enjoyed looking through your recipes and look forward to trying some of them out in the near future!

Thanks for sharing them!

Lydia

[Casey]

these look fabulous. I have such enormous respect for the late Ms. Lewis.

[Mercedes]

Welcome back, can't wait to hear about the trip! Oh for a quiet morning at home making pancakes, it's only Monday and I'm counting the days to the weekend. My uncle taught me to make homemade baking powder a few years ago using Ms Lewis' recipe, I thought that was so cool.

[ann]

Sounds like you had a blast, but most importantly, did you have rugelach? Glad to have you back!

[Neen]

Wow, they really do look thicker than "normal" pancakes. Mmm. What a wonderful way to start the weekend -- make a batch of these, then get so full that you have to go back to bed and take a cat nap to digest :) Or maybe that's my upcoming weekend that I'm describing!

[Robin]

I read this before bed last night and then had an intense blueberry pancake dream! Now I'm thinking griddle cakes would make a good dinner tonight, especially since I happen to have buttermilk that needs using up. This is a happy idea to have had planted in my head, thank you.

[Bailey Barash]

Hello -
I am a filmmaker in Atlanta. I read your latest blog with the mention of Edna Lewis and her sour milk griddle cakes.

I just wanted to let you know I produced a 21 minute documentary about Miss Edna Lewis and its viewable in its entirety on Internet at a Gourmet Magazine website:

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/01/Edna

and at a Georgia Public Broadcasting website:

http://www.cforty7.com/film/theater?film_test=16

My documentary is called Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie.

My website, http://bbarash.com/index.htm has more information about the film and the story of Miss Lewis.

Sincerely,
Bailey Barash

[Julie]

Welcome back!

I particularly like the third picture on this post.

Sour milk griddle cakes sound wonderfully old-fashioned, as do many of Edna Lewis's recipes. She's also a pleasure to read -- I love her accounts of life in the little town where she grew up.

[Melanie]

This makes me want pancakes so much right now even though it's 3:30 in the afternoon; I usually visit your blog when I'm hungry. This is one I definitely have to make sometime soon.

[Julie VR]

I adore Edna Lewis. Did you know she used to measure her baking powder by scooping it up onto a dime?

[Hillary]

Sound and look wonderful!

[RecipeGirl]

These do look quite delicious... especially on those pretty blue rimmed plates!

[Meg]

Mmm, these look like they'll make for a wonderful Sunday morning breakfast. I think the next Sunday I have free for a leisurely hot pancake breakfast is in mid-April, but it's a good kind of busy, so I'll just keep this in mind until then.

[Luisa]

I'm really sorry to those of you interested in a recap of Israel, but I've tried and faltered and just realized that this is one trip I'm not going to write about. My feelings are complicated and I'm afraid I don't want to write about them.

However! Two things of note: Abu Shukri in the Old City of Jerusalem has the lightest, airiest, crispiest falafel I've ever eaten and its pita - with a faint, sweet chewiness reminiscent of bagels - paired with a wonderful hummus drizzled with chili oil and studded with whole chickpeas was just delicious. Also, I bought dates just outside of Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem (right next to the Marzipan stand - yes, we had rugelach and yes, it was good, but I'm afraid the nuances are a bit lost on someone who's never really eaten rugelach before) - big, glossy, gooey dates and they, hands down, are the most delicious dates I ever had. They got squashed in my bag on the way home and now slightly resemble mashed prunes, but I'm still hoarding them.

[judi0044]

I found you from a mention on another blog. So glad I did. It's Sunday morning and had wanted to use some buttermilk I had left from baking. I made the griddle cakes and they are wonderful - so fluffy - and so easy to make up.