Why pancakes could not be eaten on ordinary days. Secrets of beautiful and delicious pancakes

Housewives have an ambiguous attitude towards pancakes, or rather, their baking. Some people think that baking pancakes is easy. Others do not even undertake this troublesome business.

And all because pancakes are an unpredictable dish, and sometimes they tend to burst. And the “lump” is obtained not only the first pancake, but also subsequent ones.

In fact, even a novice hostess can learn how to bake pancakes. The main thing is to remember only a few simple rules for preparing this dish, as well as to get acquainted with the reasons why pancakes do not work out. For example, they are torn when turning over.

Incorrect amount of flour

The taste of pancakes depends on the ingredients that are added to the dough. Pancakes are made with milk and kefir. They are yeast or on soda. Sometimes, instead of water, kefir or milk, mineral water, beer or even brine are added.

But in each of these recipes, the main place is given to flour. The thickness of pancakes and their strength depend on it.

If you put a lot of flour, the dough will be thick. This means that it will not be able to quickly spread over the pan, and the pancake will come out thick. Such a pancake will eventually turn out to be heavy and, possibly, unbaked. It can be easily turned over to the other side, removed from the pan. But when folding, it will most likely tear.

If you put a little flour in the dough, then during baking it does not seize, it remains liquid, and such pancakes cannot be turned over or removed from the pan without consequences.

Therefore, you must strictly adhere to the recipe, adding as much flour as indicated in it.

But most often the hostess does not rely on the recipe, but kneads the dough for pancakes from the ingredients that are available.

In this case, you first need to combine the eggs with sugar and salt, add half the norm of liquid, mix well. While stirring, gradually add flour. Then dilute the thick dough with the remaining liquid to the desired consistency. It should turn out so that it flows viscous from the ladle, but the trickle should not be thick.

Poor ingredient ratio

Eggs

It is believed that pancakes are torn due to the small number of eggs in the dough. But this is not a completely correct conclusion. There are many recipes with only 2 eggs, but the pancakes are perfect.

It all depends on the stickiness of the flour, thorough mixing of all the ingredients.

And in some recipes, eggs are completely absent. Eggs can not be added to the dough on kefir. But in this case, the dough is recommended to be brewed with boiling water. It becomes elastic, and pancakes do not tear when turned over.

The dough for pancakes on kefir is made a little thicker than on milk or water. Because you need to take into account the density of kefir. So that such pancakes do not turn out to be dense, soda or another baking powder must be added to the dough.

Soda should be mixed with flour, and not quenched in a spoon, as many housewives do. If the soda is quenched with vinegar separately from the flour, then all the gas bubbles that make the dough airy will evaporate before combining with the flour. And then there will be little sense from soda.

If pancakes tear when turned over, you can add 1-2 eggs to the dough. But you need to remember that due to the large number of eggs, pancakes turn out to be tough.

Particular attention should be paid to the preparation of pancakes from yeast dough.

Because of the foam, it is difficult to determine the density of the dough. If little flour is added to such a dough, then pancakes from it will break.

Eggs are necessarily placed in the yeast dough, and they are thoroughly beaten and only then combined with a dough made from half the norm of liquid and a full norm of flour. The dough is kneaded until the lumps disappear completely.

The rest of the liquid is added at the very end of the batch. Such pancakes are baked only after the dough has risen well. It is not stirred before baking, so as not to destroy air bubbles.

Sugar

Sometimes pancakes are torn due to a large amount of sugar. The underside of a pancake made from such a dough quickly begins to fry, and the top remains still raw. It is very difficult to flip such a pancake entirely.

But you should not completely give up sugar, since pancakes without it turn out pale. Therefore, it is enough to put 1-2 tbsp. l. sugar so that the pancakes are moderately sweet, but not burnt.

Oil

To make pancakes easily turned over and removed from the pan, vegetable oil is poured into the dough.

Sometimes housewives believe: the more oil is poured into the dough, the easier the pancakes will be removed from the pan. But it has the opposite effect. When baking pancakes, the oil begins to boil, the dough bubbles, its integrity is broken, and as a result, the pancakes are torn.

Therefore, it is enough to pour no more than 40-50 g of oil into the dough - just enough so that the pancakes turn out to be moderately fatty and do not stick to the pan.

Pan

The quality of pancakes depends on the right pan.

An ideal option for baking is a pancake pan. It has low sides, it heats up well and cools down quickly. It is enough just to first lightly spread it with butter, and then calmly bake pancakes.

If there is no such pan, you need to take a cast-iron or old "grandmother's" pan with a thick bottom. No wonder grandmothers make pancakes perfect.

So that the pancakes do not tear when turning over, before each new portion of the dough, the pan is smeared with a piece of lard, chopped on a fork, or vegetable oil with a brush.

It is not recommended to pour oil into the pan from a bottle, because then the dough does not stick to the surface of the pan, but rather “flows” to one edge. At the same time, the oil begins to bubble, dilutes the dough, and the pancake breaks when you try to turn it over.

Note to the owner

• To make pancakes perfect, a personal frying pan must be allocated for them.
• Before pouring the first portion of the dough, the oiled frying pan must be heated to a barely noticeable haze, then removed from the stove for 5-6 seconds. And only after that pour the dough. Bake pancakes over medium heat.
• Do not be upset if the first pancake turned out to be “lumpy”. Usually it is used to judge how much dough to pour into the pan. If necessary, add more flour or, conversely, make the dough thinner. By the way, you can not add flour to the whole dough, as it will be difficult to get rid of lumps. It is necessary to pour a little dough into another bowl, mix thoroughly with flour and only then combine with the rest of the dough.

And the last. Having scraped off a sticky pancake from a frying pan, it is not enough just to wipe it. It must be washed well, calcined, and then re-greased with oil. And, most importantly, to believe that everything will work out!

Today this proverb is interpreted in the sense that the first experience is most often unsuccessful. Say, the first pancake fails due to a poorly heated frying pan. True, why our ancestors were so negligent, and instead of warming up the pan, they composed proverbs - no one explains.

In fact, the meaning of the proverb must be sought elsewhere. Our ancestors believed that on Maslenitsa week the souls of the dead return to earth. Therefore, the first pancake was intended for them: "On Maslenitsa, the first pancake is for peace." Sometimes the first pancake was given to the poor so that they would remember all the dead. It was believed that the "souls" themselves take an active part in baking the first pancake, in fact, because of which sometimes it turned out to be "lumpy".

Why is the pancake round and flat?

Seems like a strange question. It seems that everything is clear. But not everything is so simple. Probably everyone knows that pancake is a ritual dish that was customary to eat at certain times of the year, when it was believed that the souls of the dead came to earth. That is, in fact, it was believed that a pancake is bread, but which connects two dimensions - the real world and the afterlife. The ancestors were sure that the "souls of the dead" lose the ability of three-dimensional vision and see everything flat. Therefore, the pancake was baked round and flat.

How did the word "damn" come about?

There is no single answer - scientists are still hotly arguing. The most common version - "pancake" came from the ancient Russian "mlyn" (from the verb "grind"). True, it is not clear why over time the sound "m" mutated into the sound "b" in this word. But, for example, in the word “mill”, which also comes from “grind”, this did not happen - we do not say “belnitsa”! We prefer the version of some linguists who associate "pancake" with a distorted "reality": they say, "souls" who go to pancakes see everything in a distorted perspective, therefore, "true" (reality) is perceived by them as "pancake" (reality with a slight refraction). By the way, there is another curious version that the word "damn" is related to one obscene word.

Initially, the same word meant "lie", "deception", "delusion". And since the pancake acted as a kind of imitation of bread for the "souls of the ancestors" with a "flat" perception of our reality, family ties with the vulgar word are not excluded.

Why couldn't pancakes be eaten on ordinary days?

Now it is considered some kind of heresy. But our ancestors treated this very pedantically. They ate pancakes only at the allowed time, when the "souls of grandfathers and great-grandfathers" came to visit our reality. It would never have occurred to anyone to consume pancakes at a normal, non-ritual time - one could go to great-grandfathers forever. It was believed that only sorcerers, for the sake of communication with the "dead", could dare to violate this prohibition.

What celestial body is the pancake associated with?

Today, most scientists for some reason are sure that the "pancake" symbolizes the Sun. Mainly because of the round shape. However, in some Russian apocrypha one can also read a reference to the Moon. This looks more logical, since it was believed that the "souls of the ancestors" do not perceive sunlight well and are under the auspices of the lunar element.

Why does pancake taste so good?

I mean, slightly sour. This is due to the belief that the “dead” prefer everything sour. And, say, salt in general can scare away and offend the “soul of the ancestor” evilly. That is why pancakes with caviar are a "lordly" innovation and have nothing to do with the old tradition.

Why does a pancake need to be rolled into a tube?

Because it's convenient, of course. The stuffing might fall apart. But the point here is different: according to a number of folklore historians, we began to roll a pancake into a tube relatively recently - about 200 years ago. Prior to this, the pancake was folded mainly in an “envelope” - moreover, in the most intricate forms. Then the so-called "pie" trend ruled - but this was also an innovation. Because even earlier, pancakes were not folded at all, since no filling was supposed to be. Pancake itself was considered a ready-to-eat product, and for fillings there was a format of pies, the appearance of which, by the way, was also associated with the ritual of “ancestral souls”. But we will talk about this another time.

I want to offer an unusual option for cooking pancakes - in the oven. He can make Maslenitsa Maslenitsa even for those who, for some reason, cannot afford to eat fried and fatty foods. And so it happened in the case of my grandmother - neither one nor the other is possible for her because of a special diet. And I want pancakes! We show a little ingenuity and figure out how to make an unwanted product harmless. This is how pancakes baked in the oven are obtained. They are somewhat different in taste from pancakes fried in a pan, but such pancakes are better than none at all.

For pancakes, take four chicken eggs and beat them a little.

Add one tablespoon of granulated sugar to them.

Also add one teaspoon of salt.

Now add one full glass of flour and stir it so that there are no lumps.

Pour one glass of milk into the dough and knead a homogeneous dough, resembling ryazhenka in consistency.

We turn on the oven and heat it up to a temperature of two hundred degrees. Together with the oven, the dishes in which the pancakes will be baked also heat up. It is desirable that these dishes have a good non-stick coating, because we will not use oils when baking. Pour a quarter of the dough into a preheated form and send it to the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes. The exact cooking time depends on the oven itself: sometimes after fifteen minutes the pancake is browned enough, and sometimes this time is not enough for it.

When baking, the pancake may begin to swell amusingly. There is nothing to worry about - it will settle after baking. When the pancake is browned on top, we take it out of the oven, put it on a dish, and cover the dish with cling film or place it in a plastic bag so that the hot pancake becomes soft and does not harden. Let's move on to the next pancake.

The cooled pancake will be plastic enough, therefore, it will be possible to wrap some filling in it, for example, cottage cheese with jam.

The pancake roll rolls well and does not unwind.

Bon appetit!

*The indicated amount of ingredients will make four large pancakes. If you add less batter to the pan, you'll get at least six pancakes, and they'll be thinner, and take five minutes less to cook.

Cooking time: PT01H20M 1 h 20 min

Maslenitsa has always been a symbol pancakes. According to tradition, pancakes are baked throughout the Maslenitsa week. Previously, baking pancakes was a whole ritual. This delicacy was prepared according to special recipes and with special rituals and incantations. Each hostess kept her recipe a secret. It was believed that if you reveal the secret of the recipe for pancakes for Maslenitsa, then you will lose family well-being.

There are many signs and beliefs associated with Shrovetide pancakes, which they tried to observe to attract good luck and happiness.

Signs and customs associated with pancakes

• The first baked pancake was intended for the souls of deceased relatives. One of the traditions of this holiday is the remembrance of the dead. Therefore, the first Shrovetide pancake was left at the window, given to the poor or fed to birds. It is customary to place the last pancake in the hand of a carnival effigy, which is then burned.

• For our ancestors, making pancakes was a special sacrament. The dough was kneaded on the street near the well, while reading the plot.
• If pancakes for Maslenitsa were successful, then this predicted a good and rich year. If the pancakes turned out to be tasteless and ugly, then there will be troubles and troubles.
• The more pancakes you bake for Maslenitsa, the happier and more profitable the year will be. In general, it was not customary to save money on Maslenitsa. The main feature of this holiday was that during the week you need to walk to the fullest, then the whole year will be successful.
• There is a belief that pancakes must be eaten either whole or torn with your hands. Pancakes were not eaten with utensils. A pancake could not be pierced with a fork or knife - this could attract bad luck.
• There was a sign: if there are pancakes on Thursday, and peas on Wednesday, then the money will not be transferred all year.
• On Maslenitsa week it was customary to guess on pancakes. For this, the hostess gave the rooster a pancake. If he pecks it all to the crumbs, the year will be poor. It turns out that the rooster pecked at family well-being and prosperity. If the rooster refuses such a treat or eats for everything, then the year will be successful.



Ancient recipes for pancakes for Maslenitsa

In the old days, pancakes for Maslenitsa were baked from oatmeal. Later they began to use buckwheat, wheat and rye flour. Pancakes were filled with various fillings or smeared with butter. Pancakes with meat, fish, mushrooms, cottage cheese, honey, onions, sour cream, caviar and potatoes were especially popular.

• oatmeal pancake recipe

1.5 cups of wheat flour, 2.5 cups of oatmeal, 3 cups of milk or water, half a cup of cream, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of butter, 30g. yeast, salt to taste.

Pour warm milk into a saucepan, dilute the yeast in it. Mix wheat and oatmeal in a separate bowl, then pour into a saucepan with milk and stir. After you need to let the dough rise properly. Then the egg yolks, melted butter, pounded with salt should be added to the dough. Mix everything well. In a separate bowl, beat the whites, separately - the cream. Then mix them and pour into the dough. After this, the test must be allowed to stand again.



• cheese pancake recipe

2.5 cups flour, 5 eggs, 100g sugar, 200g butter, 3 cups milk, ¾ teaspoon salt, 300g cheese.

Grate the cheese, separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with milk and add flour, salt and cheese. Beat egg whites separately and add to the batter. Such pancakes are best baked in small sizes. Fry until golden brown.



• Recipe for yeast pancakes with whey

1 - 1, 2 l. whey, 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, flour, 10g. live yeast, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Mix eggs with sugar, add yeast, add half a liter of warm whey and vegetable oil. Mix everything and add flour with salt. The dough should be as thick as pancakes, preferably without lumps. Then you need to add the remaining whey and mix everything again. As a result, the dough is liquid, like pancakes. Put the dough in a warm place for about an hour.



Despite the fact that Maslenitsa is one of the oldest holidays in Russia, pancakes became a traditional dish only in the 8th century. And earlier, honey gingerbread was baked on Maslenitsa. It is believed that the historical predecessor of pancakes was oatmeal jelly. Once it was decided to warm it up on fire, as a result, the first pancakes were obtained. We wish you a merry Maslenitsa, and do not forget to press the buttons and

16.02.2015 09:25

Ilyin's Day in 2014 is celebrated on August 2. According to the folk calendar, on this day they prayed to St. Elijah the Prophet. This folk...

Pancakes are one of the dishes without which modern Russian cuisine is unthinkable. However, "sunny" cakes first appeared before our era. Thus, the history of this dish has more than two dozen centuries.

Historical reference

Many people think that pancakes are a traditional Russian dish. However, in fact, the first to make sour cakes were the ancient Egyptians in the fifth century BC.

In Rus', the first pancakes made from appeared around 1005-1006. There are several legends about how exactly the first pancake was “born”. So, according to one version, the hostess simply forgot oatmeal jelly in the oven. It thickened, fried, and, “taking a sample”, everyone decided that it turned out very tasty.

It is noteworthy that from the very beginning, pancakes have been a dish traditionally made using only extremely high-quality products. This was due to the fact that they were endowed with a sacred meaning - they, like kutya, were intended to commemorate deceased relatives. By tradition, they were baked after the funeral and distributed to the poor with a request to remember the newly deceased.

However, over time, the meaning of this dish has changed. They have become the main dish of Maslenitsa - the holiday of seeing off winter. The golden round pancake began to be regarded as a symbol of the spring sun and the Slavic deity Yarilo. Each housewife had her own secret recipe, which was passed down from mother to daughter by inheritance. Those who did not have the opportunity to bake treats on their own could buy it from street vendors - fortunately, on Maslenitsa this dish was sold literally “on every corner”: in taverns or from peddlers right on the streets.

The fillings were the most diverse - mushrooms, caviar or fish. Those who had more modest wealth were content with pancakes stuffed with or.

The so-called "pancakes with salt" were considered a special delicacy. They were prepared in a special way - they were fried on one side, and any filler was placed on the second and the dough was poured on top. Then the pastry was turned over to the other side and fried. The result was a double pancake with a “baking” filling in the middle. Such pastries were stuffed with fresh forest mushrooms, herbs, vegetables, boiled eggs.

Curious facts

It would seem that we know everything about pancakes. However, there are a few curious facts that probably remain unknown to a wide audience.

It is now the housewives who are baking pancakes from. In Rus', it has long been considered pancake flour. Thanks to her, the dough turned out to be very fragrant, and the baking had a pleasant, slightly sour taste.

The well-known proverb “the first pancake is lumpy” has nothing to do with the mistakes of ancient culinary specialists. In fact, it is associated with the Komoeditsa holiday, the main characters of which were ... bears. It was these animals in Rus' that were called "comas". Komoyeditsa was timed to the awakening of animals after hibernation, and in the early morning pancakes were brought "as a gift" to the bears to their lair. This is how the proverb “The first pancake is komAm” arose, which eventually transformed and acquired its modern meaning.

Not only the baking of pancakes, but also their consumption was associated with a huge number of traditions. So, it was allowed to take them only by hand. No cutlery could be used, and even a person who cut a pancake with a knife was considered a real criminal in Rus'!

Abroad, pancakes are made from almost the same products, but each nationality has its own characteristics associated with their baking and consumption. So, in the UK, ale and malt flour are used for pancake dough. American pancakes are small in size and very plump. In fact, these are pancakes that are served in a slide, with a layer of maple syrup, berries or vegetables. The Germans serve pancakes and, while the Spaniards bake them from and stuff them with minced meat. And in China, a huge amount of onion is added to the dough.

Today in the world, in addition to ordinary Russian pancakes, French crêpes pancakes folded into “envelopes”, incredibly tender Czech “palachinki” with vanilla or cheese sauce, American pancakes, a Mongolian version of pancakes called gambir, as well as Ethiopian pancakes from teff flour called "ingera".

The composition and calorie content of pancakes

The main ingredients that make up any type of pancake are flour, milk and eggs. The remaining components vary - and as a result, and changes. It is noteworthy that there are an order of magnitude more calories in pancakes with filling. In pancakes without filling, the indicator is 189 Kcal per 100 grams of baking. This volume of product contains 5.1 g, 3.1 g and 32.6 g.

The benefits and harms of pancakes

The benefits of pancakes are determined by the chemical composition of this baking. It contains (positive effects on metabolism, normalization of the immune system), (powerful, affecting the functioning of the reproductive system and skin condition) and (decrease in levels, stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract). Also in the composition is (strengthening the heart muscle), (normalization of the kidneys), (cell regeneration, elimination of toxins), (prevention of anemia and thyroid disease) and (responsible for the condition of bones and teeth, promotes mental activity).

At the same time, pancakes, especially with fillings, are quite high-calorie, and therefore people who are prone to gaining extra pounds should not get too carried away with this dish.

In addition, now ready-made pancakes are sold in many supermarkets, but the quality of such baking leaves much to be desired due to the huge amount of flavorings and preservatives that unscrupulous manufacturers add to it. Therefore, if you still decide to enjoy pancakes, it is better to bake them yourself.

Thin pancakes with milk

Among the huge variety of pancakes, very thin, actually lacy pancakes made from yeast-free dough are traditionally very popular among gourmets. They are often referred to as "French" as opposed to the traditional Russian ones, which are made with yeast and are quite dense.

To prepare fifteen pancakes with a diameter of 20-22 centimeters, you will need: 0.5 liters of milk, three eggs, 200 g of flour, two tablespoons of oil (you can take both vegetable and refined, without a pronounced smell), the same amount of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt.

Please note that in order for the dough to turn out homogeneous, all ingredients must be at room temperature. Therefore, it is better to remove milk and eggs from the refrigerator in advance. In the event that you use butter, it must first be melted and allowed to cool. Note that baking with butter will be more ruddy and will get a distinct creamy flavor.

Wash the eggs and break them into the prepared container. Add salt and sugar. Stir the mixture using a mixer, or just a whisk or fork. Please note that it is not necessary to beat the eggs into the foam, you just need to ensure that the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.

Pour about 150 ml of milk into the mixture. Mix thoroughly and sift the flour into a container with the future dough. Mix thoroughly again so that the dough is absolutely homogeneous, without a single lump. Then pour in the rest of the milk and stir again. Add oil and mix until the dough has a greasy consistency.

It is better to grease the pan with oil just before pouring the dough for the first pancake onto it. However, in the event that the pancakes stick, it is worth lubricating it every time before pouring the dough. Please note that it is better to use vegetable oil to lubricate the pan, because pancakes burn.

In order for the pastries to turn out not just thin, but truly openwork, with holes, the pan should be heated as much as possible.

Flip the pancake when the top side is no longer sticky. Use a wooden spatula for these manipulations.

Pancakes on kefir with boiling water

Many housewives do not use milk to make pancakes, but. As a result, pancakes are thin, porous, they literally melt in your mouth.

You will need: kefir (400 l), boiling water (200 ml), two eggs, 250 g of flour, two tablespoons of sunflower oil, 75 g of sugar, half a teaspoon of soda and literally a pinch of salt.

Eggs should be thoroughly beaten with sugar and salt. Pour kefir into the same container, add pre-sifted flour and beat again.

Boil the water, dissolve the soda in it and start pouring it into the dough in a thin stream, stirring constantly. After that, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and let the dough brew for about five minutes.

Heat up the pan well. Lubricate it with vegetable oil and start frying pancakes.

Pancakes from zucchini

For the preparation of pancakes, not only flour is used. Pancakes from were also very popular.

To prepare them, you will need: fresh zucchini (450 g), kefir (300 g), four eggs, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, 5 g of salt, and butter, which will be used to grease the pan.

Grate the zucchini on the smallest grater. Squeeze out the juice. Whisk the eggs with salt and add them to the zucchini. Pour in the same kefir and add the pre-finely chopped parsley. Stir and add sunflower oil. After that, mix again and let the dough stand for about a quarter of an hour.

Heat the pan, brush it with sunflower oil. Form pancakes. Fry them from both barrels until the color turns golden. After that, grease each pancake with butter.