Everybody loves pancakes.
Everybody loves them and so do I. Pancakes just take me straight down memory lane, as my stepdad used to make them at least once a week when I was younger and I was super excited every time.
I probably will never forget sitting infront of the cream- cheese & ham sauce, devouring one after the other, before changing to jam for sweet pancakes as a dessert.
In this post, I try to take you back to my childhood and re-create this classic with a vegan spin.
What are Pfannkuchen and how to make them
What exactly characterizes the German Version? Well, I’d say it is between the French and the American version. The batter consists of similar ingredients, and it’s thicker than the crêpe, but not as fluffy as the pancake. You can best compare it to Polish or Dutch pancakes if you ever had one of those and you can have savoury and sweet toppings.
How to make Pfannkuchen
Making the batter is as simple as its gets:
- Mix a handful of dry ingredients: flour, salt and baking powder. You can also add sugar if you only do sweet pancakes, but I recommend making half a batch of savoury ones and adding some sweetness to the rest of the batter to get the best out of both worlds.
- Add the wet ingredients: plant milk and sparkling water
- Mix thoroughly until a smooth batter forms, which is more on the runny side, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Lightly grease a pan with some vegan butter, and flip when the bottom side developed a light golden colour and you can easily flip the pancake.
The Toppings
Just like mentioned, I will provide you the savoury and sweet filling I used to have everytime
Cream-Cheese & Ham Sauce
Start by melting some vegan cream-cheese in a pot.
In the meantime, prepare some vegan ham and/or bacon. If necessary you can fry the bacon in a pan beforhand.
Finally cut them into small squares, add them to the pot, and finish with salt, black pepper, fresh nutmeg and nutritional yeast.
Quick Jam
Of course, when you have some jam in the fridge you can simply use that. But if not, and you find yourself with any berry, then proceed as follows:
Heat up the berries in a small sauce pan, until they begin to break down.
Add a pinch of salt, a sweetener like maple syrup and a touch of lemon juice. Stir occasionally and cook until the slurry thickens.
Other popular sauces/toppings inlcude: Nutella, Apple sauce, Fresh fruit, or a combination of them.
Cooking & Eating Tipps
For every type of pancake there is a way of eating them, and for the German version, you simply spread your sauce on one side of the pancake, roll it up and eat it with your hands.
- Because they are so versatile, you can eat them throughout the whole day: as a breakfast on the weekend, mid-week dinner or just as a quick dessert.
- Because they are so easy and quick to make, prepare a huge batch and enjoy them with your family or friends.
- Prepare the filling/toppings while the batter rests and the pancakes are cooking to save some time.
- If you have left-overs, put them in a container and store them in the fridge up to two days.
The Recipe
Pfannkuchen: savoury & sweet
Zutaten
Method
- In a bowl, first mix the dry ingredients, before adding the wet ones. Mix thoroughly until a smooth batter forms, that is more runny than American Style pancake ones, but not a little thicker than the ones for crêpes. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- In a big, non-stick pan, melt half the vegan butter on medium heat, and add a big ladle of the batter. Fry until the bottom side develops a slight golden colour and you can easily lift the pancake (3-4mins), flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- In a small sauce-pan, melt the cream-cheese on medium heat.
- If necessary, fry the bacon. Cut the bacon/ham into small squares.
- Turn the heat to medium-low, add the bacon/ham and mix. Adjust the seasoning with salt, black pepper, nutmeg and nutritional yeast.
- The sauce should be thick and spreadable, but if necessary add a touch of plant milk, if you feel like it gets to thick.
- In a small sauce pan, start melting the berries on medium-high heat, storring occasionally.
- When they begin to break down, add salt, maple syrup and lemon juice. Stirring more frequently, continue to cook until the sauce begins to thicken up and it reaches your desired consistency.
Notizen
- I recommend first doing a batch of savoury pancakes, before adding the sweetener to the batter for sweet ones. If you only do sweet ones, use about 2 tablespoons for the whole batter.
- Prepare the toppings and sauces, while you let the batter rest.
