Griddle Cakes

Batter for griddle cakes should stand 2 hrs. or longer in the ice box, or in winter in some cold place, to lighten it by allowing the starch grains and glutenous portion of the flour to swell.

An iron or steel griddle is best for baking cakes. Soapstone, so highly recommended, is objectionable because little particles of the stone adhere to the cakes.

The griddle should stand on a not too hot part of the stove and heat slowly for a long time before the cakes are to be baked. Professional pancake bakers have their griddle over a slow fire all night.

When oil is used in the batter, less or none is required on the griddle.

Have the griddle hot before putting the cakes on, brown them delicately, then turn once only. A second turning makes them heavy. Cakes ought to be eaten as soon as baked, but should not be covered when required to stand for a short time.

Plain Griddle Cakes

1 cup milk 2 eggs

2 tablespns. oil 1 1/4-1 1/2 cup bread flour

1/4-1/3 teaspn. salt

Rest 2 hrs. or longer. May spread with jelly, or with butter and sugar and roll.

Rice Griddle Cakes

Add 1-2 cups cold boiled rice to plain cakes.

Crumb Griddle Cakes

Use only 1 cup of flour in plain cakes and add stale or dry bread crumbs to make quite a thick batter.

Buckwheat Cakes

Use 2/3 buckwheat in place of all white flour in plain cakes.

Savory Meat Griddle Cakes Add crumbled trumese, fine chopped onion and powdered sage to rice or crumb cakes.

Mushroom Griddle Cakes

Lay a spoonful or two of chopped mushroom stems, simmered in oil with or without a little tomato, browned flour and onion, on each small thin cake, roll lightly and serve with or without Italian or Boundary Castle sauce.

Plain Griddle Cakes-Roux

1 full tablespn. oil 1/2 cup water

2 tablespns. bread flour 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspn. salt

2 eggs

Heat oil, add the 2 tablespns. flour, hot water and milk, boil well; when cool, add salt, yolks of eggs and 1/2 cup of flour, beating; then the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs; rest.

Variations Of Plain Griddle Cakes

(a) 2 cups dry bread crumbs in place of the half cup of flour and less or no salt.

(b) Add 2-4 cups of cold boiled hominy to plain batter and another 1/4 cup of flour if necessary.

(c) Add 1 1/2-2 cups cold boiled rice to plain cakes and a little more flour if necessary.

(d) Add 1 - 1 1/2 cup drained canned corn to plain cakes, more flour if necessary.

(c) Add 4 tablespns. granular corn meal scalded with about 2/3 cup of boiling water, to plain cakes.

Crumb Griddle Cakes-no flour

1 cup milk 1/3 teaspn. salt

1 cup dry crumbs 1 egg

Corn and Crumb Griddle Cakes-no eggs

1/2 cup granular meal 1/2 teaspn. salt

1/2 cup boiling water 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 teaspn. oil 3/4 cup whole milk

Cool. If necessary, add 1/4 cup more of milk.

Rice Griddle Cakes-no flour

1/2 cup rice 1 cup milk

3 eggs 1/2 teaspn. salt

1 tablespn. oil Boil rice in 2 cups water, partly cool, beat smooth with milk, add salt and beaten eggs. Another yolk of egg may be used. If rice is thin, use less milk.

Hominy Griddle Cakes

1/2 cup hominy 3 eggs 1/3 cup milk 1 1/2 tablespn. oil salt

Cook hominy in 2 cups water and proceed as in Rice Cakes.

Corn Meal Griddle Cakes-no flour

1 pt. granular meal 1 pt. boiling water

1 teaspn. each butter, salt and sugar 1/2-3/4 cup cold milk

2 eggs

Scald meal with boiling water, add butter, salt, sugar and cold milk, then yolks of eggs; beat batter and fold in stiffly-beaten whites. Or, beat eggs all together.

For Rhode Island meal, 1 1/2 pt. boiling water will be required.

Green Corn Batter Cakes

2 tablespns. oil or melted butter

3 tablespns. flour 7/8 cup boiling water

1/2-3/4 cup of grated or ground green corn

1 teaspn. sugar if corn is not sweet 3 tablespns. fine dry or toasted bread crumbs

1 egg, salt

Heat oil, add flour, then boiling water; remove from fire, add salt and crumbs, cool, add corn and beaten egg. Bake on well oiled griddle.

Nut Butter Griddle Cakes

2 tablespns. almond, Brazil or other nut butter, 1 cup water, salt, 2 eggs, whites beaten separate, 1 cup bread flour.

Nut and Egg Cakes

For those who cannot take starchy foods.

Rub 2 tablespns. nut butter smooth with 2 full tablespns. of water; add a beaten egg with salt. Bake on moderate griddle to delicate brown.