Pancakes

Last year on a trip to the states, I went with my family to a café one morning with the intention of having pancakes. After waiting for 45 minutes to get in, we were all starving! I felt a bit let down when I looked at the menu, it said that you could either get a short stack (1 pancake) or a tall stack (2 pancakes). I mean who only eats ONE pancake? But alas I ordered the short stack (while putting on an american accent in order to avoid the confused look the waitress would give me if I used my usual British accent!). So the pancakes arrived. Yeah, they were huge (about 12"x6") and like an inch thick. I think the pancake probably consumed more maple syrup than me, we had to have the jug re-filled around 3 times. But seriously I only managed to eat 3/4 of it in the end, even though by then it was about 10.30 by then.

At home, we normally use Aunt Jemima's Pancake Mix which we always stock up on whenever we do go to America. But one morning, after finding buttermilk in the supermarket the day before (a rare find in the UK), I decided to make pancakes from scratch. I know it's not anything particularly special, but for me it was quite a significant experience. Ever since, I've used this recipe whenever that pancake craving arises or that certain best friend pokes my shoulder and looks at me with sad eyes until I cave in, not that I need much persuasion...

Pancakes (makes 14 1/4 cup sized pancakes - 4 servings)
1 1/4 cups (5.75 oz) all purpose flour (I sometimes sub for some whole wheat flour)
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) buttermilk (or yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple sauce

Blend all ingredients (apart from egg white/s and sugar) together using an immersion (stick) blender. Whisk the egg white/s and sugar until soft peaks are formed. Loosen the flour mixture with a bit of egg white and then fold in the rest of the egg white.
Lightly oil a non stick frying pan, place over medium-low heat. Pour 1/4 cups of batter into then pan. Wait until the edges set and bubbles which appear in the center of the pancake burst, checking that the underside is golden-brown, flip the pancakes using a metal spatula and cook until golden-brown on the other side. Keep warm in a slightly warm oven or serve immediately with lots of maple syrup!

Variations
You don't need to whisk the egg white/s if you want to save time, it just makes the pancakes lighter.
You can add whatever you want to these pancakes: cinnamon, chocolate chips, fruit, coconut, chopped nuts.
Instead of 2 tsps of oil + 1/4 cup applesauce, use 1/4 cup oil.