the perfect pancake, finally

As I slowly but carefully threw myself back into running, I realised I had forgotten what it takes to fuel my body for safe running. A few breakfasts, I found that they only lasted an hour or so before the hunger pangs struck. Other breakfasts sent my cortisol through the roof before I got hungry again. Before long, my Garmin watch would warn me to calm down because apparently I was so stressed after eating… Sometimes I would take the watch off before the alert came on because I could feel the stress at the tips of my locks.

So I put my research hat on and tried to figure out how to make a “non-stressful” carby breakfast.

I’ve liked pancakes in the past, but my body doesn’t like them. I decided to customise pancakes for my body.

And so, science began.

I started with a standard pancake recipe and quickly learned that it wasn’t for me. It tasted fine, but I would be hungry again, and my body wasn’t particularly pleased with the arrangement.

When I began customising, I knew what I wanted the pancakes to taste like: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla. Occasionally strawberry, when I was feeling adventurous.

My first attempt was straightforward enough. I added powdered ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom to the batter.

The result was not a pancake.

It was a crepe.

A perfectly respectable crepe, mind you. Thin, delicate, and probably in need of ice cream. But I wasn’t trying to make dessert.

That’s when I stopped thinking about what dry stuff to add to the batter and started thinking about the wet stuff.

If tea could carry all the flavours I wanted into a mug, surely it could carry them into a pancake.

In hindsight, I may have been unfairly blaming the spices. That batch also skipped the resting stage entirely. These days, I let the batter sit while the kettle comes to a boil, which gives the flour time to hydrate and the batter time to settle.

I haven’t repeated the original experiment under controlled conditions, so the official cause of the crepe incident remains unknown.

So many tests and tastes later, I finally found the perfect pancake that doesn’t fight my body. Naturally, I had to write it down before I forgot what I did.

Without further ado, here’s the recipe.

Olive’s Perfect Pancakes

Makes 6 – 8 medium pancakes

ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons powdered milk (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• A few drops of vanilla essence or strawberry essence
• 1 tablespoon oil
• About ¾–1 cup strong brewed spiced tea, cooled and strained (I use the tea I brewed the day before, in my whistling kettle 😌)

method

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
2. Add the eggs, essence, and oil.
3. Gradually pour in the spiced tea, stirring until you have a thick, smooth batter. The batter should be pourable but not runny.
4. Let the batter rest while a fresh kettle of tea comes to a boil: about 8 – 10 minutes.
5. Heat a lightly oiled pan over low heat.
6. Slowly pour batter into the pan, counting “one, two, three” for the perfect pancake size.
7. Cook until the surface is covered with bubbles and the edges begin to set.
8. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown.
9. Serve warm with butter, peanut butter, or a cup of tea or coffee, whichever’s your poison.

notes from the kitchen

• The tea adds warmth and depth without making the pancakes taste like tea.
• Masala chai, ginger tea, cinnamon tea, or cardamom tea all work beautifully.
• Low heat is non-negotiable. The pancakes should cook slowly enough to develop those lovely bubble pockets and golden patches.
• If the batter feels too thick, add a splash more tea. If it’s too thin, add a spoonful of flour.
• These pancakes are batch-friendly. I often make several at once and store them for later.
• They keep well in the fridge for a few days and reheat beautifully.
• When I say tea, I mean tea that has already been brewed and strained. Please do not add tea leaves or tea bag contents directly to the batter. We are making pancakes, not compost.

why they’re the best

Remember the Garmin lecturing me about stress after breakfast? That doesn’t happen anymore. I don’t get the same crash, the same frantic hunger an hour later demanding a second breakfast, or the feeling that my body and breakfast have entered into a disagreement.

Instead, I get a slow, steady release of energy that carries me through the morning and, more importantly, through a run without my watch judging me for it.

The best part may be that the flavour lives inside the pancake. If the tea is properly brewed, there’s very little need to sweeten anything else.

They pair beautifully with your favourite protein and healthy fat. Eggs, yoghurt, peanut butter, avocado; take your pick.

My photos contain none of the above because sometimes the science is sound, but the researcher is tired.

 

p.s. Can you tell that Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is one of my favourite books of all time?