Improvisational Pancakes

For this recipe I always start with the Joy of Cooking Pancake recipe
and then disregard the details. I've pretty much never made pancakes
the same way twice.

1.5 cups flour
3 T sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1.5 c milk
3 T unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

It's the usual combine the wet and dry in separate bowls and then pour
the wet over the dry and whisk until combined.

Things I change up: 

The Milk - For vegans you can substitute soy milk. For interesting
flavors you can use a combination of yogurt (with fruit) and milk. You
can use a little sour cream. If you use buttermilk or other acidic
milks you shold consider using baking soda instead of baking powder.

The Eggs - For vegans you can use egg replacer (basically potato
starch whisked with warm water) but this works MUCH better if you also
add some crushed banana as the banana will provide some body for the
cakes.

The Grain - Substitute some (maybe 1/4 or 1/2 c) wheat or quinoa flour
for some grainier flavor and health. Add a tablespoon or two of
cornmeal for some crunch.

Flavor - Add some banana, some cocoa powder, some raisins, some
crushed nuts, etc.

The Oil - Substitute olive oil for butter for vegans or if you're just
out of butter. Use any other vegge oil only if you're forced to. 

Cooking tips: use cast iron skillets. I have a very hard time getting
even heat on a griddle that goes over 2 burners. If the skillets are
well seasoned you will need very little oil to prevent sticking. Don't
use butter because the pans should be hotter than the smoke point of
butter and it'll just burn. You know the pans are hot enough when a
drop of water spritzed on the pan from your fingers skates around
sizzling on the surface. You can control the consistency of the batter
for thicker or thinner pancakes by adding water or milk (or more flour
to thicken a thin batter). You know when to flip the first side when
the bubbles on top pop and don't reform. Cook the other side a similar
amount of time. Use a thin metal spatula with a cast iron pan, plastic
spatulas and/or non-stick pans just creat trouble.

You can drop berries (blueberries or raspberries) or raisins or
chocolate chips onto the pancake immediately after pouring it into the
frying pan. This will make the pan a little messier as crud from these
burns onto the pans. You'll want to scrape as much of that crud off
with a metal spatula in between pancakes.

Keep pancakes warm in a 200F oven and serve all at once. 

Toppings: You can use Flax Oil instead of butter as a topping for good
health. A sprinkle of ground ginseng is good too. For sweetness use
real maple syrup (do NOT use the artificial stuff made out of corn
syrup), honey, brown sugar, or jam.