By Russell Gineapp
It is apple time again and we are planning our annual fall trip to an apple orchard in our area. Last year we had picked a lot of apples that we turned into pies and applesauce and pumpkins for both pies and jack-o-lantern carving. The next morning as I was making breakfast surrounded by bushels of apples I decided to try to make a baked apple pancake. Since I was also making pancakes I didn’t use a different recipe for the apple pancake as I do for my traditional homemade pancakes and everyone seemed very pleased withthe Sunday pancake extravaganza we made.
This is my base pancake recipe. I tend to double the recipe for every 4 – 6 people.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Melt around 1/4 cup butter in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet (I prefer cast iron), brushing butter up on the sides of the pan. Sprinkle on the melted butter ? cup brown sugar (split in half), 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Generously line the pan with apple slices (Hey, we just picked bushels of apples I went double thick). Sprinkle remaining sugar over apples. Place pan in oven until the mixture bubbles, and then pour the batter mixture over the apples to cover them (about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches depth). I then make a few pancakes out of the leftover mixture to keep the hungry kids happy while the apple pancakes bake.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for 10 minutes. Slide onto serving platter or place a platter on the skillet and flip it over. Cut into wedges.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, make a Pumpkin pie
