Greetings from the Mountain West, where our weekends are for rising late, Labrador snuggles and pancakes. When St. Patrickโs Day falls on a Sunday, that means extra saucy pancakes. And not the vanilla kind.
The Story
The Irish celebration of all things green and mischievous is an excuse to have your stout and eat it, too. The toasty bite of a dark brew pairs almost too perfectly with chocolate. The two tango like longtime dance partners: a flawless duet staging a singularly earthy, malty masterpiece in your mouth. The subtle bubbles of stout - or root beer for abstainers - create a texture and crumb worthy of a close-up.
Salivating yet? Pints at the ready.
The Formula
Any pancake recipe worth its weight in syrup will follow the proven path. I learned this formula years ago as a budding chef and committed it to memory early on (a sign of my priorities). I am not alone, either.
In December, I met an executive chef who runs a few kitchens at a swanky Idaho ski resort. His recipe for gluten-free pancakes - which my boys later inhaled - was textbook right down to the amount of clarified butter. The best part about relying on science is that you can add your flair with ease and confidence. (For more cooking formulas, see: Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman).
My Mixing Approach for Pourable Batter Every Time
I rarely cook or bake with white wheat flour, which is the basis of the above formula. So, when mixing pancake batter, I whisk in the liquid last. Every flour - from buckwheat to whole wheat - has a unique tolerance for how much liquid it absorbs and how quickly. Likewise, plant-based โmilkโ and beer, in this case, have varying water contents. Adding the liquid slowly allows you to control the consistency. Getting milk out of pancake batter is harder than getting toothpaste back in the tube.
Shopping Smart
Procuring stout. Any dark beer works. You will exceed expectations if you are willing to shell out for a double chocolate stout.
On sugar. The whiter the sugar, the more itโs been processed, and not necessarily for the better. Brown sugar of all kinds offers nutty caramel flavors; look for muscovado for a scrumptious splurge.
Chocolate chips. One of my favorite grocers stocks a brand of dark chocolate chips sweetened with coconut sugar. I love that the morsels are sweet enough but donโt overpower the cocoa. Any dark chocolate is richer in flavor and lighter on sugar than semisweet or milk chocolate.
But I Shun Sugar and Alcohol
If you prefer your indulgences free from refined sugar, swap in honey and use half the amount, as itโs twice as sweet. Leave all forms of sugar out only if you enjoy the bitter vibes of stout unbridled. Craft root beer is a fitting option for underage pancake partakers. Since root beer is cloying, I recommend ditching the sugar in the recipe or using half as much.
Chefโs Tips
On gluten-free pancakes. In addition to whole wheat flour, I tested this recipe with a bean-based gluten-free flour. If you use a 1:1 or a homemade blend, be sure to add the second half of the beer or milk slowly and adjust as needed. A batter with gluten-free flour can thicken as it sits; add a drizzle of milk or beer to thin it out if needed.
Mix and then rest the batter. Especially with wheat flour, resting the batter allows the gluten proteins in it to relax. You see, they get tense when you force them into social situations. For tender pancakes, rest the mixed batter for 20 minutes.
Flip once and adjust the heat. Fight the urge to get spatula happy, and flip each pancake only once after bubbles break through the center. This hands-off approach allows the pancakes to brown and cook evenly. If the first side is browning before bubbles pop, turn the heat down.
Whip the heavy cream in a cold bowl. Heavy cream whips up faster and more stable if your equipment is chilled. If you remember, pop the bowl and beater in the refrigerator ahead of time. Even a few minutes is helpful.
Edible Epilogue
Unless you love the tedium of measuring cups and spoons, a digital kitchen scale is the fastest, least fussy way to get pancakes on your plate. Exploit that tare button for all its worth; set your mixing bowl on the scale and weigh your ingredients directly into it one by one, zeroing out before the next. This approach is painless and creates fewer dirty dishes.
If you are serving minor leprechauns, you can add Irish cream liqueur to your portion of the whipped cream instead of beer to the batter. Or both if you donโt have young kids and feel particularly Irish. Either way, be prepared to go back to sleep after breakfast.
Eat + be well,
Christina
P.S. Please comment if you have questions, make these and love them, or think Iโm absolutely nuts for putting beer in pancakes.
Chocolate Stout Whole Grain Pancakes
makes 4 large (6-inch) pancakes or many more smaller ones
Dry Ingredients
6 ounces or 1ยฝ cups of whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
2 ounces or ยฝ cup of almond flour
ยฝ ounce or 3 tablespoons of natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of baking powder
ยฝ teaspoon of kosher or flake sea salt
Wet Ingredients
4 large eggs
6 ounces or ยพ cup of your favorite stout, milk, or craft root beer*
2 ounces or ยผ cup of dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
2 ounces or ยผ cup of melted butter or oil
1 tablespoon of vanilla extractย
Optional Garnishes
dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
ยฝ cup of heavy cream
a drizzle of maple syrup in the whipped cream
2 to 3 tablespoons of Irish cream liqueur
ground or freshly grated nutmeg
melted pastured butter for drizzling and dipping
Method
Pour and settle the stout, and prepare for whipped cream. Pour the stout into a measuring glass, letting the head settle and adjusting as needed until you have the correct amount. Set the bowl and beaters for the whipped cream in the refrigerator.
Whisk the dry ingredients. Weigh or measure the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. If your almond flour is lumpy, sift it in or break up the lumps with the top of the whisk.
Add the wet ingredients. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and measure in the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and about half of the stout (eyeball it). Whisk the wet ingredients until smooth, then widen your stroke to bring in the flour. Slowly add the remaining stout while whisking until you have a thick but pourable batter (you may not need all of the beer or milk or may need a little more). Mix only as long as it takes to create a homogenous but slightly lumpy batter. Fold in the chocolate chips now, or sprinkle them on top of the batter right after you pour it into the pan.
Cook, flipping once. Heat a pan or skillet over medium-low heat and lightly grease it with butter or oil (I like to use a paper towel to create a light coating). Pour or spoon a portion of batter into the pan and cook each pancake undisturbed until bubbles break through the surface, then flip it. The pancake is done when the top of the first side springs back when lightly touched. Keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven at the lowest possible temperature. Leftover pancakes can be stored airtight in the freezer.
Whip the cream (optional). Beat the heavy cream on medium speed in a small bowl (or in a stand mixer with the whisk) until it thickens and reaches soft peaks. Add the nutmeg, maple syrup, and cream liqueur, if using, and whip a minute or two more.
Notes
*If you use milk instead of beer, you can cut back on the eggs by one. I recommend using all four eggs if making gluten-free pancakes. Since root beer of any kind is incredibly sweet, you can leave out the sugar if using soda or only use a couple of tablespoons.