Bridge Creek Heavenly Hots

When I was a kid, my dad made these for us on the rare Saturday morning. Other pancakes have never lived up to these wonderfully light silver dollar pancakes. I made these for D and his parents this morning. They were a huge hit.

These little pancakes are light, fluffy and delicious.

The banana slice gives you an idea of just how small these pancakes are.
This slice is from the very end of the banana, so it's a small slice.

Of course, my dad has made a few updates to the original recipe. It makes them a little bit easier to work with. Even so, they're pretty easy to mess up.. my first attempt was fairly unsuccessful. I've tried to add as many tips as possible, so read the recipe all the way through twice before you make them.

Also, before I share this recipe, you have to promise me that you'll try them plain before you put anything on them. We used to eat them with my mom's homemade jam. Whatever you do, don't ruin them with that fake pancake syrup made of high fructose corn syrup and caramel color.


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Dad's Heavenly Hots
makes 25-30 small pancakes (enough for two people)


Ingredients
2 eggs
1c sour cream***
0.25t salt
0.25t baking soda
3T flour (preferably cake flour)
2T sugar
1t vanilla or almond extract

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients above together.

Yes, that's a lot of sour cream.

2. Thoroughly preheat the pan (or griddle) to medium-low heat (this will take 2-3 minutes at least, more if it's cast iron, which I recommend)
3. Very lightly butter the pan and wipe it down with a paper towel. If you put too much in, your pancake will have a patchy brown color, instead of even browning.
4. Using a tablespoon measurement not quite filled, place a test pancake in the pan. It should sizzle lightly. If it doesn't sizzle, turn the heat up and let it come up to heat. If it sizzles loudly, turn the heat down and let the pan cool. Repeat this step until you get a satisfactory sizzle. (Pets and children are helpful for getting rid of failed attempts.)

Don't skip the test step. I found out my pan was way too hot.

I used two pans. This is better than overcrowding the pan. If you do this, test both pans.

5. Start by cooking these three at a time. Place three pancakes far apart in your pan, and let them cook until small bubbles just rise up through the batter.
6. To flip these, slide a thin metal spatula just under half of the pancake (otherwise they'll stick and fold up like an accordion). It should stick enough that you can lift it up and flip it over. (This step is tricky and takes some practice. Don't worry if you smear the pancake the first few times.) The bottom should be evenly golden brown. If it's blackened, your pan is too hot. If it's patchy, you've used too much butter.
7. Let these cook for a minute or two on the other side, until the other side is also lightly browned.

The camera had trouble focusing on this pan, but this is how even the color should end up.

8. Wash your spatula between rounds or the pancakes will stick. Only rebutter the pan if the pancakes actually stick. (They have enough fat in them that they shouldn't stick, but using a non-stick pan also helps.)
9. Serve these immediately and very hot.

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Don't be surprised if a few of them don't turn out well.

***Notes:
- Yes, this is a lot of sour cream. It's what makes them light and fluffy. If you're really worried, try replacing half of this with plain 2% greek yogurt, or some other thick yogurt. If you use vanilla yogurt, omit half of the sugar and the vanilla.
- Please don't skip the test step! It makes it so much easier.
- If you have any questions, please leave me a comment. I've made quite a few mistakes making these, and I know how to solve a lot of them.