Ahh Pancakes...you know the popular breakfast food usually served in a stack of two or three, topped with maple syrup and butter. The thick batter contains eggs, flour, milk, and a raising agent, baking powder or yeast. But did you know that pancakes come in many different styles! Here are six varieties you may be surprised to learn about:
#1: Bannock is common to virtually all North America's first peoples. The European version (Scotland) was traditionally made of oatmeal.
#2 Johnnycake (also jonnycake, johnny cake, journey cake or Johnny Bread) is a cornmeal flatbread that was an early American staple food, and is still eaten in the West Indies and Bermuda. A modern johnnycake is fried cornmeal gruel, which is made from yellow or white cornmeal mixed with salt and hot water or milk, and frequently lightly sweetened.
#3 Sourdough was used by prospectors and pioneers to make pancakes without having to buy yeast. They would carry a pot of sourdough to make pancakes and bread, as it could last indefinitely, needing only flour and water to replenish it. Sourdough pancakes are now a particular specialty in Alaska.
#4 A silver dollar pancake refers to a pancake about two to three inches (5 to 7 cm) in diameter, or just a bit bigger than the pre-1979 silver dollar coins in the United States.. This is usually made by frying a small spoonful of the same batter as any other pancake. One serving usually consists of five to ten silver dollar pancakes.
#5 German pancakes or Dutch baby pancakes served in American pancake houses are bowl-shaped. They are eaten with lemons and powdered sugar, jam, or caramelized apples, as well as fritters.Toutons are small, tall pancakes traditional in Newfoundland. They are usually served with dark molasses.
#6 In addition to the above, Food and Drink in American History further tells us that hotcakes made with buckwheat, called “buckwheat cakes” or simply “buckwheats”, were a common breakfast dish in Colonial America.
See our favorite pancake recipes here that are made with our heritage flour pancake and baking mix.