Mennonite pancakes

Gathering Around the Table

May 2, 2018 | Viewpoints | Volume 22 Issue 10
Barb Draper | Editorial Assistant
This is the traditional way to serve these pancakes. Each person takes a pancake from the stack, sprinkles on cinnamon and sugar (or fruit such as applesauce or rhubarb sauce) and rolls it up. (Photo by Barb Draper)

Pancakes played a role in the story told in “Mennonites connect over pancakes.” Here is a tasty recipe.

In various Mennonite recipe books, this traditional “Russian Mennonite” fare is identified as German pancakes, Russian pancakes or Pflinzen. In Canada, they are sometimes referred to as crepes, to distinguish them from the more common raised pancakes, also known as flapjacks. The quantity of eggs, flour and milk can vary. These are the proportions used by Tobi Thiessen, publisher of Canadian Mennonite.

5 eggs
3 cups milk
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
butter to grease the pan before each pancake is made

Beat together the eggs, milk, flour and salt to make a thin batter.

Heat a 10” heavy frying pan on medium heat. Add a little butter to hot pan, spreading to cover the bottom. Ladle ¼ cup batter into the pan. Lift and tilt the pan to cover the entire surface with a thin layer of batter. When it is dry on top and the edges are crisp, flip the pancake. When both sides are lightly browned, stack finished the pancakes on a large plate.

The traditional way to serve these pancakes is sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and rolled up. There are many other possible ways to serve them, including topping them with applesauce or other fruit, rhubarb sauce, chocolate hazelnut spread with bananas, or maple syrup.

For more on food, see:
Gifts of the table
An empty bowl
Peppernuts and anarsa
Mennonites connect over pancakes

This is the traditional way to serve these pancakes. Each person takes a pancake from the stack, sprinkles on cinnamon and sugar (or fruit such as applesauce or rhubarb sauce) and rolls it up. (Photo by Barb Draper)

A stack of pancakes ready to be consumed. (Photo by Barb Draper)

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