Peach Pancakes

According to my children, the best part of the weekend is breakfast. I can’t really argue. After a week of rushing out the door and subsiding on bowls of cereal, there is something wonderful about a lazy Sunday morning filled with pancakes, a proper pot of tea for me, and an espresso for my husband.

In the heat of summer when stone fruit are at their peak, these pancakes are my favourite. The pancakes themselves have lovely lift and a nice tang from the sour cream. The peaches caramelize in the butter on the stove and taste amazing drizzled in maple syrup. Plus the name is so endearing: “Peach Pancakes”.

As with all pancakes, low and slow is best, it ensures that the outside does not overcook before the inside. Also resist the temptation to flip the pancakes too early.

The recipe calls for sour cream, but feel free to substitute plain greek yogurt instead.

Peach Pancakes

Deb Perelman, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Makes eight-4 inch pancakes

1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
butter (for griddle)
1-2 peaches, halved, pitted and thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch slices)

Heat oven to 250F. Whisk together the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter should still be a little lumpy.

Bring a cast-iron skillet (or a heavy skillet) to medium-low heat. Melt a pat of butter in the skillet. Scoop out ~ 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet. Leave at least 2 inches between each pancake for allow it to spread Arrange two peach slices to cover the top of each pancake. Let the pancakes cook until the edges begin to dry and bubbles form on the top, about 3-4 minutes. Use a wide, thin spatula to flip the pancakes. [Note: if the peaches slide out from underneath, just judge them back using the spatula.]

Cook the pancakes until they are golden brown on the bottom and the peach slices are nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes. Keep the pancakes war on a cookie sheet in the low oven while you finish the remaining pancakes.