Buckwheat pancakes the real old-fashioned way, with recipes from 1904
Among the household recipes, there are many for buckwheat cakes cherished with the family traditions. Cakes made of pure buckwheat are best, but as some do not like the distinct flavor of buckwheat, we will give several varieties of recipes.
Colonial buckwheat cakes
Take one pint of warm sweet milk, one pint of warm water, one cup of yeast, two teaspoons of salt and five cups of buckwheat flour. Put half of the liquid in a stone crock and gradually sift and beat in the flour and continue to beat until smooth, then add remainder of milk and water, the salt, and lastly the yeast. Two tablespoons of sugar may be used.
Set where the batter will not chill until morning, but must not be too warm or it will sour. Baking soda is used to correct the acidity when the batter is sour.
Plain buckwheat pancakes recipe
Take one quart of buckwheat flour, one teaspoon or salt, one scant cup of cornmeal, scalded with a little boiling water, two teaspoons of brown sugar or a little buttermilk to make them brown nicely, half a cake of yeast dissolved in half a cup of lukewarm water and one quart of warm water.
Mix all together, adding yeast to lukewarm batter and beating hard for five minutes. Then cover and set in a warm place to raise overnight.
A deep stoneware crock with a wide top is best for the sponge. Cover it with a saucer. The corn meal may be left out, but it contains the additional fat required and makes the cakes brown more quickly. Do not use molasses for this purpose; it will make the cakes tough and less digestible.
If there is a suspicion only of sourness in the batter in the morning, use a pinch of soda. Soda also removes the peculiar taste of the buckwheat and makes them flat and insipid and is therefore to be avoided by those who like the buckwheat flour.
Delicious buckwheat cakes
Take one quart of buckwheat hour, one pint of corn meal, one cup of Graham flour, half a cup of yeast, one teaspoon salt, a pinch of soda and lukewarm water enough to make a pretty stiff batter.
Stir the salt into the flour and meal and make into a stiff batter, adding the yeast while mixture is lukewarm. Cover and set to rise in a warm place overnight.
If too thick in the morning, add lukewarm water enough to make it right consistency and let it stand a few minutes before baking. Add a pinch of soda if the batter seems slightly sour. Bake on a well-greased hot griddle and serve very hot.
One authority tells us not to eat buckwheat cakes singly, but to serve in layers of four at least, each one generously buttered and maple syrup or honey poured over the top.
ALSO SEE: Recipes from vintage Disneyland: Party pancakes in chocolate, strawberry & eggnog flavors (1956)
Old-time buckwheat pancake recipe
Wet half a cup of yellow corn meal with a little cold water about noon and then stir in a quart of freshly boiled water and stir and cook until it forms a thin gruel. Let it cool and add a teaspoon of salt, half a cup of good liquid yeast or half a cake of compressed yeast dissolved in little lukewarm water, half a cup of wheat flour and three cups of buckwheat flour.
Beat vigorously and thoroughly; cover and set to rise in a cool place until morning, if for breakfast. Thin the batter before baking if too thick, using a little warm water. Add half a teaspoon of baking soda just before baking.
Buckwheat pancakes with baking powder
Take a pint of pure buckwheat flour, half a pint of whole wheat or Graham flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoons of baking powder. Sift all together until well-mixed. Then add enough sweet milk to make a smooth, thin batter and bake.
