Johnnycakes

Dairy-free, Vegetarian

A precursor of the pancake, the johnnycake, made with cornmeal, dates back to the 1700s when Native Americans taught English settlers how to prepare them. Although the ingredients in this version are not completely traditional, the spirit of the original recipe remains. Serve them with pure maple syrup for a delicious taste of true American cuisine.

Preparation

Place the flour, cornmeal, nutritional yeast flakes, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl, and stir them together.

Pour the milk and oil into the dry ingredients, and stir them together to make a smooth batter. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes, then stir again.

Mist a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and place it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, spoon in the batter using 2 level table spoonfuls for each pancake. Spread out each pancake a little using the back of a spoon.

You will need to cook the pancakes in several batches depending on the size of your skillet.

Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are brown, adjusting the heat as necessary. Carefully loosen the pancakes, and turn them over using a metal spatula. Cook the second side briefly, just until golden.

The Cook’s Secrets :

To test if the skillet is properly heated, moisten your fingertips with water and flick a few droplets into the pan. If the droplets sputter and steam, the skillet is ready. If the droplets skitter rapidly across the bottom, then the skillet is extremely hot and the heat may be turned up too high.

A nonstick skillet will work best. If you do not have a nonstick skillet, a thin layer of canola oil must be added to the skillet between each batch to help keep the pancakes from sticking to the pan.

If you like, you can keep the first batch of pancakes warm by placing them on a small, nonstick baking sheet in a 300°F oven while the remainder cook. If you do not have a nonstick baking sheet, use a regular baking sheet misted with nonstick cooking spray.