Lemon Zest Should Be Added to the Pancake Dough
I am an uncompromising champion of mixtures for baking . Baking from scratch is great, and if you have the time and resources to do it, go for it. But mixes are one of the earliest modern techniques, and their adoption has helped ease the workload of (mostly) women doing unpaid household chores. This – in addition to being lethargic in my personal life – makes me an unabashed fan.
Rather than thinking of mixes as “cheats,” I like to think of them as time-saving blank canvases on which I can paint new, more flavorful masterpieces. For example, many pancake mixes work fine without additives, but adding just one additional ingredient can turn the ordinary into something special. I was furious with the curd pancakes, but Tim (aka the guy who tweets) recently made me eat lemon zest pancakes, which are deceivingly tasty and very easy to make.
Just make a batch (about six or eight) of the pancakes as usual, pausing to mix the zest of a whole medium lemon with the dry ingredients before adding the wet ones. That’s all. That’s all you have to do. Stir the dough, leaving it lumpy , then fry in a skillet. The result is sunny tortillas with a light lemon scent and yellow fanfetti zest scattered throughout. They taste not fruity and sweet, but slightly floral and fancy. The zest becomes lighter and brighter, softening the richness of the pancake and the sweetness of the syrup (or perhaps chocolate chips).