Call them griddlecakes, flapjacks, or silver dollars, the pancake is a food item found in most cultures around the world. My mom’s parents immigrated from Finland, but they were of Swedish descent and spoke Swedish. I often wondered aloud why people who lived in Finland for many generations just didn’t call themselves Finns, but nobody ever answered me to my satisfaction, so I still wonder all these years later. Mom always made the best pancakes, and the ones she made most often were a nod to her Swedish heritage. These thin, light-as-air circles of love were made many Sunday mornings and wherever we had company. She sometimes had two pans going on the stove, but each pancake was made and served one at a time, and that’s how we ate them, everyone’s plate getting an equal turn. I preferred a stack of them, and for that luxury, I had to either get up early, stay at the table after every one else was done, or make them myself. Although the pan was greased with a little butter, we always added more on top, plus a generous pouring of real maple syrup or canned wild blueberries. If anyone was in a hurry, one could be spread with butter, jam, and then rolled up for a portable breakfast. Sometimes we would have Kropsua, or Finnish oven pancakes. She didn’t make these quite as often, and I really don’t know why, as they are much less time-consuming and were also a family favorite. Kropsua can be buttered and covered with syrup or strawberry jam, but are also delicious with warm fruit poured over the top. At this time of year, apples cooked with cinnamon and nutmeg come to mind.
Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup buttermilk 1 egg (beaten) 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 Tbs. sugar 3/4 to 1 cup flour
Mix the soda into the buttermilk. (It will bubble up, and this will give the pancakes their light texture.) Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the beaten egg and buttermilk mixture. Don’t overmix the batter. Grease a hot pan with butter and pour on about 1/2 cup batter per pancake. Flip when bubbles form on top. This recipe doubles easily, and sometimes I substitute whole wheat flour for part of the flour, but they won’t be quite as light.
Finnish Kropsua (Oven Pancake)
3 eggs 2 cups milk 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 4 Tbs. butter in a 13 x 9 pan in the oven, then swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Beat the rest of the ingredients together and pour slowly into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
The Minnesota Farm Woman 