Fall is in the air. The trees are turning color, and the nights are getting nippier – and it’s apple season. Apples are so versatile. Biting into a fresh juicy apple is a treat, and they can be used to make tasty salads, side dishes, and desserts. When browsing through a hundred-year-old magazine I came across a recipe for Apple Griddle Cakes and decided to give it a try.
My sense is that griddle cakes and pancakes are interchangeable terms. There may be regional variation regarding which is used.
The Apple Griddle Cakes were delectable. They were light and almost airy with sweet and chewy bits of apple. I started to write that the griddle cakes were light and fluffy, but then I realized that many recipes state that the recipe makes “light and fluffy” griddle cakes. This recipe is different from most because it calls for separating the eggs, beating the egg whites, and then folding them into the griddle cake batter. Most modern recipes just call for adding the entire egg with all the other ingredients.
Most apple recipes today call for cinnamon; however, the old recipe did not call for using any. This allowed the natural sweet and tangy flavor of the apples to be more prominent in the griddle cakes.
Another difference between this recipe and other griddle cake recipes is that it calls for small pieces of torn bread (bread crumbs) that have been soaked in milk. A hundred years ago, cooks didn’t want to waste food, and this recipe was a way to use stale bread (or bread crusts).
Here is the original recipe:
This recipe was included in an advertisement for Crisco. (Yes, Crisco has been around for more than a hundred years, though the ingredients have been tweaked several times over the years.). When I updated the recipe, I used melted butter instead of the Crisco.
A hundred years ago, this recipe probably was a good way to use stale bread that was very dry and firm, so the bread crumbs may have needed to soak overnight to soften. However, I decided to use some whole wheat bread that I recently purchased. I just tore up several slices of the bread and soaked it in the milk. It did not take more than a few minutes for the bread to become mushy. I did not heat the milk. After the bread softened, I just used electric beaters to turn it into a paste.
One large apple made approximately one cup of chopped apples.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Apple Griddle Cakes
2 cups bread, torn into small pieces
2 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped apples (1 large apple)
Put the bread crumbs into a bowl and pour the milk over them. Let the bread soak until it is soft and mushy. This will only take a few minutes in many cases; it may take up to several hours if the bread is extremely stale and dry.)
In the meantime, put the egg whites in a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Once the bread crumbs have softened, beat the bread and milk mixture with electric beaters to make a paste. Add the egg yolks, butter, sugar, salt, and flour; beat until thoroughly mixed. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites; then, using a fork, stir in the chopped apples.
Heat a lightly greased griddle or skillet to a medium temperature, then pour or scoop the batter onto the hot surface to make individual pancakes. Cook until the top surface is hot and bubbly, and then flip and cook other side.
