George C. Scott's Orange Pancakes

George C. Scott's Orange Pancakes

Use good pancake or biscuit mix or prepare your own homemade quick bread mix as follows:

8 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup double-acting baking powder
1 1/2 tbsps. salt
2 tsps. cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups fat

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar.

2 Cut in fat with pastry blender (or two knives) until mixture has a fine even crumb. Cover tightly and store in a cool place. (Makes 128 medium-sized biscuits.)

For the orange pancake batter:

2 cups quick bread mix (as prepared above)
Scant tbsp. sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 tbsp. finely shaved orange rind
1 large egg
1 1/2 tbsps. sweet butter (melted and cooled to room temperature)

1. Blend quick bread (or boxed biscuit) with sugar, milk, egg, butter and orange rind; beat with rotary beater until smooth.

2. Heat pancake (or griddle) pan until hot. Grease if necessary. Griddle is hot enough if few drops of water boil up and skid across the surface.

3. Drop batter by spoonfuls (or for uniformity, use 1/4 cup measure) on surface. Cook until bubbles begin to appear and undersurface is nicely browned. Turn, cook, serve at once with sweet butter, orange marmalade or powdered sugar and thin fried (or broiled) ham steaks. Makes about 16 large pancakes.

Thoughts: The basic formula can be varied by omitting the orange rind and using peeled tart apple, coarsely grated. Serve dusted with cinnamon sugar, or powdered or brown sugar, sweet butter and crisp bacon. Or use plump blueberries (in season) or canned blueberries, drained. Add berries to batter. Serve with nutmeg sugar or powdered sugar, sweet butter or dollop of sour cream. Makes a hearty Sunday brunch or late supper meal.