Happy New Year!
Are you wondering how to make a lovely breakfast this New Year’s morning, but as an expat, don’t know how to make pancakes without a box mix from Aunt Jemima or Bisquick? Well, do I have news for you! Here is an easy recipe and all of the ingredients are readily available in Turkey!
Basic Pancakes
Whisk in a large bowl:
1.5 cups flour (375ml un)
3 Tablespoons sugar (3 çorba kaşığı şeker)
1.5 teaspoons baking powder (1.5 çay kaşığı kabartma tozu)
0.5 teaspoon salt (0.5 çay kaşığı tuz)
Whisk in another bowl:
1.5 cups milk (375ml süt)
3 Tablespoons melted butter (3 çorba kaşığı eritilmiş tereyağı)
2 large eggs (2 büyük yumurta)
0.5 teaspoon vanilla – OPTIONAL (biraz vanilya tozu – isteğe bağlı)
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently whisk together until combined. Heat a griddle or flat pan with a little vegetable oil. Turn the heat down to medium. Pour batter by the spoonful onto heated pan. When it bubbles, flip it over. Cook until golden brown.
Options:
– slice bananas (or your favorite fruit) and add to each pancake before flipping to the other side.
– make buttermilk pancakes by adding a little lemon to the milk and letting it sit for 10-15 minutes. Add 0.5 teaspoons of baking soda (karbonat) to the dry ingredients.
In Ankara, pancake syrup and real maple syrup can be found at Metro or Real. You can sometimes find it at Carrefour. There are also stores that carry a strange mix of American products in Kent Park, in a Pasaj on Tunali, at 365 AVM, and other locations. Expect to pay at least 30TL for pancake syrup. You can also give Turkish Pekmez a try. The basic pekmez is made from grapes (üzüm pekmezi).
Afiyet olsun!
Adventures in Ankara 
Great Post! Pancakes are one of our favorites for breakfast here. They are really simple to make. We’ve decided to just make our own syrup. It is really simple and nearly as good (and not 30tl!)
The recipe (which we don’t follow exactly) is just 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar. You are supposed to add maple flavoring, which we don’t have so we usually substitute 1/2 cup of the white sugar with brown. We’ll also add in the şekerli vanilla powder for the flavor.
Then just boil the water in a saucepan add the sugars. Boil about two minutes or till it is fully dissolved. And then serve warm. You can also keep it refrigerated to use later.
Thanks Jay! and thanks for the additions! My husband is diabetic, so I admit to bringing syrup from home, both sugar free and original recipe for me! I also bring the blueberry syrup that I love so much with blueberry pancakes! I haven’t gotten the hang of the vanilya seker yet. I don’t even give it a chance . . . you got it . . . i bring the real thing from home. But I am thinking about making my own vanilla extract as I am told that I can get vanilla beans. Hmmmm. . . something to do on a snowy day, maybe.
Just curious, have you tried pekmez? If so, what did you think?
I am eager to try your pancake recipe & thanks for the buttermilk recipe. And coupled with Jaybark7’s syrup, the pancake should be absolutely delicious!