Brioche Pancakes

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Time: 30 minutes, plus time to rise

Brioche is a French pastry that’s leavened and doughy like bread but rich with egg yolks and butter. Here you get a similar buttery tenderness and rich eggy flavor for a lot less effort. These are excellent as is, but for a little extra, try adding raisins or chocolate chips, as the French do when they want to gild the lily.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups milk, lukewarm
• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• Butter for cooking

1. Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk and melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for at least 1½ hours and up to 4.

2. The batter is ready when it has little bubbles on the surface. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. Beat the eggs and egg yolks, then stir them into the batter.

3. When a couple drops of water skid across the surface of the pan before evaporating, it’s hot enough. Add some butter to the hot pan. Once the butter melts, ladle in the batter and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until bubbles appear in the middle. Flip the pancakes when they’re golden; resist the urge to move them around before that. Repeat on the other side. Serve immediately, with extra butter or some jam, or keep warm in a 200°F oven for 15 minutes or so.

HONEY BRIOCHE PANCAKES Replace the sugar with honey, adding it along with the milk and butter.

Adapting Recipes

Waffles into Pancakes/Pancakes into Waffles

Waffles and pancakes are similar but not so much that their batters are interchangeable without some adjustments. If you want to take a pancake recipe and turn it into a waffle, or vice versa, keep these tips in mind.

• Waffles contain more sugar.
• Waffles need more fat.
• Waffles should be airier.

So to use a pancake batter for waffles, increase the sugar by 1 tablespoon. Add at least 1 tablespoon neutral oil or melted butter per cup of flour or add more—up to 4 tablespoons—for a richer flavor and crisper edges. And separate the eggs, combining the yolks with the base of the batter and whipping the whites to soft peaks separately before folding them into the batter at the end.

To use a waffle recipe for pancakes, reduce the sugar called for by 1 tablespoon. Reduce any oil or butter to not more than 1 or 2 tablespoons per cup of flour. Don’t bother separating the eggs (although if you like extra-airy pancakes, you are welcome to do so).