Time: 10 minutes to make, 10 minutes to cook

Lacy-crisp on the surface, with crackling flecks of shaved bran and a creamy interior, these griddlecakes carry just a trace of burnt toffee in their finish. They go far beyond the world of regular pancakes and demand nothing special from the cook in return.

Equipment Mise en Place
For this recipe you will need a small saucepan, a large mixing bowl, a medium mixing bowl, a whisk, a 2-ounce ladle, a well-seasoned 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet or similarly sized griddle, and a metal spatula.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional, as desired, for the pancakes
1 cup (5.4 ounces) Anson Mills Antebellum-Style Graham Flour
1/3 cup (1.7 ounces) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (1.6 ounces) Anson Mills Fine Yellow or White Cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature or warmed to room temperature in the microwave, plus more if needed

 

1 cup pure dark amber maple syrup or sorghum, warmed, for serving

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove it from the heat, tilt the pan, and part the surface foam with a spoon. Spoon off 1 tablespoon of clear yellow butterfat and transfer it to a small bowl. Set both melted butters aside. Set a well-seasoned 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat to get hot while you prepare the batter. The skillet is hot enough when drops of water dropped onto its surface sizzle, about 10 minutes.

2. Turn the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

3. Whisk the egg in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining 5 tablespoons butter from the saucepan and whisk well to combine. (You can use the saucepan to heat the maple syrup or sorghum.) Add the milk to the egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly.

4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry all at once and whisk just to moisten. (The batter may seem thin at first—let the flour swell for a few minutes before using the batter.)

5. Dip a heatproof basting brush or wadded paper towel in the reserved tablespoon of butter and brush it across the surface of the hot skillet. Drop pancakes one at a time into the pan with a 2- or 4-ounce ladle—there will be room for 3 or 4 pancakes, depending on their size. (If the batter becomes too thick over the course of making the pancakes, you can thin it with a little milk.) When the pancakes are nicely browned on the bottom and have begun to bubble on the top, 2 to 3 minutes, flip the cakes and brown the other side,1 or 2 minutes longer. Transfer the pancakes to a plate and give them to someone to eat. Grease the skillet and cook the next batch of pancakes. Serve the pancakes hot off the griddle with extra butter and warm maple syrup or sorghum.

Makes twelve 4-inch pancakes