Buttermilk Pancakes (Irish)

In Catholic tradition, Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, has long been "pancake day." In earlier times, the observant abstained, for the forty days before Easter Sunday, not only from meat but also from butter, eggs, and milk. Making pancakes was a good way to use up these ingredients before the fast began. According to "Cookin' Woman" Florence Irwin, an old Shrove Tuesday practical joke, typically played on the new maid or some other gullible young lady, involved sending the victim to the neighbor's house to borrow a "pancake sieve." Arriving there, she'd be told that it had been lent to someone living near, so off she'd go to the next house - where of course she'd learn that it had been lent to yet another house. This went on until she at last returned home with the news that the sieve was nowhere to be found. At which point we can only hope that she was not sent out to borrow a left-handed monkey wrench.

3½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (350 g)
1 tsp. baking soda
⅓ cup sugar (65 g)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. Lyle's golden syrup
2½ cups buttermilk (600 mL)

To Serve:
6 Tbsp. butter (optional)
homemade preserves or maple syrup

Sift the flour, baking soda, and sugar together into a large bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the melted butter, egg, syrup, and buttermilk. Mix the ingredients together to form a batter that is thick but flows readily from a large spoon.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat and grease generously with some of the butter. Working in batches, spoon out circles of batter, being careful that they don't touch each other, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until bubbles appear on their surfaces. Turn and cook the other side until lightly browned. Repeat the process, adding more butter as needed.

Serve with butter and homemade preserves, or with maple syrup.

Makes about twenty 3-4" (7.5-10 cm) pancakes or 4-6 servings.