The modern word "fritters" comes from the Latin "oleum" - oil, since initially these small thickish flour products from acidic dough were fried exclusively in vegetable oil. The first mention of pancakes as a culinary product dates back to the middle of the XVI century. But at that time, pancakes, pancakes, Siberian dullnesses and crumpets fell under this concept, because there was no clear border that would separate the pancakes from the above types of products prepared from liquid yeast dough. At that time, pancakes were often baked from potatoes, millet and semolina, and this word denoted only the specific form of the product, but not the composition or technology of preparation.
Today, almost every housewife knows how to bake wheat flour pancakes, which can also be mixed with oat, pea, potato and buckwheat. At the same time, water or milk is used for kneading, more yeast is added to make a batter of such consistency, which can be easily filled with a spoon. The dough for pancakes should come up twice, and immediately before baking, it is necessary to add butter and eggs to it so that it comes out rich and satisfying. Gathering a small portion of the dough with a spoon, it is laid out on a well-heated pan in an almost boiling oil and fried for a couple of minutes on both sides.
Now let's talk about how to bake pancakes so that they were of delicate consistency and turned out to be lush and soft. It is necessary to observe only three conditions: correctly prepare the dough, heat the oil well and take the correct pan. The oil needs to be heated very much so that each pancake is quickly fried and does not absorb too much fat. Otherwise, it may settle and become flat and unappetizing, even if the dough is cooked correctly. The pan is preferable to use only cast iron, but you can take the dishes with high-quality Teflon coating. Classic pancakes should turn out 5-6 millimeters thick, no more. They, like pastries, due to their richness perfectly perceive the flavoring with various jams, honey, jam or sour cream. They can be used not only as a dessert, but also as a snack if served with garlic dressing. Also, pancakes can be the basis for the preparation of the second dish: they are baked in tomato sauce with meat.
Now, knowing how to bake pancakes correctly, you can try to prepare for them not only different toppings, sauces or toppings, but also try to experiment with the dough. For the preparation of fritters, potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, beets and other vegetables are perfect. They are rubbed on a grater and mixed with yeast dough in a 1: 1 ratio. Properly selected sauce will make vegetable pancakes a real work of culinary art.
Very original will be fritters from beans with herbs and garlic. Beans must first be cooked and rolled through a meat grinder, then connected to a yeast dough and fry in a pan, and then bring to full readiness in the oven. Recently, a recipe for liver pancakes has been very popular , since such products are useful, nutritious and good as an independent dish. Do you know how to bake pancakes so that they are as dietary as possible? Knead them on Besan - chickpea flour. She will be able to replace ordinary wheat flour and you will not need to add baking in such a dough. Fritters and so will turn out delicious. But you still have to cook them in oil.
In Russia, we bake pancakes on kefir or yeast dough, but in the USA we are used to kneading dough in milk with lemon juice and we have baked goods for breakfast with peanut butter or maple syrup. In the West, love pancakes with the addition of soft cottage cheese, such products are perfectly combined with fruit or berry purees. By the way, cottage cheese is able to significantly enrich the amino acid composition of the finished dish. There are a lot of options for making fritters, choose your own and enjoy the taste. Enjoy your meal!