A stack of pancakes on a plate with strawberries
FOOD NEWS
18th Century Pancakes Used A Very Unusual Ingredient
BY KAREN HART
A stack of pancakes on a plate with strawberries
In the 18th century before leavening ingredients like baking soda were easy to find and purchase, snow was the single ingredient you needed for ultimate fluffy pancakes.
A hand holding snow
It worked because powdery snow contains a small amount of ammonia, which can give baked goods a fast rise, resulting in a texture that is feathery light.
In "Miss Parloa's New Cook Book: A Guide to Marketing and Cooking," which was published in the 1880s, you'll find a recipe for pancakes that uses this chilly ingredient.
While the recipe doesn't tell you how much snow to use, it is somewhere between 3/8 to 1/2 cup. However, since snow has a tendency to melt, you may want to collect a bit more.