Peanut Pancake aka Apam

Pantry ingredients which are normally found in the supermarkets are now hard to find in this lockdown period. So, I try to compromise with any substitutes that come close to the ingredients I usually use for my baking. Dry yeast is unavailable, so I opt for fresh yeast instead.

I am new to fresh yeast, so I did a little experiment with this simple pancake recipe, commonly known as peanuts pancake aka apam. I like how my pancakes turn out to be with the fresh yeast. The pancakes are way softer and fluffier in texture, as compared to the one I made with dry yeast. That tells why traditional bakeries opt for fresh yeast to dry yeast.

As per the name of the pancake i.e. peanut pancake, the filling is always crushed peanut with sugar. However unsalted peanuts are hard to find in the supermarkets here, I then replaced the peanuts filling with hazelnut spread aka Nutella. Nutella pairs perfectly with the pancakes and I like it a lot. If you are interested, do check out the recipe for the pancake with fresh yeast. The pancake mixture can make 3 large pieces of pancakes.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cube fresh yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Filling
hazelnut spread - Nutella
some sugar
some salted butter
Other filling options: grind peanuts, creamy sweet corn, grind sesame with sugar

Directions
1. Mix 1/2 cube fresh yeast with some warm water. Set aside for 10 min.
2. In a mixing bowl, add in wheat flour, baking soda, salt, yeast mixture, egg, vanilla extract. Mix well till no lumps. Set aside to rest for at least 40 min.
3. Heat up the non-stick pan, pour in some batter and spread the batter evenly.
4. Sprinkle some sugar. Cover with lid and simmer for 2-3 min under low heat.
5. Place some butter. Cook until the butter is melted and the edges are lightly brown.
6. Smear generous amount of Nutella on the pancake, flip the pancake to half and serve.