We interrupt your regular programming to bring you the following Public Service Announcement:

You. Yes, you. You who are eyeballing that yellow plastic bottle, contemplating adding some water and shaking it to make pancakes. Put. It. Down. Walk away from the scary shake-and-pour. Turn your back on the microwaveable pancakes. Because, guess what? Give up? Come a little closer so I can let you in on a little secret.

You are never more than eighteen minutes away from homemade pancakes.

Oh, sorry.  Did I hurt your ears?  But, it’s true.  You are this close to homemade pancakes.  Yes, even if you live alone or all your family is out at the movies.

Here’s how it’s done.  Follow these steps To The Letter, and you, too, can be enjoying fresh, homemade pancakes in just a bit longer than it takes to listen to (okay, read) this announcement.

The Equipment

• a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle
• a timer
• a stove
• one bowl
• one whisk
• one spoon (a regular teaspoon will do)
• a half-cup measure
• a pancake turner or other thin spatula-type Item
• butter
• real maple syrup (yes, it is worth it)
• a plate
• a fork (optional)

The Ingredients

• 1/2 cup self rising flour
• 1 spoonful of sugar
• optional: a sprinkle of cinnamon or other pancake-y type spice
• whole milk (about 1/4″ shy of the top of the half cup measure)
• 1 spoonful of neutral oil
• optional: splash of vanilla/citrus zest/chocolate chips–whatever

The Procedure

• Preheat the skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Set the timer for five minutes.
• In your bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
• Stir oil into milk, add vanilla, if you’re using it.
• Pour over dry ingredients and whisk slowly until just incorporated.
• Let the batter sit until the timer goes off.
• Rub a little butter onto your skillet.
• Pour 1/2 of your pancake batter into the skillet.
• While your pancake cooks, heat up the maple syrup so it’s ready to go.
• Let pancake cook until the bubbles around the edges pop but don’t fill back in with batter, about 3-4 minutes.
• Flip pancake and cook about 2 minutes.
• While the second side of the pancake cooks, put a wee pat of butter on your plate.
• Place pancake onto plate on top of butter.
• Pour the rest of the batter into the pan.
• Put a wee pat of butter on top of your first pancake.
• Cook pancake 3-4 minutes and then flip.
• Cook second side of pancake 2 minutes.
• Place second pancake on top of first.  Apply another wee pat of butter.
• Turn off stove.
• Pour syrup on top of pancakes.
• Eat.
• Be smug about your Awesomeness.

So, next time you think about taking the Low Road with the shake-n-pour, remember, you now know the secret of Homemade Pancakes in 18 minutes.

That concludes this Public Service Announcement.  We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming: