Shandong five-grain pancake practice tools

The main tools for making pancakes are griddle, oil rub, ladle, will, shovel.

Griddle: pig iron cast round plate, the upper surface is flat and smooth, the center is slightly convex, under the three feet as a support, the size of the shape varies, medium-sized griddle diameter of 65 cm or so; heat the griddle below the fire, on which the pancakes are cooked.

Oil rub: commonly known as "oil hitch, oil cloth," with cloth sewn into a square rub, there is also a corn husk tie made, seepage of cooking oil. Before spreading the pancakes, first use the oil to wipe the griddle.

Scoop: scoop the batter onto the griddle.

This will be very much like bamboo, but it is also made of a wooden board with a handle, which is used to push the batter and spread it evenly on the griddle. Some places use "Chi Chi" or "Chop Chi", which will have the same effect as this. The process of smearing the batter with a hand-dragging would be called "spreading".

Shovel: some places in Shandong called "grab", used along the edge of the griddle to spread the pancakes grabbed up and uncovered.

Raw materials

The raw materials used to make pancakes can be a variety of grains, such as wheat, corn, sorghum, cereals, dried groundnuts, etc., or a mixture of several ingredients at the same time. Before the 1980s, most of the pancakes in Shandong were made from dried groundnuts and corn. Pancakes made of dried groundnuts and sorghum were light brown in color, those made of cornmeal, millet, and cereal were light yellow in color, and those made of rice and wheat were white in color. Zibo area pancakes have "red and white" points, "red pancakes" is made of sorghum, "white pancakes" more corn stalled.

Grinding Batter

Wheat, sorghum, corn, grain, dried groundnuts and other raw materials are washed, soaked, and then ground into a paste, commonly known as "pancake batter". In some places, before grinding the batter, into one-third or half of the "cooked material" (that is, first cooked to eight or nine mature part of the raw material), commonly known as "half of the child", "half of the child" after grinding The batter that comes out is easy to spread, and the pancakes are soft and tasty. In some places, dried groundnuts are soaked in water after being ground into noodles to soak out the black water in the groundnut noodles. Traditionally, stone mills were used in Shandong to grind the batter, with large mills pushed by animal power and small mills pushed by human power, but nowadays machine mills are commonly used. Generally, the batter is ground on the first night, and the griddle, fire and pancake are set up early the next morning.

Setting up the griddle

The process of setting up the griddle can be simple or complex. The simple way to set up the griddle directly with three bricks to support the griddle can be; complex practice is to use the hard mud paste into a stove, with the bellows drum wind. Griddle set up after the fire. Rural areas generally use corn stalks or wheat straw as firewood. Building the fire and spreading the pancakes is often a two-person collaboration. After the griddle is hot, you can spread pancakes or roll pancakes.

Spreading Pancakes

"Spreading" is generally used to make pancakes with a better texture, such as those made from wheat and millet. Before spreading, the griddle is often greased with an oil wipe, which removes debris from the griddle and makes it easier to separate the cooked pancake from the griddle. Scoop the batter onto the griddle with a ladle, and use a scoop to spread the batter along the griddle in a circle, so that it will be pushed out to form a pancake. This will be repeated again with a spoon to distribute the batter evenly. The pancakes will be cooked quickly, and you will need to use a spatula along the edge of the griddle in time to grab the pancakes and remove them. The size of the pancake depends on the griddle, usually between half a meter and 80 centimeters in diameter. The amount of batter spread on the griddle determines the thickness of the pancake, and people with high levels of skill can make very thin pancakes. Pancake spreading is very concerned about the technology and fire.

Rolled Pancakes

Rolled pancakes are generally used to make lower-quality pancakes, mostly made from dried groundnuts. Dried groundnut or cornmeal dough is rolled along the outer rim of the griddle in a single layer, which can be removed when cooked. This method of production of pancakes is relatively loose, not good control of pancake thickness.