Somehow it has been almost a year since I have posted here. Time slipped away quickly and quietly as I watched my daughter grow and change into a quick toddler full of mischief. I’ve spent countless hours playing and digging and making wonderful messes with her (a tricky thing for this here Virgo). We’ve done lots of baking together too, which is the most wonderful mess of all… flour and spoons and dishes everywhere.
Time has slipped away elsewhere though too. It took me a long time to recognize the abyss that I stood on the edge of every waking moment, the one that consumed me with overwhelm at the simplest of ideas, the simplest of days. Most days I felt like a shit Mom and wondered how this could still be SO HARD. My sleep got worse, my panic rose and I started every day deep in a pool of anxiety. It’s been a long road, trying everything I could think of to help myself.
Until now. Well, the past two months or so.
I had opened up to a friend of mine, listing all the things I had tried, including prescription medication, and she revealed that she took medication every day. She spoke of the stigma in around taking it and something hit home for me. I’ve been taken my medication every day now for two months and everything has completely flipped. Now that abyss is just a far off hole in the ground and I can think and feel clearly without overwhelm or crippling anxiety clouding everything. And I finally have the mental space to come back here.
Ok, so now lets get to these grießschnitten aka cream of wheat pancakes.
These are something my Oma has been making for over 70 years (she will be 91 this April!). The aroma of these with strawberry sauce is one of THE smells of Summer for me. It immediately takes me back to my Oma’s veranda, sitting around the table after the sun has dipped over the edge of the roof, giving us the most soothing shade. I ladle spoonful after spoonful of sauce over my grießschnitten until they are swimming in strawberries. There are no words spoken as everyone digs in and savours the moment.
I re-live that moment each and every time I make these, even in the depths of Winter.
Happy baking,
Sophie
P.S. I have created an Accidental Artisan Instagram account if you’d like to follow my baking adventures as I bake far more often than I post on my blog.
Grießschnitten (Cream of Wheat Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole, organic milk
- 1 cup cream of wheat not the instant version
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- butter for frying
Instructions
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Grease a large baking sheet with butter or non stick cooking spray and set aside.
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Add the milk to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently. Add the cream of wheat and salt and cook, whisking constantly until mixture is thick and pulling away from the edges of the pot while you whisk.
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Remove from the heat, add the egg and beat it into the cream of wheat mixture until completely combined. Pour the mixture onto the greased baking sheet. Grease a rubber spatula and use it to evenly spread the mixture to all corners of the baking sheet. Set aside to cool.
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Once cooled, cut into squares and fry in butter until dark golden brown on both sides. Serve with strawberry sauce or any other kind of berries or fruit.
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Leave any that won't be eaten right away un-fried. Store in the fridge in an air tight container with parchment paper between layers for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. Pancakes can be fried from frozen without thawing first.
