Pancakes! Who doesn’t like pancakes? Vegans I guess, but here’s 2 spot on recipes depending on your style..

Yes, pancakes!

Don’t know about you but I love pancakes in any (edible) shape or form.

Over the years I’ve found all the variations of a pancake I’ve seen essentially boil down to 2 types, fluffy American style pancakes (scotch pancakes) or crepes (thin pancakes).

Fluffy American Pancakes / scotch pancakes (5 minutes)

Ingredients (makes 6-8 pancakes)

• 150-200g self raising flour, the more you use the thicker/stodgier the pancake will be
• 200ml milk (any kind but I find the higher fat content the better i.e blue milk)
• 1 or 2 tbsp of sugar, granulated is fine.
• 1 egg, 2 if you want them more cakey
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp oil
• Oil/butter for frying
• (Optional) pinch of salt/pepper

Equipment

• Frying pan; if it’s not non stick or a well seasoned iron pan you won’t have a fun time here, you don’t want pancakes cooked to the pan, ideally you want a crepe pan but not everyone has one lying around 🙄
• Hob, to heat pan for pancakes
• Measuring jug, preferably 2 litre
• Scales
• A whisk or a fork, whisk is easier
• Not essential but a sieve is handy

Prep and Cooking

1. If you’re using an electric hob set it to 4 or 5 and put the pan on to warm it up while you prepare the pancake batter, if it’s gas it should only take 20-30 seconds to heat before cooking.
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the measuring jug, you don’t have to sift it but the pancake batter will be lumpy; this means to get rid of the dry lumps you will have to mix it a lot more meaning the gluten will tighten up more. It doesn’t really matter but if you want a soft fluffy pancake you want to mix it as little as possible.
3. Add the sugar and salt/pepper if using then pour in the milk and oil and mix gently until the flour is fully mixed, it shouldn’t take much just check round the edges on the bottom of the jug.
4. Add the egg(s) and whisk heavily for 5-10 seconds until the egg is fully incorporated into the pancake batter.
5. Take the pan to a medium low heat (around 3 on an electric hob, small flame on a gas hob)
6. For each pancake use about 1/2 tsp of oil or 10g of butter, chuck it in the pan and swirl it about then put the pan on the heat and don’t move it again.
7. Add the desired amount of pancake batter to the pan, just pour it straight from the jug, the more you use the bigger the of the pancake will be but I’d say about 50-80g per pancake is about right.
8. Don’t disturb the pan and wait until bubbles start to come through most of the pancake batter, flip the pancake and cook the other side for the same sort of time the first side took (each side usually takes about 30-60 seconds each side for a 50-80g pancake)
9. Eat teh pancakes 👍

Summary

1. Mix all the ingredients in a measuring jug
2. Heat a pan to medium low, add butter or oil
3. Add pancake batter and leave to cook until bubbles start coming through the batter, flip and and cook the other side.
4. Pancakes are delicious.

Crepes; thin pancakes (5 minutes)

Ingredients (makes 4-6 pancakes)

• 100g plain flour
• 200ml milk
• 1 – 2 tsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp oil
• Oil/butter for frying
• (Optional) Salt/pepper

Equipment

Same as above

Prep and cooking

1. Heat the pan to a medium high heat while you prepare the pancake batter.
2. Sieve the flour into a measuring jug and and the milk, sugar, oil and salt/pepper (if using), mix gently so the flour is fully incorporated.
3. Add the egg and whisk heavily for 5-10 seconds.
4. Heat some oil/butter in the pan and swirl it about.
5. Take a ladleful of pancake batter, you don’t want loads as crepes are supposed to be paper thin, I find about 50ml (double shot) works well in a 25-28cm pan. This part is quite tricky as the pancake batter cooks so quickly, take the pan off the heat and tilt it at about a 40° angle and pour the pancake batter round the top edge of the pan. You need to try and cover the whole surface with the pancake batter. I still struggle with this sometimes so if you’ve got any tips please say in the comments below!
6. When you see the edges start to brown a little underneath flip the pancake and cook the other side for a similar amount of time.
7. Serve, eat, repeat.

Summary

1. Mix all the ingredients in a measuring jug
2. Heat a pan to medium high, add butter or oil
3. Add pancake batter and leave to cook until the bottom edges start to brown a little, flip and and cook the other side.
4. Pancakes are delicious.

Have your pan and eat it. Uh..cakes.

So there you have it, plenty of precious pancakes, use them wisely!

Personally I think there’s a lot to like about pancakes, for one they’re cheap as anything, with current supermarket prices they only cost about 5p each! Thought this might come in handy with pancake day around the corner.

They also work great as a base for canapés, if you want to make blinis then just use the scotch pancake recipe but use a tablespoon of batter per pancake then you can put what you like on them (smoked salmon and cream cheeezzz 👍)

They’re also pretty diverse on the whole (pancakes). You can add any spices or herbs to savoury pancakes (smoked paprika is nice).

When it comes to savoury pancakes the combinations can be endless, cheese is always a firm favourite with me. I find you can use the pancake batter like you would an omelette mix.

And of course, how can anyone forget the possibilities with sweet pancakes? Icecream, fruit, syrup, honey, cream, apple crumble… you name it add a pancake and it’ll be even better (maybe not everything but you get the idea).

Where did pancakes come from?

Apparently they were invented by the romans around the 1st century who would make a batter of flour, eggs, milk and spices. Market salesmen would sell them hot (crazy to think it’s been going on that long!) and they would sweeten them with honey rather than syrup.

They go nice with chantilly cream!

Got any ideas for good pancake recipes?

Post them in the comments below!

TTFN