Recipe: Perfect Pancakes
With Pancake Day just around the corner, I thought I would share a foolproof traditional pancake recipe that I have been using for years. It is simple, scrumptious and indulgent.
So, dust off your pan, master your flipping technique, you are only minutes away from your tasty treat! I have also included an array of serving suggestions, from sweet to savoury. Make this Pancake Day the best ever!
Serves 2
Ingredients
110 g of plain flour (sieved)
A pinch of salt
2 large eggs
200ml semi-skimmed milk
75ml water
50g butter
Toppings for pancakes (see below for my serving suggestions)
Special Equipment Required
Frying pan (non-stick)
Measuring jug
Whisk
Palette knife
Ladle
Instructions
Measure out the ingredients.
In a frying pan, melt the butter, then set it to one side to cool.
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl along with the salt. This helps to reduce lumps in your batter. Ensure that you incorporate any bits of flour around the edges of the bowl.
Make a well in the centre of the sieved flour and begin to whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Ensure that you incorporate any bits of flour around the edges of the bowl.
In a measuring jug, measure out the milk and water mixture. Add this little by little, to the flour and edge mixture. Keep on whisking the batter until the consistency is smooth.
Next, take tablespoons of the melted butter and add this into your pancake mixture, whisking again so that it is all combined.
Grease your frying pan with a little bit of butter. You want the pan to be hot but be careful to avoid burning the butter.
Using a ladle or measuring jug, put about 3 tablespoons of pancake mixture into your pan (this could vary depending on the size of your pan.) Swirl the mixture around so that the mixture is distributed evenly over the base of the pan.
Cook the pancake for around four minutes. Use a palette knife to bring it carefully away from the edges. Now, it is time to turn or flip your pancake.
Continue to cook the pancake on the other side, until it is a light golden colour.
Between cooking each pancake, use some kitchen roll to remove any butter from the pan and then re-grease it as this avoids burnt butter.
Sweet serving suggestions
The Classic
Granulated sugar (or caster sugar)
1/8 of a lemon per pancake
Chocolate and Banana
1 Banana
1 tablespoon Nutella (allergy warning, contains nuts!)
Salted Caramel and Banana
1 tablespoon salted caramel spread
1 banana
Savoury serving suggestions
Spicy sweetcorn melt pancakes
Mix a 195g tin of sweetcorn with ½ chopped red onion, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1 chopped roasted red pepper from a jar, ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds and a handful of chopped coriander leaves.
Scatter some grated cheddar and mozzarella mix over six pancakes then grill until melted. Stack up three pancakes each with the sweetcorn mix.
Smoked salmon pancakes
Cook 3 pancakes.
Mix 4 tablespoons of crème fraîche with 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 tablespoon chopped dill and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Layer up to three pancakes each with slices of smoked salmon and drizzles of the crème fraîche mixture, finishing with salmon and a final drizzle of sauce.
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Written by Carolyn McCarthy
