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How to make pancakes
Tips & tricks
Filling & topping ideas
Leftovers
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You need:
1 egg
½ pint of milk
plain flour - about 4 heaped dessertspoonfuls
lemon juice
sugar
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Step One
Whisk the egg in a measuring jug. |
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Step Two
Add milk up to the ½ pint mark. You can use any sort of milk. Whisk mixture. |
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Step Three
Add the flour, one spoonful at a time. Whisk well each time to make a smooth batter. |
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The batter should have the consistency of single cream. Test it like this -->
Add more milk or flour until it looks right.
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Step Four*
Add a few drops of oil to the pan. You can use any oil but light oil is best.
I used light olive oil.
Wait for the pan to become hot on a high heat.
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Step Five
Pour two dessertspoonfuls of the batter into the pan and spread it around with the back of the spoon. Or, pick up the pan and tilt it to spread out the batter. |
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It doesn't take long for the first side to cook (~1 minute).
Test to see if the first side is cooked: lift the pan off the heat and shake it. When the pancake comes away from the pan, it's time to toss.
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Cook the other side. Toss the pancake to check if it's cooked. Both sides of the pancake should be golden with brown speckles.
Remove from the pan.
Add a drop or two of oil to the pan between each pancake. Stack up cooked pancakes so they stay warm.
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Step Six
Squeeze a lemon. Pour a couple of teaspoonfuls onto the cooked pancake and sprinkle all over with sugar. |
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Eat!
Roll up the pancake and scoff! This amount of mixture will make 10 - 16 pancakes. |
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Tips & tricks
1) You need a good non-stick pan, preferably a heavy one. To cook the pancakes properly, the pan needs to be hot. If you buy a new pan, you're supposed to 'season' it before you use it (heat some oil in it, discard the oil, then use fresh oil for your cooking).
2) Tossing a pancake isn't rocket science but you need to practise. If it's just not happening for you, use a spatula!
3) For some reason, the first pancake is always rubbish. Eat this one straight away so no-one sees it.
4) Some people make the batter the other way around - by adding liquid to the flour. But this generates more washing up (bowl + measuring jug) so I do it the other way around.
5) Some folk think it's essential to leave the batter to cool in the fridge for half an hour or more before you use it. Apparently, this expands the starch molecules and you get a more viscous batter. Hmm. I've never bothered...
6) Some other folk think it's essential to use a metal spoon. Why??
7) To make Scotch pancakes (drop scones), use ¼ pint of milk instead. This makes a thick batter. Scotch pancakes should be smaller (only about 5" across).
Tasty fillings & topping
The most basic traditional way to eat pancakes is with sugar & lemon juice.
Sweet pancakes ('crêpes') are popular for breafast, snacks and as a dessert.
Ideas:
• Maple syrup or golden syrup
• Tinned fruit pie filling
• Ice cream & chocolate sauce
Savoury pancakes ('galettes') are easy to make for a French-style main course.
Ideas:
• Beans & sausages
• Leeks & cheese sauce
• Ham, cheese & egg ('le complet')
For more ideas, visit BBC Food's pancake, crêpe and blini recipe index pages.
Leftovers
Pancakes are best eaten immediately. Store any leftovers on a plate, covered in clear food wrap, in fridge.
Reheat them in a microwave - for a stack of six, one minute on high is fine. Or you can heat them in a pan - fold them into quarters and reheat four at a time.
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