It’s very nearly Shrove Tuesday and with it comes the necessity to make pancakes! It’s always good to have a fool proof batter recipe and instructions and here it is…
Ingredients:
200g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs, large
600ml milk
The batter will make approx 12 x 20cm pancakes depending on the thickness you prefer them.
My recipe comes from a well used copy of this BeRo book – my Grandma got this book for me many many years ago and it’s brilliant – actually Morrisons sell a remodelled version for just 99p on the home bake aisle.
Sift the flour into a bowl or batter jug. I prefer to use the jug as it’s easier to pour into your frying pan.
Add the pinch of salt and make a well in the centre.
Crack the eggs into the well in the flour and using a fork beat them slightly.
Add in the milk a little at a time keep beating with the fork incorporating the flour slowly.
Keep adding and beating until all the milk has been added. The batter should be the consistency of single cream – and without any lumps!
I remember my Mum letting us in the kitchen to fry and flip pancakes – she must have had nerves of steel. My children and frying pans is a fraught experience to say the least!
But here we go!
I’m lucky enough to be using a Swiss Diamond pan which needs no fat adding (amazing but true!). Otherwise I would normally add a teaspoon of lard. Butter or veg oil will work fine too.
Heat the pan till it is nice and hot – not full pelt on the hob but about three quarters power. Okay that’s not specific but you’ll know what I mean!
Pour a small amount of batter into the frying pan. Swirling the batter around gently to fill the pan. I like my pancakes quite thick and not wafer thin – but go with whatever floats your boat.
Now leave it alone – the temptation is very great to start poking with a spatula but don’t.
The pancake will start to change colour as it cooks through – from milky pale to an opaque yellowy white (my descriptions in this post are making me laugh already – you don’t get this in cook books do you?)
Wait wait wait until only the middle is still the orignal batter colour – about the size of a fifty pence piece. Now loosen the edges of the pancake using a thin spatula.
You should be able to swish the pancake back and forth in the pan. Now your ready to flip – be brave and go for it. Once flipped they only need about a minute in the pan to brown nicely and finish cooking through.
Unfortunately I can’t make pancakes, photograph and flip at the same time, but trust me I did – even in the kitchen on my own with no audience to whoop and clap!
I make pancakes during the day when the boys are out and then let them heat them up and flip them in the pan after tea on pancake day. Once cooled pancakes keep perfectly in the fridge and can even be frozen.
Cut up some squares of greaseproof paper and use them between the pancakes as you cook and stack.
Keep pancaking until all the batter is used up, adding extra oil or butter as necessary to grease the pan. I bet you your last pancake will be the best of the bunch so make sure that one’s yours.
Lemon juice and sugar, orange or my favourite cherry pie filling and vanilla ice cream – how do you like yours? (not stuck to the ceiling is a good start)
For more info on the pans visit http://www.swissdiamond.com/ and for a printable recipe you can find it here Printable Recipe – Perfect Pancakes
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
Finalist on BBC2 The Great British Bake Off
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