Pancake Tuesday is just hours away and, even though many shops and cafes will be offering them ready-to-go, nothing beats a fresh and homemade pancake.
If you want to follow this tradition, here are some tips to help you make the loveliest pancakes:
- A good recipe: If you decide to cook from scratch, use a recipe instead of making them “by the eye”. Here’s a basic one just in case: 200 gr plain flour, 350 ml milk, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of baking power and a pinch of salt. Mix the liquid ingredients and the dry ingredients separatedly, then merge them all and whisk until it’s uniform and without lumps.
- The right utensils: You don’t want to be running around looking for a spatula while your first pancake burns. Make sure you have everything you need (a goon non-stick pan, a spatula, a plate or board to put the pancakes on) and then begin the cooking.
- The cooking: Drizzle a dash of oil in the pan and spread it with a sheet of kitchen roll. Use medium heat and don’t pour the first pancake before you are sure it’s hot enough.
- The size: The pancake should be almost as big as the pan’s diameter, just make sure you leave half a centimetre to easlily flip them with a spatula.
- The flipping: With the help of the spatula, check a small area of the pancake to see if it’s ready before flipping. If it’s light golden, then go ahead (if it’s pale, or the top’s surface looks too wet still, it means it’s too early). If your pancakes are getting too dark too quick, lower the heat as it might be too high.
- The topping’s temperature: Make sure your butter, lemon and jams are not served too cold. Instead of bringing them straight out from the fridge, bring them out one hour before serving the pancakes. The flavour and texture will be way nicer this way.
- The classics and the specials: Be sure to have the classic toppings, as these favourites never go out of style. Honey, lemon, sugar (go for caster or icing sugar to give it an extra touch), jam and butter are musts. Besides them, if you want to go the extra mile, include one or two “fancy” toppings, such as Nutella, caramel or ice cream.
- A healthy choice: Include a lighter alternative for those who want to enjoy a less sugary version. For example, fresh blueberries, sliced banana, almond butter or low fat vanilla yogurt. You can also find many alternative pancake recipes online for the fitness oriented (look for paleo pancakes and you’ll get tons of ideas).
- Try savoury pancakes: Think outside the box and enjoy them with maple and bacon, ham and cheddar or goat cheese, a drop of honey and crushed walnuts.
- Make pancake art: Separate a part of the pancake batter, add some cocoa powder to it and pour in in a piping bag. Before pouring the plain pancake batter in the hot pan, make a shape or drawing with the cocoa mix (something simple like a happy face or a heart will do, but feel free to experiment with designs if you feel adventurous), when the shape is nearly cooked, pour the batter on top, and cook the pancake as usual.
Any other pancake making tip you can think of? Share and let us know!