Three cooked pancakes
So simple to make, so quick to cook and so delicious to eat.
It's easy to see why kids and adults love freshly cooked pancakes. The filling and topping can be any type of jam, lemon and sugar, syrup, almost anything you fancy!
Typically in the UK (and Europe), pancakes are associated with the day of the year known as Shrove Tuesday, the first day of Lent. This association dates back hundreds of years. However pancakes in various forms date back many thousands of year, well before the time of Ancient Greece.
The ingredients and form of the pancake is extremely diverse. Unlike US style pancakes, which are thicker but smaller than a typical European pancake, this pancake recipe is more traditional to the UK.
Look at the picture below, painted by Pieter Aertsen. The pancakes painted are not the thicker type, they are thin and quite large. This is very similar to the form of pancake you find on this page.
Pancake picture
Pancake ingredients
110g / 4oz Plain Flour
2 medium eggs
280ml / ½ pint semi-skimmed (not full fat) milk
55g / 2oz butter
Pre-heat the frying pan to a medium high heat. Use the first pancake as a test to see if it's heated enough.
STEP 2Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the two eggs. Mix it all up with a whisk or a fork until the flour and eggs are well-mixed.
Add the milk slowly, a bit at a time, mixing it all together as you pour. Continue to mix until the batter is smooth with no lumps in it. Melt the butter in a pan and add 2 tablespoons of it to the batter and mix it in.
Pancake mixture
Add a teaspoon of butter or a dash of oil to the pan. Depending on the size of your pan, add 2 tablespoons (base 7in / 18cm pan) to 3 tablespoons (base 8in / 25cm pan) of the batter to the pan.
It's best to measure out the portions before pouring them in so that the mix can be poured in immediately after the butter is added.
Cooking a pancake
Immediately tip the pan from side to side to let the pancake batter cover all the base of the pan.
After 30 seconds or so the base of the pancake should be cooked. Lift up the side a bit with the palette knife to check that it's lightly browned. If not, cook for a few seconds more.
Checking base of pancake
Flip the pancake over on to its other side and cook for 10 seconds.
Sparingly spread whatever topping you have chosen and wrap the pancake into a roll.
If you need to serve several pancakes at a time, store them flat in a warm oven for a few minutes until all are cooked.
Rolled up pancakes