Get ready for pancake day

If you’re gearing up for pancake day you’ll be needing a decent pancake recipe and a few hints and tips. First things first here’s my failsafe traditional recipe that has been tested many, many times and always comes up a treat.

Will you be having them for breakfast, lunch or dinner? We usually breakfast on pancakes if we’re having an indulgent weekend, but on Shrove Tuesday they’ll be dessert so we can take our time over them after a busy day at work and school.

Traditional pancake recipe

225g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
600ml milk
50g unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for frying

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk into the flour. Add the melted butter and whisk into the mix.

2. Pre-heat the frying pan. Lightly oil the pan and pour in some mixture – making sure the pan only has a thin layer of mix by tilting and rotating the pan to make the batter spread out.

3. Cook for 30-40 seconds, until golden brown. Turn the pancake over and cook for a further 20-30 seconds.

4. Keep warm between layers of greaseproof paper while you cook the remainder.

Tips:

If you’re feeling organised i’d whip up the batter in advance to give it a chance to rest and so it’ll just be ready to go when you are.

If you don’t want to be glued to the stove while your family tuck into their pancakes, then cook them in advance, keeping them in between layers of greaseproof paper and then reheat in the oven.

Fill the table with a variety of toppings and let the kids get stuck in creating their own little masterpieces.

Pancake recipe links to inspire

Fillings wise, i’m afraid i’m normally a strictly lemon and sugar kind of girl, and on an extravagant day a big blob of decent yoghurt. Chopped banana and nutella are a fave with the boys. However I know other people are probably looking for a pancake-tastic adventure, so I thought i’d draw your attention to some lovely ideas I’ve spotted around and about….

Last year I made American style pancakes with sticky griddled plums  for a recipe challenge which were a taste sensation…

My friend Sian of Fishfingers for Tea has come up with these tempting double chocolate chip American style pancakes with raspberries which sound incredible

Pancakes with hazelnuts and maple fudge sauce – trust Sarah at Maison Cupcake to come up with such a divine recipe!

And finally you’ve got to love a bit of golden syrup on your pancakes – watch My Daddy Cooks Nick Coffer’s adorable video on how to make them with your kids, introducing his youngest little chef Matilda

Pancake gear

Other than a good non-stick frying pan, you don’t need lots of fancy kit to make pancakes, but here’s a round-up of some of the stuff i’ve been sent that I thought i’d share:

I’m a genuine fan of OXO Good Grips kit, and their pancake-friendly utensils are a delight. The silicone handled whisk is sturdy and attractive priced at £10.

The batter bowl (£13.30) is very user friendly with a silicon bottom that prevents it from skidding around as you mix, handy measure marks on the inside in both cups and litres and the brilliant handle and spout, ideal for pouring your batter straight into the pan without too much mess.

And if you get anxious at the thought of flipping pancakes into the air, the flexible pancake turner (£8.70) will do a grand job of turning your creations over without them sticking to the ceiling, ending up on the floor or that annoying thing when they get all scrunched up in the pan!

If you’re looking to recreate American-style pancakes out of a packet, then Amazon are a great place to source ingredients from the USA. I found some wonderful shredded coconut on there the other day which saved me a trip to a specialist shop in North London for some recipe development work i’m doing at the moment.

But yes, the Aunt Jemima pancake and waffle mix will give you that American flavour, especially with chopped pecans and a good drenching of maple syrup. I do however question how worthwhile a packet mix is if you still have to add milk, oil and an egg!

Thanks to both Amazon.co.uk and OXO Good Grips for sending me their review samples to check out! Happy flipping pancake day everyone!