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Pancakes are a type of flat sweet bread enjoyed by many cultures around the world. Pancake recipes differ a lot from each other but always have the same basic ingredients of flour, eggs and milk. In some countries, such as the US and Canada, pancakes are reserved for breakfast while others, such as in Europe, serve pancakes for dessert or even side dishes. These are eaten plain, with butter, sprinkled with powdered sugar or filled with pies, fruit or cheese. Whatever the tradition, pancakes are truly universal and delicious treats.
On Fat Tuesday (also known as Shrove Tuesday) pancakes are eaten because they contain mainly sugar, fat and flour; as these ingredients are forbidden to eat during fasting until Easter.
Ingredients
The following ingredients are enough to make about 8 25 cm pancakes (more or less, depending on the size). You can adjust the amount of the ingredients depending on the number of pancakes you want to serve.
- 2 cups (9oz / 255g) flour (see tips section below)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (350ml) of milk
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of butter / vegetable oil
- 5 tablespoons of sugars
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
To step
Enjoy! Try adding butter, peanut butter, treacle, jam, chocolate flakes or fruit to your pancakes for a different, more exciting taste. The possibilities are endless. These are the most delicious pancakes you will ever taste.
Tips
- Add a little vanilla essence (extract) to the dough for an even sweeter pancake.
- Try adding cinnamon sugar to the pancake while it is still in the pan. After it's done baking, roll it up and serve as a "fake crepe" for a delicious treat.
- Try adding ingredients to your batter instead of smearing them on the pancakes after they're done. Need a few ideas? Try chocolate flakes (milk or dark), fruits: strawberries, bananas, blueberries, or other spices (cinnamon)
- Try putting fruit in the batter, it is delicious
- Instead of butter or nonstick pan spray, try melted bacon fat. This works perfectly if you are making bacon at the same time as the pancakes.
- Lemon juice and fine sugar together make a very traditional and delicious filling.
- If you choose to use self-raising flour, omit salt and baking powder in the recipe. Self-raising flour already contains both ingredients.
- Stir two tablespoons of lemon juice and another two tablespoons of sugar into the batter before you start baking.
- There are so many cultures that make pancakes, so many recipes. Certain things you can experiment with include:
- Using beer or carbonated water with milk gives a slightly different flavor to the beer and makes it rise better if you don't use baking powder.
- The ratios between the liquids (milk, carbonated water, beer) and the solids (wheat) determine whether the pancake becomes thin (like a French crepe) or thicker (like an American pancake). So experiment until you get the recipe that you like.
- By beating the egg white and adding it later you actually make Austrian Kaiserschmarrn dough, which is normally shredded during / after baking into a scrambled egg-like dish.
- If you don't want the pancakes to stick to the pan, use sunflower oil. This oil has a higher burning temperature (smoke point) than butter and is better suited for use in hot pans.
- For a very soft and fluffy pancake, use vanilla or fruit yogurt mixed with water to make it liquid. Or try a crème freche!
- If you want the pancakes just right, let them bake in the pan according to a precise time!
- Do not bake the pancakes at too high a temperature, they will taste undercooked.
Warnings
- Do not press on the pancakes while baking. This prevents them from becoming fluffy.
- Do not put them on top of each other immediately after baking as the moisture from the steam will make them sticky.
Necessities
- Bowls for mixing
- Egg whipping
- Pan
- Spatula
- Tablespoon
- Measuring cup
