Ingredients
Dry
- 250 gplain flour
- 2 tbspsugar
- 2 tspbaking powder
- ½ tspbicarbonate of soda
- 1 tspsalt
Wet
- 400 mlbuttermilk
- 2eggs
- 60 gbutter, melted and cooled
- 1 tspvanilla, optional
To cook
- butter or neutral oil for the griddle
To serve
- butter
- real maple syrup
- crisp bacon
- blueberries
Directions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Now pour the wet into the dry and stir only until they are barely combined.
- Heat a heavy pan or griddle over a medium heat, and give it several minutes to come up evenly. A pan that is too hot browns the outside in seconds while the middle stays raw batter.
- Pour a ladleful into the pan and leave it completely alone. Do not spread it out, since a good batter finds its own thickness and pushing it thin defeats the point.
- Turn it when the bubbles at the centre have burst and stayed open rather than filling back in. That takes two to three minutes and is a far more reliable guide than a timer.
- Turn each one once and once only. Every extra flip presses out the air you have just created, and the second side takes only a minute or two.
- Serve them with butter and real maple syrup.
Technique
- Stop mixing while the batter is still lumpy, or the pancakes go tough.
- The acid in buttermilk is what activates the bicarbonate of soda.
- Turn when the bubbles at the centre burst and stay open.
Substitutions
- Milk soured with lemon juice in place of buttermilk.
- Oil in place of butter for the pan.
Variations
- Blueberry pancakes, with the berries dropped onto the batter in the pan.
- Made with buckwheat flour for part of the plain flour.
- Silver dollar pancakes, made small.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pancakes?
Pancakes is a breakfast from United States: fluffy griddle cakes stacked with butter and maple syrup.
How long does Pancakes take to make?
Pancakes takes 10 min plus 15 min resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 12. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Pancakes?
Yes, within limits. Milk soured with lemon juice in place of buttermilk. Oil in place of butter for the pan.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pancakes?
Pour a ladleful into the pan and leave it completely alone. Do not spread it out, since a good batter finds its own thickness and pushing it thin defeats the point.
