Dr Mobeus
English Pancakes
English pancakes are not the same as fluffy American ones. They are thin and lacy, closer to a French crepe, and the traditional way to eat them is with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar.
You do not need a packet mix for these. Flour, eggs and milk are already sitting in your kitchen, and the batter takes five minutes to whisk together. Eight pancakes for about £1.10 works out at 14p each.
Shrove Tuesday is the obvious night to make these but honestly they deserve more than once a year. They also work as a quick dessert when there is nothing else in the house.
English Pancakes
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the flour, eggs and milk together with a pinch of salt until you have a smooth batter the consistency of single cream.
- Stir in the melted butter, then leave the batter to rest for 10 minutes while you heat a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Brush the pan with a little butter and pour in a ladle of batter, swirling the pan so it coats the base in a thin layer.
- Cook for about 1 minute until the underside is golden, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
- Slide onto a plate, squeeze over lemon and sprinkle with sugar, then repeat with the rest of the batter. Stack the pancakes up as you go.
Tips and Variations
A hot pan and a thin layer of batter are everything. The first pancake is always the tester, so do not panic when it goes wrong. The batter keeps in the fridge overnight if you want to make it ahead, and savoury fillings work just as well as sweet.
