There’s not long left now till one of our favourite days of the year.
Whether you’ll be whipping them up with your kids, your other half, or yourself this Tuesday, one thing is for sure – fresh is always best. So walk past the packets and sachets at your local supermarket and head for the bakery aisle.
You can go extra fancy and turn your Pancake Day into something that would make even the most skilled chef quiver in their white jacket, or keep it simple but effective. The most important thing is to have fun with it… and post plenty of pictures to your Facebook feed of course!
Here is a great basic recipe for the humble pancake, along with a couple of tips for how to make it more exciting.
Ingredients:
2 Large Eggs
100g plain flour
275ml milk
pinch of salt
1 tsp oil for frying
Cooking Instructions:
- Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the middle.
- Crack the eggs into the well, then using a manual or electric whisk, begin incorporating the ingredients.
- As you are mixing the egg into the dry ingredients, add the milk little by little, allowing each amount to mix in fully as the mixture thickens before pouring again.
- Ensure you have gotten any cheeky bits of mixture left around the bowl into the batter, and that you’ve gotten any lumps out before leaving to set.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 30 minutes or longer if you can, although the batter can be used immediately if you don’t have time to wait.
- Set a frying pan over a medium heat, adding a little oil and coating it evenly.
- Ladle some batter into the pan and then swirl it around quickly before it has a chance to set fully, spreading the mixture out until it reaches your desired size.
- Fry until the pancake is golden brown on the bottom, then using a spatula (or your amazing pancake skills) flip the pancake over and let it reach the same colour on the other side.
- Serve up with your choice of healthy or naughty topping!
Cook’s Tip:
If you want to make your pancakes a little more “deluxe”, melt a large knob of butter and stir it into the pancake mix before leaving to set. It’ll give a smoother edge to your pancakes and really enhance the flavour.
For a fluffier, American style pancake, replace 1/4 – 1/2 the amount of plain flour with the self raising variety. They’ll puff up more in the pan and give you something a little thicker.
Pancake batter keeps. If you made too much, either put it in the fridge and use the rest the next day, or fry up the rest and freeze them tightly wrapped on foil or cling film. Then you can simple remove them from the freezer, defrost thoroughly, and give them a quick fry on both sides to reheat when you’re ready.
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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