Pancakes

My pancake recipe actually comes from a Winnie the Pooh cookery book I was given many, many moons ago. What I love about it is that the kiddies can mix the batter by themselves as the measurements are just so simple!
Makes about 8 pancakes.
Ingredients:
4 rounded tablespoons of plain flour
A pinch of salt
1 egg
½ pint of milk
Butter for frying
Extras for serving: favourites in our house are jam, maple syrup and Nutella, as well as good old-fashioned sugar and lemon!
Method:
1: Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a hollow in the centre and crack the egg into it.
2: Add about a third of the milk and mix gently together.
3: Gradually add the rest of the milk and beat in.
4: Heat up a frying pan and add some butter. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of batter. Tip the pan so the batter runs all over the base of the pan to make a pancake.
5: Fry until the underside is brown and then turn over with a knife or flip if you’re feeling fancy (your children will think you’re the coolest thing ever if you can successfully flip!).
6: When the second side is cooked, slide the pancake out of the pan onto a plate (Warning: the first pancake of a batch is inevitably a bit rubbish!), add whatever yummies you like and eat up!
7: If you want to serve a pile of pancakes, pop each pancake as it’s ready onto a tray in the oven on a low heat to keep warm until needed.

American Pancakes

I have to be in a REALLY good mood to attempt making pancakes for our family of 6!  An hour and a half can easily whizz by in a blur of pans, batter and eager little faces.

These are fatter and smaller than traditional UK pancakes and are usually served with maple syrup and crispy bacon. Yum!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

110g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon caster sugar

a pinch of salt

130ml milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus some extra for cooking

a handful of raisins or blueberries (optional)

a few drops of vanilla extract or a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Method:

1: Sift together the flour, the baking powder, the sugar and the salt into a large bowl.

2: Gently whisk together the egg and milk and then whisk in the butter.

3: Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine. Leave to stand for a few minutes.

4: Heat some butter in a large frying pan.

5: Drop tablespoons of the mixture into the pan, leaving some room for the pancakes to grow. Cook until the pancake’s bottom is brown and bubbles appear on the surface. This should take only 1-2 minutes. Turn the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown.

6: Repeat this until all the batter is used up. Cooked pancakes can be kept warm in the oven, but taste better straight out of the pan.

7: Serve with berries, maple syrup and some warm, crispy bacon.

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