Let's Bake: Pancakes

*This recipe is suitable for Vegetarians and contains no nuts.*

*Vegan Substitutes are available for ingredients required.*

Yes, I know Pancake Day was a few weeks ago, but that isn’t go to stop me adding a post on making them. Even so, pancakes can be eaten any time of the year for breakfast or as a dessert.

I love pancakes, but I have to admit they are not my forte when it comes to cooking. The photo, above, was taken only after I managed to crack the process and didn’t result in me throwing it in my food bin. I always, without fail, screw up the first couple I make. The first will be the result of putting in, either, too much or too little of the batter. The second will be as a result of me trying to turn the pancake far too early and ripping it to shreds in the process.

As I use a pancake mix, instead of making up my own batter, I won’t be giving you a recipe in this post. However, I can give you some tips based on my experience of making pancakes.

Tips:

1. Getting the right amount of batter seems to be the biggest stumbling point for most of us. Too little and you are going to be literally scraping it from the pan. Too much and it just won’t cook properly. The size of the frying pan will probably mean you would need to adjust the amount as well to make sure you have enough batter to cover the entire base of the pan. For the size I have, I have found 4-5 tablespoons does the trick. Increase for larger pans, decrease for smaller ones.
2. My second issue is getting the timing right on when to flip the pancake. Too early and I am going to be ripping it apart. Too late and I am going to end up with burnt pancakes (not that my boys would care). Usually, once the batter has cooked through, its time to flip, but even I still mistime it. For me, I usually watch the edges of the pancake as I have found they will start to come away from the pan, indicating it is nearly ready to flip.
3. Flipping the pancake is something I don’t struggle with, even if my youngest son seems to be convinced I am going to end up dropping it each time. However, I always use a knife or spatula to make sure the pancake is completely separated from the pan. Doing this reduces the risk, at least for me, of causing any damage to the pancake, accidentally dropping it as I give the pan a shake or leaving it too long that I burn it.

If plain pancakes are not to your taste, then something extra to the batter before cooking. My personal preference is chocolate, something that definitely goes down well with my children.